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Lamentations 1:20

20 “See, LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.

Lamentations 1:20 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
20 Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
English Standard Version (ESV)
20 "Look, O LORD, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20 “ LORD, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death.
The Message Bible (MSG)
20 "O God, look at the trouble I'm in! My stomach in knots, my heart wrecked by a life of rebellion. Massacres in the streets, starvation in the houses.
American Standard Version (ASV)
20 Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
20 "O LORD, see the distress I'm in! My stomach is churning. My heart is pounding because I've been very bitter. In the streets swords kill my children. Inside the houses it's like death.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
20 Lord, see how I am in distress. I am churning within; my heart is broken, for I have been very rebellious. Outside, the sword takes the children; inside, there is death.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
20 "Lord, see how upset we are! We are suffering deep down inside. Our hearts are troubled. Again and again we have refused to obey you. Outside the city, people are being killed with swords. Inside, there is nothing but death.

Lamentations 1:20 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 1:20

Behold, O Lord, for I [am] in distress
Thus she turns from one to another; sometimes she addresses strangers, people that pass by; sometimes she calls to her lovers; and at other times to God, which is best of all, to have pity and compassion on her in her distress; and from whom it may be most expected, who is a God of grace and mercy: my bowels are troubled;
as the sea, agitated by winds, which casts up mire and dirt; or as any waters, moved by anything whatsoever, become thick and muddy; or like wine in fermentation; so the word <arabic> F12, in the Arabic language, signifies, expressive of great disturbance, confusion, and uneasiness: mine heart is turned within me;
has no rest nor peace: for I have grievously rebelled;
against God and his word; her sins were greatly aggravated, and these lay heavy on her mind and conscience, and greatly distressed her: abroad the sword bereaveth;
this, and what follows in the next clause, describe the state and condition of the Jews, while the city was besieged; without it, the sword of the Chaldeans bereaved mothers of their children, and children of their parents, and left them desolate: at home [there is] as death;
within the city, and in the houses of it, the famine raged, which was as death, and worse than immediate death; it was a lingering one: or, "in the house [was] certain death" F13; for the "caph" here is not a mere note of similitude, but of certainty and reality; to abide at home was sure and certain death, nothing else could be expected. The Targum is

``within the famine kills like the destroying angel that is appointed over death;''
see ( Hebrews 2:14 ) ; and Jarchi interprets it of the fear of demons and noxious spirits, and the angels of death.
FOOTNOTES:

F12 <arabic> "fermentavit, commiscuit, alteravit, turbavique [mentem]", Castel. col. 1294.
F13 (twmk tybb) "in domo mors ipsa", Munster; "plane mors"; Junius & Tremellius.

Lamentations 1:20 In-Context

18 “The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.
19 “I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
20 “See, LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.
21 “People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint.”

Cross References 5

  • 1. S Jeremiah 4:19
  • 2. Lamentations 2:11
  • 3. S Job 20:2
  • 4. S ver 8
  • 5. S Deuteronomy 32:25; Ezekiel 7:15
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