Lamentations 2

King James Version

Full text for Lamentations Chapter 2

1¶ How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, [and] cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

2The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought [them] down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.

3He hath cut off in [his] fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, [which] devoureth round about.

4He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all [that were] pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.

5The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

6And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as [if it were of] a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

7The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.

8The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.

9Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes [are] among the Gentiles: the law [is] no [more]; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.

10¶ The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, [and] keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.

11Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

12They say to their mothers, Where [is] corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.

13What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach [is] great like the sea: who can heal thee?

14Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

15All that pass by clap [their] hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, [saying, Is] this the city that [men] call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

16All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed [her] up: certainly this [is] the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen [it].

17The LORD hath done [that] which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused [thine] enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.

18Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

19Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

20Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, [and] children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

21The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain [them] in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, [and] not pitied.

22Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD'S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The Lord, in His fierce anger, has utterly devastated the daughter of Zion, casting down her beauty and destroying her habitations, palaces, and sacred places. He acted as an enemy, bringing immense suffering upon the people, including the elders and starving children. The city lies in ruins, its leaders scattered, and its enemies mock its former glory. Amidst this desolation, the prophet laments the unparalleled destruction and calls for fervent prayer.

Medium Summary

Lamentations chapter two vividly portrays the Lord's intense wrath against Jerusalem, describing how He, as an adversary, brought about its complete destruction. He covered Zion with a cloud of anger, casting down its beauty, swallowing its habitations, and destroying its strongholds and sacred institutions like the tabernacle, altar, and solemn feasts. The city's walls and gates are broken, its king and princes exiled, and its prophets without divine vision. The people suffer grievously, with elders in sackcloth and children fainting from hunger in the streets. Enemies mock Jerusalem, rejoicing in its downfall, which the prophet acknowledges as the Lord's fulfillment of His ancient word. False prophets are condemned for offering vain visions instead of revealing iniquity. Amidst this desolation, the prophet weeps profusely and urges the people to cry out to the Lord for their perishing children, questioning the extent of the suffering.

Long Summary

Chapter two opens with a powerful depiction of the Lord's wrath, likening His actions against the daughter of Zion to an enemy who has covered her with a cloud of anger and cast down her beauty from heaven. He is portrayed as having swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, throwing down strongholds, polluting the kingdom, and cutting off the 'horn' of Israel. The Lord bent His bow and poured out His fury like fire, destroying palaces, tabernacles, and places of assembly, causing solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten. He despised the king and priest, cast off His altar, and abhorred His sanctuary, giving its walls into the enemy's hand. The city's physical structures, including its walls, ramparts, gates, and bars, are utterly ruined, and its king and princes are scattered among the Gentiles, with the law and prophetic vision ceasing. The elders sit in silence, covered in dust and sackcloth, while virgins hang their heads, and the prophet expresses profound personal grief over the destruction. Children and sucklings swoon in the streets, desperately asking for food, their souls pouring out. The prophet laments that Jerusalem's breach is great like the sea, beyond healing, and condemns the false prophets who saw vain and foolish things rather than revealing iniquity. Passersby and enemies mock the once-beautiful city, rejoicing that they have 'swallowed her up,' acknowledging this as the day they awaited. The prophet affirms that the Lord has fulfilled His ancient word, throwing down without pity and causing adversaries to triumph. In response to this overwhelming suffering, the prophet urges the wall of Zion to weep day and night, and calls upon the people to pour out their hearts to the Lord, lifting hands for their starving children. The chapter concludes with a direct plea to the Lord to behold the suffering, questioning if women should eat their own children or if priests and prophets should be slain in the sanctuary, highlighting the widespread death of young and old alike.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Anger and JudgmentThe Lord's fierce anger is the primary cause of Jerusalem's devastation, as He acts as an enemy, destroying the city, its people, and its sacred institutions without pity. His actions are portrayed as a deliberate fulfillment of His word, bringing about the prophesied calamities.
  • Utter DesolationThe chapter details the complete ruin of Jerusalem, including its physical structures like walls, gates, and palaces, as well as the cessation of religious practices, law, and prophetic vision. The once-beautiful city is reduced to a state of profound destruction and emptiness.
  • Suffering of the InnocentA poignant theme is the widespread suffering of the populace, particularly the elders, virgins, and young children who faint from hunger in the streets. This highlights the indiscriminate and severe nature of the judgment, affecting all segments of society.
  • False ProphecyThe text condemns the prophets who offered vain and foolish visions, failing to expose the people's iniquity and thus contributing to their captivity and banishment. Their deceptive messages prevented the people from turning away from their sins and avoiding the impending doom.
  • Enemy Scorn and RejoicingJerusalem's downfall is met with mockery and triumph from its enemies, who clap their hands, hiss, and rejoice, acknowledging the fulfillment of divine judgment. This adds to the humiliation and sorrow of the defeated city, as its adversaries gloat over its destruction.
  • Prophet's Lament and PleaThe prophet expresses deep personal grief and sorrow over the destruction, weeping profusely and lamenting the city's irreparable breach. Simultaneously, he urges the people to pour out their hearts in fervent prayer and lamentation to the Lord for mercy, especially for their perishing children.