Lamentations 4

King James Version

Full text for Lamentations Chapter 4

1¶ How is the gold become dim! [how] is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.

2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

3Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people [is become] cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

4The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, [and] no man breaketh [it] unto them.

5They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

6For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.

7Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing [was] of sapphire:

8Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

9[They that be] slain with the sword are better than [they that be] slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for [want of] the fruits of the field.

10The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

12The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

13¶ For the sins of her prophets, [and] the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

14They have wandered [as] blind [men] in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

15They cried unto them, Depart ye; [it is] unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn [there].

16The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

17As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation [that] could not save [us].

18They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

19Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

21¶ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

22The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Lamentations 4 vividly portrays the utter desolation of Jerusalem, lamenting the degradation of its people and the defilement of its sanctuary. The chapter describes the horrific suffering caused by famine, including cannibalism, and attributes this calamity to the sins of the city's prophets and priests. It concludes with a prophecy of judgment upon Edom, while offering a glimmer of hope that Zion's punishment is complete.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with a mournful cry over the fallen state of Jerusalem, where its once-precious people are now likened to broken pottery, and the stones of the sanctuary are scattered. It details the extreme suffering from famine, so severe that even mothers become cruel, and children starve, a plight described as worse than Sodom's swift destruction. The physical decay of the Nazarites, once vibrant, now withered, symbolizes the city's ruin. The text attributes this devastation to the sins of Jerusalem's prophets and priests, who shed innocent blood and led the people astray. The capture of the anointed king, a source of hope, further deepens the despair. The chapter concludes by declaring that the Lord's fierce anger has been fully poured out on Zion, but warns Edom that its turn for judgment is coming, while Zion's captivity will cease.

Long Summary

Lamentations 4 opens with a poignant lament over the profound degradation of Jerusalem, comparing its once-glorious state to dim gold and its precious inhabitants to common earthen pitchers. The very stones of the sanctuary are scattered in the streets, symbolizing utter defilement. The chapter graphically depicts the horrific suffering brought by famine, where even sea monsters show more maternal care than the cruel daughters of Zion, and starving children find no one to offer them bread. This punishment is declared greater than that of Sodom, which was swiftly overthrown. The once-pure and vibrant Nazarites are described as physically wasted, their visages blackened and their bodies withered, a stark image of the city's decay. The suffering is so extreme that death by sword is preferred to the slow agony of starvation, leading to the unthinkable act of pitiful women boiling and eating their own children. The text explicitly states that the LORD's fierce anger has been fully accomplished, consuming Zion's foundations. The world's kings could not have imagined Jerusalem's fall, which is attributed directly to the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the just and wandered as blind, polluted men. The people's vain hope in foreign aid proved futile, as their persecutors swiftly hunted them. The capture of 'the breath of our nostrils,' the anointed king, further solidified their despair, as their last hope for stability among the heathen was dashed. The chapter concludes with a prophetic taunt to Edom, instructing them to rejoice in Zion's downfall, for the cup of divine wrath will soon pass to them, leading to their own shame and judgment. Conversely, Zion's punishment for iniquity is declared complete, and she will no longer be carried into captivity.

Core Concepts

  • Desolation of ZionThe chapter vividly laments the utter ruin of Jerusalem, where its precious people are debased, its sanctuary stones scattered, and its former glory is diminished like tarnished gold.
  • Extreme Famine and SufferingThe text graphically portrays the horrors of starvation, detailing how children die of thirst and hunger, once-delicate individuals embrace dunghills, and even mothers resort to cannibalism.
  • Sins of LeadersThe fall of Jerusalem is directly attributed to the iniquities of its prophets and priests, who shed innocent blood and led the people astray, causing divine wrath.
  • Divine Judgment and WrathThe LORD's fierce anger is depicted as fully accomplished, having kindled a fire in Zion that devoured its foundations, a punishment declared greater than that of Sodom.
  • Capture of the Anointed KingThe despair of the people is deepened by the capture of their king, 'the breath of our nostrils' and 'the anointed of the LORD,' under whose protection they had hoped to live.
  • Prophecy Against EdomThe chapter concludes with a warning to Edom, stating that while Zion's punishment is complete, the cup of judgment will soon pass to Edom, and its own sins will be exposed.