4:6The city of Sodom, destroyed by burning sulfur from heaven because of its wickedness (Genesis 18:20—19:29), became a symbol of Gad’s ultimate judgment. Yet the guilt of Jerusalem was even greater than that of Sodom! Jeremiah wasn’t comparing sins but acknowledging that Sodom had few of the advantages and blessings that the people of Jerusalem had enjoyed from God. Jerusalem's greater guilt was in turning away in spite of the city’s countless God-given benefits.
Life Application Study BibleLamentationsChapter 4
Lamentations 4
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1302, 1303, 1304
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
4Lamentations 4
4. God’s anger is satisfied
14 ‘How the gold has lost its luster!Even the finest gold has become dull.The sacred gemstoneslie scattered in the streets!
2See how the precious children of Jerusalem,*worth their weight in fine gold,are now treated like pots of claymade by a common potter.
3Even the jackals feed their young,but not my people Israel.They ignore their children’s cries,like ostriches in the desert.
4The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them. 5The people who once ate the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once wore the finest clothes now search the garbage dumps for food.
6The guilt* of my peopleis greater than that of Sodom,where utter disaster struck in a momentand no hand offered help.
7Our princes once glowed with health—brighter than snow, whiter than milk.Their faces were as ruddy as rubies,their appearance like fine jewels.*
8But now their faces are blacker than soot.No one recognizes them in the streets.Their skin sticks to their bones;it is as dry and hard as wood.
9Those killed by the sword are better offthan those who die of hunger.Starving, they waste awayfor lack of food from the fields.
10Tenderhearted womenhave cooked their own children.They have eaten themto survive the siege.
11But now the anger of the LORD is satisfied.His fierce anger has been poured out.He started a fire in Jerusalem*that burned the city to its foundations.
12Nota king in all the earth—no one in all the world—would have believed that an enemycould march through the gates of Jerusalem.
13Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophetsand the sins of her priests,who defiled the cityby shedding innocent blood.
14They wandered blindlythrough the streets,so defiled by bloodthat no one dared touch them.
15“Get away!” the people shouted at them.“You're defiled! Don’t touch us!”So they fled to distant landsand wandered among foreign nations,but none would let them stay.
16The LORD himself has scattered them,and he no longer helps them.People show no respect for the priestsand no longer honor the leaders.
17We looked in vain for our alliesto come and save us,but we were looking to nationsthat could not help us.
3 We couldn’t go into the streetswithout danger to our lives.Our end was near; our days were numbered.We were doomed!
19Our enemies were swifter than eagles in flight.If we fled to the mountains, they found us.If we hid in the wilderness,they were waiting for us there.
20Our king—the LORD’s anointed, the very life of our nation—was caught in their snares.We had thought that his shadowwould protect us against any nation on earth!
21Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz,O people of Edom?But you, too, must drink from the cup of the LORD’s anger.You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness.
22O beautiful Jerusalem,* your punishment will end; you will soon return from exile. But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; soon your many sins will be exposed.
5. Jeremiah pleads for restoration
5 1Lorp, remember what has happened to us.
Textual footnotes
- 4:2 Hebrew precious sons of Zion.
- 4:6 Or punishment.
- 4:22 Hebrew O daughter of Zion. §:11 Hebrew in Zion.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
4:7Hebrew fike lapis lazuli. 4:11 Hebrew in Zion.
4:13-15To be defiled or unclean meant to be unfit to enter the Temple or to worship before God. The priests and prophets should have been the most careful to maintain ceremonial purity so that they could continue to perform their duties before God. But many priests and prophets did evil and were defiled. As the Nation’s leaders, their example led the people into sin and caused the ultimate downfall of the nation and its capital city, Jerusalem.
4:17Judah had asked Egypt to help it fight the Babylonian army. Egypt gave Judah false hope by starting to help, but then it had retreated (Jeremiah 37:5-7). Jeremiah warned Judah not to ally itself with Egypt. He told the leaders to rely on God, but they refused to listen.
4:20King Zedekiah, although called “the LORD’s anointed,” had little spiritual depth and leadership power. Instead of putting his faith in God and listening to God’s true prophet, Jeremiah, he listened to the false prophets. To make matters worse, the people chose to follow and trust in their king (2 Chronicles 36:11-16). They chose the path of complacency, wanting to feel secure rather than to follow the directives God was giving his people through Jeremiah. But the source of their confidence— King Zedekiah—was captured.
4:21,22Edom was Judah's archenemy, even though they had a common ancestor, Isaac (see Genesis 25:19-26; 36:1). Edom had actively aided Babylon in the siege of Jerusalem. As a reward, Nebuchadnezzar gave the outlying lands of Judah to Edom. Jeremiah said that the nation of Edom would be judged for treachery against Judah—-in essence, against its own relatives. (See aiso Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 25:12-14; Amos 9:12; Obadiah 1:1-21.)