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Lamentations
Chapter Four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 4
The
prophet begins this chapter with a complaint of the ill usage of the dear
children of God, and precious sons of Zion, Lamentations 4:1;
relates the dreadful effects of the famine during the siege of Jerusalem, Lamentations 4:3;
the taking and destruction of that city he imputes to the wrath of God; and
represents it as incredible to the kings and inhabitants of the earth, Lamentations 4:11;
the causes of which were the sins of the prophets, priests, and people, Lamentations 4:13;
expresses the vain hopes they once had, but now were given up entirely, their
king being taken, Lamentations 4:17;
and the chapter is concluded with a prophecy of the destruction of the
Edomites, and of the return of the Jews from captivity, Lamentations 4:21.
Lamentations 4:1 How
the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the
sanctuary are scattered At the head of every street.
YLT
1How is the gold become dim,
Changed the best -- the pure gold? Poured out are stones of the sanctuary At
the head of all out-places.
How is the gold become dim!.... Or
"covered"F2יועם "rubigine
obducetur", Montanus; "obtectum vel absconditum",
Vatablus. So Ben Melech. ; or hid with rust, dust, or dirt; so that it can
scarcely be discerned:
how is the most fine gold
changed! this may be literally true of the gold of the temple; and so the
Targum calls it
"the
gold of the house of the sanctuary;'
with
which that was overlaid, and many things in it, 1 Kings 6:21; and
was sadly sullied and tarnished with the burning of the temple, and the rubbish
of it: its brightness was lost, and its colour changed; but though there may be
an allusion to that, it is to be figuratively understood of the people of God;
for what is here expressed in parabolical phrases, as Aben Ezra observes, is in
Lamentations 4:2
explained in proper and literal ones: godly and gracious men, there called the
precious sons of Zion, are comparable to gold, even the most fine gold; partly
because of their habit and dress; gold of Ophir; clothing of wrought gold; the
rich robe of Christ's righteousness; which, for its brightness and splendour,
is like the finest gold; and is as lasting and durable as that; and in which
the saints look like a mass of pure gold, Psalm 45:9; and
partly because of the graces of the Spirit in them, which are like gold for
their purity, especially when tried; for their value, and the enriching nature
of them, and their duration; particularly the graces of faith, hope, love,
humility, which are like rows of jewels, and chains of gold, and as ornamental
as they; see Song of Solomon 1:10;
as also because of the doctrines of grace received by them, which are more to
be desired than gold, than fine gold; and are better than thousands of gold and
silver, by reason of their intrinsic worth and value; for their purity and
brightness, being tried and purified, and because of their duration, Psalm 19:10; as
well as on account of the riches of grace and glory they are possessed of, and
entitled to: now this, in either of the senses of it, cannot be lost as to
substance, only become dim; may lose its brightness and glory, and like gold
change its colour, but not its nature; and; this may be the case of good men,
comparable to it; when there is a decline in them, with respect to the exercise
of grace; faith in Christ and his righteousness is low, hope not lively, and
love waxen cold; when there is a veil drawn over the Gospel, a great opposition
to it, and a departure from it; or the doctrines of it are not so clearly and
consistently preached; and when there is a failure in a holy walk, and
conversation becoming it; all which is matter of lamentation:
the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every
street; in the literal sense it may regard the costly stones of the
temple, which, when that was destroyed, not only lay in heaps; but many of
them, at least, were separated and scattered about, and carried into every
corner of the city, and the streets of it, and there lay exposed, neglected,
and trampled upon; see 1 Kings 5:17; but,
in the figurative sense, it designs the people of God; who, though they are
taken out of the common quarry and pit of mankind, and are by nature as common
stones; yet by the Spirit and grace of God are made living and lively ones, and
are hewn and fitted for the spiritual building the church; where they are laid,
and are as the stones of a crown, as jewels and precious stones; but when there
are animosities, contentions, and divisions among them, so that they disunite,
and are scattered from one another, their case is like these stones of the
sanctuary; and which is to be lamented. It is by some Jewish writersF3Vid.
R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 50. 1. interpreted of great personages, as
princes, and great men of the earth.
Lamentations 4:2 2 The precious sons of Zion,
Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the
hands of the potter!
YLT
2The precious sons of Zion,
Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles,
Work of the hands of a potter.
The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,.... This
explains what is meant in Lamentations 4:1;
by gold, fine gold, and stones of the sanctuary; not Josiah and his sons, as
some Jewish interpreters; but all the sons of Zion, or children of God; not the
inhabitants of Zion literally, but spiritually; see Zechariah 9:13.
Zion is the church; her sons are her spiritual seed and offspring that are born
of her, she being the mother of them all, and born in her, by means of the
word; and brought up by her, through the ordinances, and so are regenerate
persons; and these the sons of God: and who are "precious", not in
themselves, being of the fallen race of Adam; of the earth, earthly, as he was;
of the same mass and lump with the rest of mankind; in no wise better than
others, by nature; and have no intrinsic worth and value in them, but what
comes by and from the grace of God; nor are they precious in their own esteem,
and much less in the esteem of the men of the world; but in the eye of God, and
of his son Jesus Christ, and of the blessed Spirit, and in the opinion of other
saints; see Psalm 16:3; in what
sense these are comparable to fine gold; see Gill on Lamentations 4:1;
how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands
of the potter! they are indeed earthen vessels with respect to their bodies,
frail, weak, and mortal; but they are the work of God's hands, even as
creatures, and particularly as new creatures, and are a curious piece of his
workmanship, and so valuable, and especially by him, who is as tender and as
careful of them as the apple of his eye; and yet these are greatly disesteemed
by carnal men, are reckoned as the faith of the world, and the offscouring of
all things; as earthen vessels, fit for no use but common or dishonourable
ones, or to be broke in pieces, and rendered useless and contemptible: see Psalm 31:12.
Lamentations 4:3 3 Even the jackals present
their breasts To nurse their young; But the daughter of my people is
cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness.
YLT
3Even dragons have drawn out
the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is
become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.
Even the sea monsters draw out the breast,.... Which
some interpret of dragons; others of seals, or sea calves; but it is best to
understand it of whales, as the word is rendered in Genesis 1:21; and
elsewhere: and BochartF4Hierozoic. l. 1. c. 7. p. 46. has proved,
out of various writers, that these have breasts and milk; but that their
breasts, or however their paps, are not manifest, but are hid as in cases, and
must be drawn out: and so Jarchi observes that they draw their breasts out of a
case, for their breasts have a covering, which they uncover: so Ben Melech.
AristotleF5Hist. Animal. l. 3. c. 20. says, that whales, as the
dolphin, sea calf, and balaena, have breasts or paps, and milk, which he makes
to be certain species of the whale; and each of these, he elsewhere says, have
milk, and suckle their young: the dolphin and sturgeon, he observesF6Ib.
l. 6. c. 12. have milk, and are sucked; and so the sea calf, he saysF7lbid.
, lets out milk as a sheep, and has two breasts, and is sucked by its young, as
four footed beasts are. Agreeably to which AelianusF8Hist. de
Animal. 1. 10. c. 8. relates, that the female dolphins have paps like women,
and suckle their young, with great plenty of milk; and the balaena, he saysF9Ib.
l. 5. c. 4. , is a creature like a dolphin, and has milk. And Pliny, speaking
of the dolphins, observesF11Nat. Hist. l. 9. c. 8. , that they bring
forth their "whelps", and so the young of this creature are called
here in the next clause in the Hebrew textF12גוריהן
"catulos suos", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Cocceius. , and nourish them with their breasts, as the balaena; and
of the sea calves the same writer saysF13Nat. Hist. l. 9. c. 13.
they feed their young with their paps; but the paps of these creatures are not
manifest, as those of four footed beasts, as Aristotle observes; but are like
two channels or pipes, out of which the milk flows, and the young are suckled;
they give suck to their young ones; as they do, when they
are hungry; which is mentioned, as an aggravation of the case of the Jewish
women, with respect to their behaviour towards their children, by reason of the
famine, during the siege of Jerusalem; which here, and in the following verses,
is described in the sad effects of it; and which had a further accomplishment
at the destruction of the same city by the Romans: now, though the monsters
suckled their young when hungry, yet these women did not suckle theirs;
the daughter of my people is become cruel; or, is
"unto a cruel one"F14לאכזר
"in crudelem", Montanus; "sub. mutata fuit", Piscator;
"similis est crudeli", Munster. : that is, is changed unto a cruel
one, or is like unto one, and behaves as such, though of force and necessity:
the meaning is, that the Jewish women, though before tenderhearted mothers,
yet, by reason of the famine, having no milk in their breasts, could give none
to their children, and so acted as if they were cruel to them; nay, in fact,
instead of feeding them, they fed upon them, Lamentations 4:10;
like the ostriches in the wilderness; which lay
their eggs, and leave them in places easily to be crushed and broken; and when
they have any young ones, they are hardened against them, as if they were none
of theirs, Job 39:13; and this
seemed now to be the case of these women; or, "like the owls", as the
word is sometimes rendered; and which also leave their eggs, and for want of
food will eat their young, as those women did. So Ben Melech says, it is a bird
which dwells in the wilderness, and causes a voice of hooping to be heard.
Lamentations 4:4 4 The tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But
no one breaks it for them.
YLT
4Cleaved hath the tongue of
a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they
have none.
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth
for thirst,.... Through want of the milk of the breast, which is both food
and drink unto it:
the young children ask bread; of their parents as
usual, not knowing how the case was, that there was a famine in the city; these
are such as were more grown, were weaned from the milk, and drawn from the
breasts, and lived on other food, and were capable of asking for it:
and no man breaketh it
unto them: distributes unto them, or gives them a piece of bread; not
father, friend, or any other person; it not being in their power to do it, they
having none for themselves.
Lamentations 4:5 5 Those who ate delicacies Are
desolate in the streets; Those who were brought up in scarlet Embrace ash
heaps.
YLT
5Those eating of dainties
have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced
dunghills.
They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets,.... That were
brought up in the king's palace, or in the houses of noblemen; or, however,
born of parents rich and wealthy, and had been used to good living, and had
fared sumptuously and deliciously every day, were now wandering about in the
streets in the most forlorn and distressed condition, seeking for food of any
sort, but could find none to satisfy their hunger; and so, as the Vulgate Latin
version renders it, perished in the ways or streets:
they that were brought up in scarlet: in dyed
garments, as Jarchi; clothed with scarlet coloured ones, as was the manner of
the richer and better sort of people, Proverbs 31:21; or,
"brought up upon scarlet"F15עלי תולע "super coccinum", Pagninus, Montanus;
"super coccino", Piscator, Michaelis. ; upon scarlet carpets, on
which they used to sit and eat their food, as is the custom of the eastern
people to this day: these
embrace dunghills, are glad of them, and with the greatest
eagerness rake into them, in order to find something to feed upon, though ever
so base and vile; or to sit and lie down upon. Aben Ezra interprets it of their
being cast here when dead, and there was none to bury them.
Lamentations 4:6 6 The punishment of the
iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the punishment of the sin
of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her!
YLT
6And greater is the iniquity
of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as
[in] a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.
For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people,.... In the
long siege of their city, and the evils that attended it, especially the sore
famine:
is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom; which was
destroyed at once by fire from heaven: or it may be rendered, "the
iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom"F16מחטאת ----Nwe ldgyw "et ingens fuit iniquitas--prae
peccato", Montanus; "et major extitit pravitas--prae peccato",
Cocceius. So V. L. ; though the men of Sodom were great sinners, the Jews were
greater, their sins being more aggravated; to this agrees the Targum, which
renders the word "sin", and paraphrases the words following thus,
"and
there dwelt not in her prophets to prophesy unto her, and turn her by
repentance;'
as
the Jews had, and therefore their sin was the greater; both senses are true,
and the one is the foundation of the other; but the first seems best to agree
with what follows:
that was overthrown as in a moment; by a shower of fire from
heaven, which consumed it at once; whereas the destruction of Jerusalem was a
lingering one, through a long and tedious siege; the inhabitants were gradually
wasted and consumed by famine, pestilence, and sword, and so their punishment
greater than Sodom's:
and no hand stayed on her; that is, on Sodom; the
hand of God was immediately upon her, and dispatched her at once, but not the
hands of men; as the hands of the Chaldeans were upon the Jews, afflicting and
distressing them a long time, which made their ease the worse.
Lamentations 4:7 7 Her Nazirites[a] were
brighter than snow And whiter than milk;
They were more ruddy in body than rubies, Like sapphire
in their appearance.
YLT
7Purer were her Nazarites
than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their
form.
Her Nazarites were purer than snow,.... Such who separated
themselves by a vow to the Lord, and abstained from drinking wine and strong
drink, and by a moderate diet, and often washing themselves, as well as taking
great care of their hair, appeared very neat and comely, like snow, without any
spot or blemish. Some think such as were separated from others in dignity, very
honourable persons, the sons of nobles, are meant, since the word has the signification
of a "crown", and interpret it, her princes; Jarchi makes mention of
this sense, and rejects it; but it is received by many: and the meaning is,
that her young noblemen, who were well fed, and neatly dressed, looked as pure
and as beautiful as the driven snow:
they were whiter than milk; this intends the same
thing, expressed by another metaphor:
they were more ruddy in body than rubies; or rather
"than precious stones"; and particularly "than pearls",
which BochartF17Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 6. p. 688. proves at
large are designed by the word used, which are white, and not red; and the word
should be rendered, "clearer" or "whiter than pearls", as
it is by Lyra and othersF18אדמו עצם מפנינים "lucidiores
corpore margaritis", Bochart; "candidi fuerunt in corpore prae
margaritis", Noldius. ; and the word in the Arabic language signifies
white and clearF19"camelis tributum, candidus perquam
albus", Giggeius; "candidi coloris", Dorcas, Giggeius apud
Golium, col. 49, 51. , as pearls are; and so the phrase is expressive of the
beauty and comeliness of these persons: and LudolphusF20Comment. in
Ethiop. Hist. l. 1. No. 107. says, that in the Ethiopic language it signifies
"beautiful"; and he translates the whole, "they were more
beautiful than pearls"; denoting the clearness of their skins, and the
goodness of their complexion:
their polishing was of sapphire; or
"their cutting, sapphire"F21ספיר
גזר־תאם "sapphirus excisio eorum",
Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Calvin; "quasi sectio eorum esset ex
sapphiro", Munster. ; they were as beautiful as if they had been cut out
of sapphire, and polished; which is a very precious stone, and looks very beautiful;
so smooth were their skins. The Targum is,
"their
face or countenance is as sapphire.'
BrauniusF23De
Vestitu Sacerdot. Hebr. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 7. p. 676. thinks the word used
signifies the veins full of blood, which variously intersect the flesh like
sapphirine rivers; and that the sense of the words is,
"their
bodies were white like snow and milk, yea, shining like pearls (or red in the
cheeks, lips, &c. like coralF24So Bootius, Animadv. l. 4. c. 3.
sect. 8. p. 144. Lutherus & Osiander in ib. ); veins full of blood running
between like sapphire, of a most agreeable sky colour; which is, a true
description of a most fair and beautiful body.'
See
Song of Solomon 5:14.
All this is to be understood of them before the famine, but, when that came
upon them, then they were as follow:
Lamentations 4:8 8 Now
their appearance is blacker than soot; They go unrecognized in the streets; Their
skin clings to their bones, It has become as dry as wood.
YLT
8Darker than blackness hath
been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their
skin unto their bone, It hath withered -- it hath been as wood.
Their visage is blacker than a coal,.... Or, "darker
than blackness"; or, "dark through blackness"F25חשך משחור "obscurior ipsa
nigredine", Tigurine version; "magis quam nigredo vel carbo",
Vatablus; "prae caligines", Calvin; "ex nigredine",
Piscator. ; by reason of the famine, and because of grief and trouble for
themselves and their friends, which changed their complexions, countenances,
and skins; they that looked before as pure as snow, as white as milk, as clear
as pearls, as polished as sapphire, now as black as charcoal, as blackness
itself:
they are not known in the streets; not taken notice of in a
distinguished manner; no respect shown them as they walk the streets, as used
to be; nay, their countenances were so altered, and their apparel so sordid, as
not to be known by their friends, when they met them in public:
their skin cleaveth to their bones; have nothing but skin
and bone, who used to be plump and fat:
it is withered, it is become like a stick; the skin
wrinkled and shrivelled up, the flesh being gone; and the bone became like a
stick, or a dry piece of wood, its moisture and marrow being dried up.
Lamentations 4:9 9 Those
slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For
these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.
YLT
9Better have been the
pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced
through, Without the increase of the field.
They that be slain with the
sword are better than they that be slain with hunger,.... Not that
they are better with respect to their state after death, but with respect to
their manner of dying. They that were slain by the sword of the Chaldeans, as
many were, either upon the walls, or in sallies out against the enemy, these
felt less pain, and had less terror of mind in dying, than those did who
perished by famine; they died a lingering death, as it were by inches, and were
in continual pain of body and uneasiness of mind:
for these pine away, stricken through for want of the
fruits of the field: that is, those that died by famine gradually wasted or
"flowed" away, their fluid parts by degrees went off; and though they
were not run through with the sword, they were stabbed by famine, and were so
distressed in body and mind as if a sword had pierced them; not having the
fruits of the field, the corn and the wine, to support nature, and keep them alive.
Jarchi's note is,
"they
that were slain with hunger were inflated at the smell of the fruits of the
field, when the enemies were roasting their flesh upon the grass without the
wall; the smell entered into those that swelled by famine, and their bellies
burst, and their excrements flowed out; and this is the death worse than that
of being slain with the sword.'
And
to this agrees the Targum,
"more
happy are they that are slain with the sword than they that are slain with
famine; for they that are slain with the sword flowed when their bellies were
burst, by that which they ate of the fruits of the field; and those that were
inflated with famine, their bellies burst through "want" of food.'
Most
interpreters refer this clause to those that died of famine: but GussetiusF26Comment.
Ebr. p. 225. interprets it of those that were killed with the sword; and
renders and paraphrases the words thus, "for they being stabbed, sent
out"; by the open wounds, "a flux, which arose from the fruits
of the field"; their food and nourishment being yet in their belly and
veins, and so did not pine away through penury and famine; and their misery was
short and light, in comparison of others: and so Abendana.
Lamentations 4:10 10 The hands of the
compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In
the destruction of the daughter of my people.
YLT
10The hands of merciful women
have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the
destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children,.... Such as
were naturally, and agreeably to their sex, pitiful and compassionate; merciful
to the poor, as the Targum; and especially tenderhearted to their own
offspring; yet, by reason of the soreness of the famine, became so cruel and
hardhearted, as to take their own children, and slay them with their own hands,
cut them to pieces, put them into a pot of water, and make a fire and boil
them, and then eat them, as follows:
they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my
people: at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. This strange and
unnatural action was foretold by Moses, Deuteronomy 28:56;
and though we have no particular instance of it on record, as done at the siege
of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, yet no doubt there was, as may be concluded from
the words: and at the siege of it by the Romans, when many things here spoken
of had a fuller accomplishment, we have a remarkable instance of it, which
JosephusF1De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 4. relates; an illustrious
woman, named Mary, pressed with the famine, slew her own son, a sucking child,
boiled him, and ate part of him, and laid up the rest; which was found by the
seditious party that broke into her house, which struck them with the utmost
horror; See Gill on Lamentations 2:20.
Lamentations 4:11 11 The Lord has fulfilled
His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion, And it
has devoured its foundations.
YLT
11Completed hath Jehovah His
fury, He hath poured out the fierceness of His anger, And he kindleth a fire in
Zion, And it devoureth her foundations.
The Lord hath accomplished his fury,.... Which rose up in his
mind, and which he purposed in himself to bring upon the sinful people of the
Jews:
he hath poured out his fierce anger; the vials of his wrath
in great abundance, even all he meant to pour out upon them:
and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the
foundations thereof: not in the strong hold of Zion only, but in the whole city of
Jerusalem, which was set on fire by the Chaldeans, as instruments, according to
the will of God; and which not only consumed the houses of it, but even the
foundations of them; so that it looked as if there was no hope of its ever
being rebuilt. Aben Ezra interprets this fire of the famine.
Lamentations 4:12 12 The kings of the earth, And
all inhabitants of the world, Would not have believed That the adversary and
the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem—
YLT
12Believe not did the kings
of earth, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That come would an adversary
and enemy Into the gates of Jerusalem.
The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world,.... Not only
the neighbouring nations, and the kings of them, but even such in all parts of
the world that knew anything of Jerusalem:
would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would
have entered into the gates of Jerusalem; when it was besieging,
they did not believe it would be taken; and when they heard it was, it was
incredible to them; it being so strongly fortified by art and nature, with
mountains and hills, with walls and bulwarks, and had such a vast number of
people in it; and, especially, was the city of the great God, who had so often
and so signally preserved and saved it: the "adversary" and "enemy"
are the same, and design the Chaldeans. The Targum distinguishes them, and
makes Nebuchadnezzar the ungodly to be the adversary; and Nebuzaradan the
enemy, who entered to slay the people of the house of Israel, in the gates of
Jerusalem; this was a marvellous thing to the nations round about. Titus, when
he took this city, acknowledged it was owing to GodF2Joseph. De
Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 1. ;
"God
(says he) favouring us, we fought; God is he that has drawn the Jews out of
these fortresses; for human hands and machines could have done nothing against
these towers.'
Lamentations 4:13 13 Because of the sins of her
prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in her midst The
blood of the just.
YLT
13Because of the sins of her
prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the
blood of the righteous,
For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her
priests,.... Aben Ezra interprets this of the prophets of Baal, and the
priests of the high places; but though false prophets and wicked priests are
meant, yet such as were among the Jews, made choice of and approved of by them:
see 2 Chronicles 36:14;
not that the people were faultless, but these were the principals, who by their
examples led on and encouraged the common people in sin:
that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her; not the blood
of innocent children, sacrificed to them by Moloch; but of good men in general,
whom they persecuted and slew; and of the true prophets of the Lord in
particular, whose blood they shed; and was the sin that brought on the
destruction of their city by the Romans, as well as of that by the Chaldeans;
see Matthew 23:35.
Lamentations 4:14 14 They wandered blind in the
streets; They have defiled themselves with blood, So that no one would touch
their garments.
YLT
14They have wandered naked in
out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without [any] being able to
touch their clothing,
They have wandered as blind men in the streets,.... That is,
the false prophets and wicked priests; and may be understood either literally,
that when the city was taken, and they fled, they were like blind men, and knew
not which way to go to make their escape, but wandered from place to place, and
could find no way out; or spiritually, though they pretended to great light and
knowledge, yet were as blind men, surrounded with the darkness of ignorance and
error, and were blind leaders of the blind:
they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not
touch their garments; or, "could not but touch it with their garments"F3בלא יוכלו יגעו
בלבושיהם "quem non possunt, quin tangent
vestimentis suis", "Junius & Tremellius. ; or, "might
not"F4"Tangebant eum (nempe sanguinem) vestibus eorum quem
non potuerunt", i.e. "jure", Gataker. ; it was not lawful for
them to do it: the sense is either, that, which way soever these men took to
make their escape, they found so many dead carcasses in the streets, and such a
profusion of blood by them, that they could not but touch it with their
garments; or being besmeared with it, were so defiled, that others might not
touch them, even their garments; or these men had defiled themselves with the
shedding of the blood of righteous persons; so that they were odious to men,
and they shunned them as they would do anything that by the law rendered them
in a ceremonious sense unclean, and therefore said as follows:
Lamentations 4:15 15 They cried out to them, “Go
away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!” When they fled and wandered,
Those among the nations said, “They shall no longer dwell here.”
YLT
15`Turn aside -- unclean,'
they called to them, `Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled -- yea,
they have wandered, They have said among nations: `They do not add to sojourn.'
They cried unto them, depart ye, it is unclean,.... Or, O ye
"unclean"F5טמא
"immunde", Montanus; "immundi", Strigelius. "gens
polluta", Vatablus; "discedite polluti", Gataker. ; that is, the
people said so to the priests, being polluted with blood; they abhorred them,
did not care they should come nigh them, but bid them keep at distance; they
that cleansed others of leprosy were treated as leprous persons themselves, and
proclaimed unclean, and shunned as such: and, to show their vehement abhorrence
of them, repeated the words,
depart, depart, touch not: that is, touch us not;
they who had used to say; to others, stand by yourselves, we are more holy than
you, being the Lord's priests and prophets, are treated after the same manner
themselves:
when they fled away, and wandered; fled from the city, and
wandered among the nations; or when they were swiftly carried away captives,
and became vagabonds in other countries:
they said among the Heathens, they shall no more sojourn there; being among
the Heathens, they took notice of them as very wicked men, and said concerning
them, now they are carried out of their own land, they shall never return there
any more, and dwell in Jerusalem, and officiate in the temple, as they had
formerly done.
Lamentations 4:16 16 The face[b] of the Lord scattered
them; He no longer regards them. The people do not respect the priests Nor
show favor to the elders.
YLT
16The face of Jehovah hath
divided them, He doth not add to behold them, The face of priests they have not
lifted up, Elders they have not favoured.
The anger of the Lord hath divided them,.... Or,
"the face of the Lord"F6פני יהוה "facies Domini", V. L. Montanus, Piscator. ;
the anger that appeared in his face, in the dispensation of his providence,
removed them out of their own land, and dispersed them among several countries
and nations of the world, and as they now are: these are not the words of the
Heathens continued, but of the prophet:
he will no more regard them; or, "he will not
add to look on them"F7יוסיף להביטם "non addet aspicere eos", Montanus. , with
a look of love, but continue his anger and resentment:
they respect not the persons of the priests, they favour not the
elders; which is to be considered either as the sin of the false
prophets and priests before described, which was the cause of their punishment;
that they east great contempt on the true prophets of the Lord, as Jeremiah and
others, and showed no regard to the elders of the people, or those godly
magistrates; who would have corrected and restrained them: or else this is said
of the nations among whom they were dispersed, as the Targum; who would pay no
respect to their characters as priests, or show any pity to them on account of
their age.
Lamentations 4:17 17 Still our eyes failed us, Watching
vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could
not save us.
YLT
17While we exist -- consumed
are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation
[that] saveth not.
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help,.... Or,
"while we were yet"F8עודינה
"quum adhuc essemus", Munster: Piscator. ; a nation, a people, a body
politic, in our own land, before the city of Jerusalem was taken, we were
looking for help, as was promised us; but it proved a vain help, none was given
us; for which we kept looking to the last, till our eyes failed, and we could
look no longer; no help appeared, nor was there any prospect or probability of
it, and therefore gave all up:
in our watching we watched for a nation that could not save
us; not the Romans, as the Targum, but the Egyptians; these promised
them help and relief, and therefore in their watching they watched, or
vehemently watched, and wistfully looked out for it, but all in vain; for
though these made an attempt to help them, they durst not proceed; were obliged
to retire, not being a match for the Chaldean army, and so could not save them,
or break up the siege, and relieve them.
Lamentations 4:18 18 They tracked our steps So
that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For
our end had come.
YLT
18They have hunted our steps
from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For
come hath our end.
They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets,.... The
Chaldeans, from their forts and batteries, as they could see, they watched the
people as they came out of their houses, and walked about the streets, and shot
their arrows at them; so that they were obliged to keep within doors, and not
stir out, which they could not do without great danger:
our end is near, for our days are fulfilled; for our end is come; either the
end of their lives, the days, months, and years appointed for them being
fulfilled; or the end of their commonwealth, the end of their civil and church
state, at least as they thought; the time appointed for their destruction was
not only near at hand, but was actually come; it was all over with them.
Lamentations 4:19 19 Our pursuers were swifter Than
the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for
us in the wilderness.
YLT
19Swifter have been our
pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned
[after] us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.
Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heavens,.... That fly
in the heavens; and which, as they have a quick sight to discern their prey
afar off, are very swift to pursue it; they are the swiftest of birds, and are
so to a proverb. ApuleiusF9Florida, l. 2. represents the swift
pursuit of their prey, and sudden falling upon it, to be like thunder and
lightning. CiceroF11De Divinatione, l. 2. p. 2001. relates of a
certain racer, that came to an interpreter of dreams, and told him, that in his
dream he seemed to become an eagle; upon which, says the interpreter, thou wilt
be the conqueror; for no bird flies with such force and swiftness as that. And
this bird is also remarkable for its constancy in flying: it is never weary,
but keeps on flying to places the most remote. The poets have a fiction, that
Jupiter, being desirous of knowing which was the middle of the world, sent out
two eagles of equal swiftness, the one from the east, and the other from the
west, at the same moment; which stopped not till they came to Delphos, where
they met, which showed that to be the spot; in memory of which, two golden
eagles were placed in the temple thereF12Vid. Strabo Geograph. l. 9.
p. 289. & Pindar. Pythia, Ode 4. l. 7, 8. & Schmidt in ib. p. 174, 175.
. The swiftness and constancy of these creatures in flying are here intended to
set forth the speed and assiduity of the enemies of the Jews, in their pursuit
after them; who followed them closely, and never ceased till they had overtaken
them. The Chaldeans are designed, who pursued the Jews very hotly and eagerly,
such as fled when the city was broken up; though not so much they themselves,
as being thus swift of foot, as their horses on which they rode; see Jeremiah 4:13.
they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the
wilderness: or "plain"F13במדבר
"in plano", Gataker. ; there was no safety in either; such as fled to
the mountains were pursued and overtaken there; and such who attempted to make
their escape through the valleys were intercepted there: the reference is to
the flight of Zedekiah, his nobles, and his army with him, who were pursued by
the Chaldeans, and taken in the plains of Jericho, Jeremiah 52:7;
hence it follows:
Lamentations 4:20 20 The breath of our
nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, Was caught in their
pits, Of whom we said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”
YLT
20The breath of our nostrils
-- the anointed of Jehovah, Hath been captured in their pits, of whom we said:
`In his shadow we do live among nations.'
The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in
their pits,.... Or "the Messiah", or "the Christ of the
Lord"F14משיח יהוה
χριστος κυριος, Sept. "Christus
Dominus", V. L. "Christus Domini", Pagninus. ; not Josiah, as
the Targum; and so Jarchi and others; for though he was the Lord's anointed,
and the life of the people, being the head of them, as every king is,
especially a good one; yet he was slain, and not taken, and much less in their pits,
and that not by the Chaldeans, but by the Egyptians; nor did the kingdom cease
with him, or the end of the Jewish state then come, which continued some years
after: but rather Zedekiah, as Aben Ezra and others, the last of the kings of
Judah, with whom all agrees; he was the Lord's anointed as king, and the
preserver of the lives and liberties of the people, at least as they hoped; but
when the city was taken by the Chaldeans, and he fled for his life, they
pursued him, and took him; he fell into their hands, their pits, snares, and
nets, as was foretold he should; and which are sometimes called the net and
snare of the Lord; see Ezekiel 12:13; See
Gill on Lamentations 4:19.
Many of the ancient Christian writers apply this to Christ; and particularly
Theodoret takes it to be a direct prophecy of him and his sufferings. Vatablus,
who interprets it of Josiah, makes him to be a type of Christ; as Calvin does
Zedekiah, of whom he expounds the words; and the Targum, in the king of Spain's
Bible, is,
"the
King Messiah, who was beloved by us, as the breath of the spirit of life, which
is in our nostrils.'
What
is here said may be applied to Christ; he is the life of men, he gives them
life and breath, and in him they live and move; their spiritual life is from
him, and is maintained and preserved by him; he lives in his people, and they
in him, and they cannot live without him, no more than a man without his
breath: he is the Christ of God, anointed with the Holy Ghost to the offices of
Prophet, Priest, and King; and from whom Christians have their holy unction and
their name: he was taken, not by the Chaldeans, but by the wicked Jews; who
looked upon him as a very mischievous person, as if he had been an evil beast,
a beast of prey, though the pure spotless Lamb of God; and they dug pits, laid
snares, and formed schemes to take him, and at last did, and with wicked hands
crucified him, and slew him; though not without his own and his Father's will
and knowledge, Acts 2:23;
of whom we said, under his shadow we shall live among the Heathen; in the midst
of the nations round about them, unmolested by them, none daring to meddle with
them; at least safe from being carried captive, as now they were. Though
Jeconiah was taken and carried into Babylon, yet Zedekiah being placed upon the
throne, the Jews hoped to live peaceable and quiet lives under his government,
undisturbed by their neighbours; the wise and good government of a prince, and
protection under it, being sometimes compared in Scripture to the shadow of a
rock or tree, Isaiah 32:2; but
now it was all over with them; their hope was gone, he being taken. Something
like this may be observed in the disciples of Christ; they hoped he would have
restored the kingdom to Israel, and they should have lived gloriously under his
government; they trusted that it was he that should have redeemed Israel; but,
when he was taken and crucified, their hope was in a manner gone, Luke 24:21. True
believers in Christ do live peaceably, comfortably, and safely under him; they
are among the Heathen, among the men of the world, liable to their reproaches,
insults, and injuries; Christ is a tree, to which he is often compared, one and
another, that casts a delightful, reviving, refreshing, and fructifying shadow,
under which they sit with great delight, pleasure, and profit, Song of Solomon 2:3;
he is a rock, the shadow of which affords rest to weary souls, and shelters
from the heat of divine wrath, the fiery law of God, and darts of Satan, and
persecutions of men, Isaiah 32:2; and
under his government, protection, and power, they dwell safely, that sin cannot
destroy them, nor Satan devour them, nor the world hurt them; here they live
spiritually, and shall never die eternally, Jeremiah 23:5.
Lamentations 4:21 21 Rejoice and be glad, O
daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also
pass over to you And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.
YLT
21Joy and rejoice, O daughter
of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even unto thee pass over doth a cup, Thou
art drunk, and makest thyself naked.
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,.... The land
of Idumea, and the inhabitants of it, who did indeed rejoice at the destruction
of Jerusalem, Obadiah 1:12; and
here, in an ironic manner, are bid to go on with their mirth, if they could,
like the young man in Ecclesiastes 11:9,
as Aben Ezra observes; for it would not last long, their note would soon be
changed:
that dwellest in the land of Uz; not the country of Job,
which had its name from Uz the son of Nahor, Job 1:1; but a
country in Idumea, from whence the whole was so called, and that from Uz the
son of Dishan, one of the sons of Seir: or else the sense is, that Edom or
Idumea, and the inhabitants of it, dwelt upon the borders of Uz; and so agrees
very well with the place of Job's residence, which was near the land of Edom.
The Targum, according to R. EliasF15In Tishbi, p. 227. , is,
"rejoice,
O wicked Rome;'
but,
in the king of Spain's Bible, it is,
"rejoice
and be glad, O Constantine (that is, Constantinople), the city of wicked Edom,
which art built in the land of Armenia;'
and
Jarchi says that Jeremiah prophesies concerning the destruction of the second
temple, which the Romans destroyed; but in other copies, and according to Lyra,
his words are, Jeremiah here prophesies concerning the destruction of the Roman
empire, because that destroyed the temple; and it is usual with him, and other
Rabbins, to interpret Edom of Rome;
the cup also shall pass through unto thee; the cup of
God's wrath and vengeance; which, as it had come to the Jews, and was passing
from one nation to another, in its turn would come to these Edomites; see Jeremiah 25:15;
thou shall be drunken, and shall make thyself naked; be overcome
by it; as persons with wine, or any strong drink, reel to and fro, and fall;
and be utterly destroyed, lie helpless and without strength: "and be made
naked"F16ותתערי "nudaberis",
V. L. , as it may be rendered; stripped of their riches and wealth; or they
should strip themselves of their clothes, and behave indecently, and expose those
parts which ought to be covered, as drunken persons the sense is, they should
be exposed, or expose themselves, to shame and contempt. The Septuagint version
is, "and thou shalt be drunken, and pour out"F17 και αποχεεις, Sept. "et
eris vomens", Pagninus, Vatablus. ; that is, vomit, as drunken men do; and
so Jarchi and Abendana interpret the word of vomiting; and the Targum is,
"and
thou shalt be emptied.'
Lamentations 4:22 22 The punishment of
your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you
into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will
uncover your sins!
YLT
22Completed [is] thy
iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected
thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed [thee] because of thy sins!
The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of
Zion,.... In part in the seventy years' captivity in Babylon, and more
fully in their present captivity; for, as has been observed, there are some
things in the preceding account, which had a further accomplishment in the
destruction of Jerusalem, and the distress of the Jews by the Romans. The
Targum is,
"and
after thine iniquity is fulfilled, O congregation of Zion, and thou shalt be
delivered by the hands of the Messiah, and of Elias the high priest;'
he will no more carry thee away into captivity; he, the
enemy; or the Lord, as the Targum: that is, thou shall no more be carried
captive: this seems to confirm the above observation, that this chapter is a
prophecy of what would be, as well as a narrative of what had been; and
includes the destruction both of the first and second temple, and of the Jews
both by the Chaldeans and Romans; for it is certain, that, after their
deliverance from the captivity of Babylon, they have been carried captive, and
are now in captivity;
he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; punish the
Edomites for their sins, as is elsewhere threatened, Jeremiah 49:7, Amos 1:11; which
was fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument; and may have some respect to
the destruction of the Romans, when the Jews shall be converted, and return to
their own land. The Targum, in the king of Spain's Bible, is,
"and
at that time I will visit thine iniquity, O wicked Rome, which art built in
Italy, and full of multitudes of the children of Edom; and the Persians shall
come and oppress thee, and make thee desolate;'
and
so the copy used by Munster:
he will discover thy sins; by the punishment of
them; as, when God pardons sins, he is said to cover them; so, when he punishes
for them, he discovers them; see Jeremiah 49:10.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)