Logos Bible Study

Lamentations 2:3–5

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ג (Gimel)

2:3In fierce anger14 he destroyed15

the whole army16 of Israel.

He withdrew his right hand17

as the enemy attacked.18

He was like a raging fire in the land of Jacob;19

it consumed everything around it.20

ד (Dalet)

2:4He prepared his bow21 like an enemy;

his right hand was ready to shoot.22

Like a foe he killed everyone,

even our strong young men;23

he has poured out his anger like fire

on the tent24 of Daughter Zion.

ה (He)

2:5The Lord,25 like an enemy,

destroyed26 Israel.

He destroyed27 all her palaces;

he ruined her28 fortified cities.

He made everyone in Daughter Judah

mourn and lament.29

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Footnotes

  1. 14 The reads אַף (’af, “anger”), while the ancient versions (, , Latin ) reflect אַפּוֹ (’appo, “His anger”). The is the more difficult reading syntactically, while the ancient versions are probably smoothing out the text.
  2. 15 Heb “cut off, scattered.”
  3. 16 Heb “every horn of Israel.” The term “horn” (קֶרֶן, qeren) normally refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Israel. This term is often used figuratively as a symbol of strength, usually in reference to the military might of an army (Deut 33:17; 1 Sam 2:1, 10; 2 Sam 22:3; Pss 18:3; 75:11; 89:18, 25; 92:11; 112:9; 1 Chr 25:5; Jer 48:25; Lam 2:3, 17; Ezek 29:21) ( 901 2), just as warriors are sometimes figuratively described as “bulls.” Cutting off the “horn” is a figurative expression for destroying warriors (Jer 48:25; Ps 75:10 [ 11]).
  4. 17 Heb “he caused his right hand to turn back.” The implication in such contexts is that the Lord’s right hand protects his city. This image of the right hand is consciously reversed in 2:4.
  5. 18 Heb “from the presence of the enemy.” This figurative expression refers to the approach of the attacking army.
  6. 19 Heb “he burned in Jacob like a flaming fire.”
  7. 20 Or “He burned against Jacob, like a raging fire consumes all around.”
  8. 21 Heb “bent His bow.” When the verb דָּרַךְ (darakh) is used with the noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “archer-bow”), it means “to bend [a bow]” to string it in preparation for shooting arrows (1 Chr 5:18; 8:40; 2 Chr 14:7; Jer 50:14, 29; 51:3). This idiom is used figuratively to describe the assaults of the wicked (Pss 11:2; 37:14) and the judgments of the Lord (Ps 7:13; Lam 2:4; 3:12) ( 202 דָּרַךְ 4). The translation “he prepared his bow” is the slightly more general modern English idiomatic equivalent of the ancient Hebrew idiom “he bent his bow”—both refer to preparations to get ready to shoot arrows.
  9. 22 Heb “His right hand is stationed.”
  10. 23 Heb “the ones who were pleasing to the eye.”
  11. 24 The singular noun אֹהֶל (’ohel, “tent”) may function as a collective, referring to all tents in Judah. A parallel expression occurs in verse 2 using the plural: “all the dwellings of Jacob” (כָּל־נְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב, kol-né’ot ya’aqov). The singular “tent” matches the image of “Daughter Zion.” On the other hand, the singular “the tent of Daughter Zion” might be a hyperbolic synecdoche of container (= tent) for contents (= inhabitants of Zion).
  12. 25 The reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the note at 1:14.
  13. 26 Heb “swallowed up.”
  14. 27 Heb “swallowed up.”
  15. 28 Heb “his.” For consistency this has been translated as “her.”
  16. 29 Heb “He increased in Daughter Judah mourning and lamentation.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

He has cut down in fierce anger

all the might of Israel;

he has withdrawn from them his right hand

in the face of the enemy;

he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,

consuming all around.

He has bent his bow like an enemy,

with his right hand set like a foe;

and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes;

in the tent of the daughter of Zion,

he has poured out his fury like fire.

The Lord has become like an enemy;

he has swallowed up Israel;

he has swallowed up all its palaces;

he has laid in ruins its strongholds,

and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah

mourning and lamentation.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

In fierce anger he has cut off

every horn of Israel.

He has withdrawn his right hand

at the approach of the enemy.

He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire

that consumes everything around it.

Like an enemy he has strung his bow;

his right hand is ready.

Like a foe he has slain

all who were pleasing to the eye;

he has poured out his wrath like fire

on the tent of Daughter Zion.

The Lord is like an enemy;

he has swallowed up Israel.

He has swallowed up all her palaces

and destroyed her strongholds.

He has multiplied mourning and lamentation

for Daughter Judah.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He has cut off every horn of Israel

in his burning anger

and withdrawn his right hand

in the presence of the enemy.

He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire

that consumes everything.

He has strung his bow like an enemy;

his right hand is positioned like an adversary.

He has killed everyone who was the delight to the eye,

pouring out his wrath like fire

on the tent of Daughter Zion.

The Lord is like an enemy;

he has swallowed up Israel.

He swallowed up all its palaces

and destroyed its fortified cities.

He has multiplied mourning and lamentation

within Daughter Judah.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

All the strength of Israel

vanishes beneath his fierce anger.

The Lord has withdrawn his protection

as the enemy attacks.

He consumes the whole land of Israel

like a raging fire.

He bends his bow against his people,

as though he were their enemy.

His strength is used against them

to kill their finest youth.

His fury is poured out like fire

on beautiful Jerusalem.

Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel

like an enemy.

He has destroyed her palaces

and demolished her fortresses.

He has brought unending sorrow and tears

upon beautiful Jerusalem.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

He has cut down in fierce anger

all the might of Israel;

he has withdrawn his right hand

from the faces of the enemy,

and he has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire,

it has consumed all around.

He has bent his bow like an enemy;

he has set his right hand

like a foe, and he has slain

all the treasures of the eye;

in the tent of the daughter of Zion,

he has poured out his anger like fire.

The Lord has become like an enemy;

he has destroyed Israel;

he has destroyed all its citadel fortresses;

he has ruined all its fortifications

and multiplied lamentation and mourning

in the daughter of Judah.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

He 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.

He 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.

The 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.

Public Domain