Lamentations - Chapter 4

Lamentations 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. Lamentations 4.2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! Lamentations 4.3 Even 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. Lamentations 4.4 The 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. Lamentations 4.5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. Lamentations 4.6 For 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. Lamentations 4.7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Lamentations 4.8 Their 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. Lamentations 4.9 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. Lamentations 4.10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. Lamentations 4.11 The 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. Lamentations 4.12 The 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. Lamentations 4.13 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, Lamentations 4.14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. Lamentations 4.15 They 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. Lamentations 4.16 The 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. Lamentations 4.17 As 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. Lamentations 4.18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. Lamentations 4.19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. Lamentations 4.20 The 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. Lamentations 4.21 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. Lamentations 4.22 The 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.

Lamentations : Chapter 4

Reflection on Lamentations Chapter 4 Lamentations Chapter 4 contrasts Jerusalem's past glory with its present misery. This powerful text invites us to reflect on the impact of Jerusalem's fall on all levels of society. It depicts the suffering of different social groups, from nobles to children, and addresses profound themes such as hunger, dehumanization, and the fall of leaders. Furthermore, Lamentations 4 acknowledges the fulfillment of prophetic warnings. Through this reflection, we invite you to explore five biblical passages that resonate with the themes of judgment and consequences present in this powerful chapter.

Isaiah 3:16-17

The Lord said: "The women of Zion are arrogant, they walk with their heads held high, they look impudently, they walk with a pretentious step, they make their anklets jingle. Therefore the Lord will cover the heads of the women of Zion with plagues; the Lord will shave their foreheads. »

This passage reflects the contrast between Jerusalem's past glory and its present humiliation, a central theme of Lamentations 4.

Ezekiel 7:19

"They will cast their silver into the streets, and their gold will be as filth. Your silver and gold will not be able to save you in the day of the Lord's anger. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has become a stumbling block that led them to sin." »

This verse echoes the theme of Lamentations 4 on the uselessness of riches in the face of God's judgment.

Jeremiah 19:9

"I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other's flesh, because of the anguish and the affliction which their enemies, those who seek their lives, will bring upon them. »

This horrible prophecy is fulfilled in Lamentations 4:10, illustrating the severity of God's judgment.

Deuteronomy 28:56-57

"The most delicate and sensitive among you, so delicate and sensitive that she would not risk setting the sole of her foot on the ground, will look with envy on the husband she loves, on her own son and daughter, and on the placenta that comes out of her womb and in the children she bears, for she will hear them devoured secretly in her misery during the siege and anguish that the enemy will impose on him at the gates."

This covenant curse in Deuteronomy foretells the horrors described in Lamentations 4, showing that such calamities are the consequence of the breaking of the covenant.

Hosea 13:16

"The inhabitants of Samaria will pay for their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will be put to death by the sword; their children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women will have their wombs ripped open. »

This prophecy against Samaria uses language similar to that of Lamentations 4, emphasizing the horror of divine judgment.

As we meditate on these passages, we are called to reflect on the gravity of our actions and the consequences that follow. May these words inspire us to remain faithful and seek God's mercy in our lives.