Notes on Lamentations
From the Original 1599 Geneva Bible Notes


La 1:1

1:1 How doth {a} the city sit desolate, [that was] full of people! [how] is she become as a widow! she [that was] great among the nations, {b} [and] princess among the provinces, [how] is she become a slave!

La 1:2

1:2 She weepeth bitterly in the {c} night, and her tears [are] on her cheeks: among all her {d} lovers she hath none to comfort [her]: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

La 1:3

1:3 Judah is gone into captivity because {e} of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her in the midst of distress.

La 1:4

1:4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come {f} to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she [is] in bitterness.

La 1:5

1:5 Her adversaries {g} are the head, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

La 1:6

1:6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty hath departed: her princes are become {h} like harts [that] find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

La 1:7

1:7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people {i} fell into the hand of the enemy, and none helped her: the adversaries saw her, [and] mocked at her {k} sabbaths.

La 1:9

1:9 {l} Her filthiness [is] in her skirts; she remembereth not her latter end; therefore she hath been wonderfully abased: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified [himself].

La 1:10

1:10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen [that] the nations entered into her sanctuary, whom {m} thou didst command [that] they should not enter into thy congregation.

La 1:12

1:12 [Is it] nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there is any {n} sorrow like my sorrow, which hath fallen upon me, with which the LORD hath afflicted [me] in the day of his fierce anger.

La 1:13

1:13 From above hath {o} he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate [and] faint all the day.

La 1:14

1:14 The {p} yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are knit together, [and] come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into [their] hands, [from whom] I am not able to rise.

La 1:15

1:15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, [as] in a {q} winepress.

La 1:17

1:17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, [and there is] none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, [that] his adversaries [should be] around him: Jerusalem is {r} as a menstruous woman among them.

La 1:19

1:19 I called for my lovers, [but] they deceived me: my priests and my elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they {s} sought their food to relieve their souls.

La 1:22

1:22 {t} Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do to them, as thou hast done to me for all my transgressions: for my sighs [are] many, and my heart [is] faint.

La 2:1

2:1 How hath the Lord {a} covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, [and] cast down from {b} heaven to the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his {c} footstool in the day of his anger!

La 2:3

2:3 He hath cut off in [his] fierce anger all the {d} horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his {e} right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, [which] devoureth on every side.

La 2:4

2:4 He {f} 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.

La 2:7

2:7 The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a {g} noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.

La 2:8

2:8 The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart {h} and the wall to lament; they languished together.

La 2:13

2:13 {i} What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach [is] great like the sea: who can heal thee?

La 2:14

2:14 Thy prophets have {k} seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not revealed thy iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

La 3:1

3:1 I [am] the man [that] hath seen {a} affliction by the rod of his wrath.

La 3:5

3:5 He hath {b} built against me, and surrounded [me] with gall and labour.

La 3:8

3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my {c} prayer.

La 3:9

3:9 He hath {d} inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.

La 3:10

3:10 {e} He [was] to me [as] a bear lying in wait, [and as] a lion in secret places.

La 3:15

3:15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunk with {f} wormwood.

La 3:18

3:18 And I said, My strength and my {g} hope hath perished from the LORD:

La 3:20

3:20 My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled {h} in me.

La 3:22

3:22 [It is of] the LORD'S {i} mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

La 3:23

3:23 [They are] new {k} every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.

La 3:24

3:24 The LORD [is] my {l} portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

La 3:27

3:27 [It is] good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his {m} youth.

La 3:28

3:28 He sitteth alone {n} and keepeth silence, because he hath borne [it] upon him.

La 3:29

3:29 He putteth his {o} mouth in the dust; if there may be hope.

La 3:33

3:33 For he doth not {p} afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

La 3:36

3:36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord {q} approveth not.

La 3:37

3:37 Who [is] he [that] saith, and it cometh to pass, [when] the Lord {r} commandeth [it] not?

La 3:38

3:38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not {s} evil and good?

La 3:39

3:39 Why doth a living {t} man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

La 3:41

3:41 Let us lift up {u} our heart with [our] hands to God in the heavens.

La 3:51

3:51 My eye {x} affecteth my heart because of all the daughters of my city.

La 3:53

3:53 They have cut off my life {y} in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

La 3:58

3:58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my {z} soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

La 4:1

4:1 How is the {a} gold become dim! [how] is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street.

La 4:2

4:2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen {b} pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

La 4:3

4:3 Even the sea monsters {c} draw out the breast, they nurse their young ones: the daughter of my people [is become] cruel, like the {d} ostriches in the wilderness.

La 4:8

4:8 Their {e} 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.

La 4:9

4:9 [They that are] slain with the sword are better than [they that are] slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for [lack of] the {f} fruits of the field.

La 4:13

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 {g} her,

La 4:14

4:14 They have wandered [as] blind [men] {h} in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that {i} men could not touch their garments.

La 4:16

4:16 The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no longer regard them: {k} they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

La 4:17

4:17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for {l} a nation [that] could not save [us].

La 4:20

4:20 The {m} 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 nations.

La 4:21

4:21 Rejoice and be glad, {n} O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through to thee: thou shalt be drunk, and shalt make thyself naked.

La 4:22

4:22 The punishment of thy iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he {o} will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will disclose thy sins.

La 5:1

5:1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: {a} consider, and behold our reproach.

La 5:4

5:4 We have drank our {b} water for money; our wood is sold to us.

La 5:6

5:6 We have given the {c} hand [to] the Egyptians, [and to] the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

La 5:7

5:7 Our fathers have sinned, [and are] not; and we have borne {d} their iniquities.

La 5:9

5:9 We procured our bread with [the peril of] our lives because of the sword {e} of the wilderness.

La 5:12

5:12 Princes were hung up by {f} their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.

La 5:13

5:13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under {g} the wood.

La 5:14

5:14 The elders have ceased from the {h} gate, the young men from their music.

La 5:17

5:17 For this our heart is faint; for these [things] our {i} eyes are dim.

La 5:19

5:19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for {k} ever; thy throne from generation to generation.

La 5:21

5:21 {l} Turn thou us to thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.


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