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.