Lamentations 4:12

Lamentations 4:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
• New King James Version (NKJV)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—

Context of Lamentations 4:12

10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became their food during the destruction of my dear people. 11The Lord has exhausted his wrath, poured out his burning anger; he has ignited a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations. The kings of the earth and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates. 13Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her. 14Blind, they stumbled in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments.

Lamentations 4:12 word by word

לֹ֤א הֶאֱמִ֙ינוּ֙ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֔רֶץ כֹּ֖ל יֹשְׁבֵ֣י תֵבֵ֑ל כִּ֤י יָבֹא֙ צַ֣ר וְאוֹיֵ֔ב בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֖י יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and all the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• of the worldתֵּבֵלtêbêl · worldH8398
• would not have believedאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
• that the adversaryצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
• and the enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• should have enteredבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389

Cross-references for Lamentations 4:12

• Deuteronomy 29:24All the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this intense outburst of anger?’
• 1 Kings 9:8Though this temple is now exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will scoff. They will say, “Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?”
• Psalms 48:4Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together.

Commentaries on Lamentations 4:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12The kings of the earth - Jerusalem was so well fortified, both by nature and art, that it appeared as a miracle that it should be taken at all.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Though Jerusalem had been several times captured 1 Kings 14:26; 2 Kings 14:13; 2 Kings 23:33-35, yet it had been so strongly fortified by Uzziah and his successors as to have been made virtually impregnable. Its present capture by Nebuchadnezzar had cost him a year and a half‘s siege.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The kings of the earth … could enter the gates of Jerusalem: Since God had saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib of Assyria over a century earlier (2 Kings 19:36–37), the Judeans firmly believed that even the powerful king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon could not conquer the city.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. Jerusalem was so fortified that all thought it impregnable. It therefore could only have been the hand of God, not the force of man, which overthrew it. Mem.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Comparable
• Dim
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Captivity
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of

Commentaries on Lamentations 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings