Lamentations 1:16

Lamentations 1:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
• New International Version (NIV)“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)"For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed."
• New King James Version (NKJV)“For these things I weep; My eye, my eye overflows with water; Because the comforter, who should restore my life, Is far from me. My children are desolate Because the enemy prevailed.”

Context of Lamentations 1:16

14He has caused our sins to seem like something very heavy that lies on our necks. It makes us weak. He has let the enemy be very strong. He let them win against us. So we cannot beat them. 15The Lord has let the enemy beat all our strong men. He brought a big army to fight our young men, and the enemy won that fight. The Lord God has punished us, like people walk on grapes to break them. He has let the enemy destroy the people of Judah. We weep because of these things. Tears run down our faces because God is not with us. Nobody will help us. We are the children of this city and we have nothing now. The enemy has won.’ 17Zion's people ask for help, but nobody is their friend. They are Jacob's children. But the Lord has said that he will cause their enemies to come from every country near them. Those other people think about Jerusalem as they would think about something dirty. 18‘The Lord is right to punish us. We have not obeyed him. Listen, all people everywhere, and look at us. We are in very bad trouble. The enemy has taken away our young women and our young men to be slaves.’

Lamentations 1:16 word by word

עַל־אֵ֣לֶּה׀ אֲנִ֣י בוֹכִיָּ֗ה עֵינִ֤י׀ עֵינִי֙ יֹ֣רְדָה מַּ֔יִם כִּֽי־רָחַ֥ק מִמֶּ֛נִּי מְנַחֵ֖ם מֵשִׁ֣יב נַפְשִׁ֑י הָי֤וּ בָנַי֙ שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ים כִּ֥י גָבַ֖ר אוֹיֵֽב׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• mine eyeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• runneth downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• with waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• because the comforterנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: comfortH5162
• that should relieveשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
• my soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
• is farרָחַקrâchaq · to removeH7368
• from me: my childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• are desolateשָׁמֵםshâmêm · be desolate: destroyedH8074
• because the enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• prevailedגָּבַרgâbar · to prevailH1396

Cross-references for Lamentations 1:16

• Lamentations 1:2She weeps in the night and there are tears on her face. Not one of her lovers comforts her. All her friends have left her. They have gone against her and they are now her enemies.
• Lamentations 2:11I have cried so much that my eyes are red now. Even the parts inside my body hurt, because my people are dying. I feel ill because I am so sad. The children and babies fall in the city's streets because they are so weak.
• Lamentations 3:48I weep, and my eyes are red with all my tears. It is because the enemy has killed my people.
• Psalms 119:136I weep with streams of tears, because people do not obey your Law.
• Jeremiah 9:1‘My head should be like a pool of water. My eyes should be like a river of tears. Then I would never stop crying for my dear people who have died in war.
• Jeremiah 13:17If you refuse to listen to God's message, I will hide myself and I will weep. Because you are so proud, tears will pour from my eyes. I will cry because the Lord has sent his own people away as prisoners to a foreign land.
• Jeremiah 14:17Say this to the people, Jeremiah: “Tears pour from my eyes all the time. I weep through each day and each night. I am sad about my own dear people. A great trouble has knocked them to the ground. They have received a very bad wound.
• Luke 19:41When Jesus got near to the city, he looked at it. He cried because he felt very sorry for the people in it.
• Romans 9:1What I am telling you is true. I speak as someone who belongs to Christ. I am not telling lies. God's Holy Spirit rules my thoughts and I am sure that I am right.
• Hosea 9:12But even if they do have children, I will cause them all to die so that none are still alive. It will be a terrible time for the Israelites, because I will turn away from them.
• Lamentations 1:5The people's enemies rule them now. Those who hate them have plenty. The Lord has caused trouble for the people because they did so many wrong things. The enemies took the children away to work as slaves.
• Lamentations 2:20‘Look at us, Lord,’ you should say. ‘You have done all this to your people. Women eat their own children now! They eat the children that they took care of. People have killed your own priests and prophets in your holy house!
• Lamentations 4:2Jerusalem's men were valuable, like the best gold. Now they lie in the streets, because God has broken them. They are like common pots that a potter makes.
• Jeremiah 9:21“Death has come to visit us! It has come into our strong houses. Death has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has taken away our young men who meet together in the streets.”

Commentaries on Lamentations 1:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-16Verses 12-16 The lamentation of the city, personified as a woman in grief over her fate. Lamentations 1:13 It prevaileth - Or, hath subdued. He hath turned me back - Judaea, like a hunted animal, endeavors to escape, but finds every outlet blocked by nets, and recoils from them with terror and a sense of utter hopelessness. Lamentations 1:14 Bound by his hand - As the plowman binds the yoke upon the neck of oxen, so God compels Judah to bear the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 Jerusalem, sitting dejected on the ground, calls on those that passed by, to consider whether her example did not concern them. Her outward sufferings were great, but her inward sufferings were harder to bear, through the sense of guilt. Sorrow for sin must be great sorrow, and must affect the soul. Here we see the evil of sin, and may take warning to flee from the wrath to come. Whatever may be learned from the sufferings of Jerusalem, far…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22Chapter 1 mourns the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, recognizing that this was God’s well-deserved judgment on Israel’s sins.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. (Jr 13:17; 14:17). Jerusalem is the speaker. mine eye, mine eye--so La 4:18, "our end ... our end"; repetition for emphasis. Pe.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Faint
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Burial
• Eye
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Pulse

Commentaries on Lamentations 1

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings