Lamentations 2:14

Lamentations 2:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
• New International Version (NIV)The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Your prophets have seen for you False and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, To bring back your captives, But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.

Context of Lamentations 2:14

12‘Where has all the food and drink gone?’ the hungry children ask their mothers. Then they fall down in pain on the streets of the city. They die in their mothers' arms. 13I want to help you people of Jerusalem, but there is nothing that I can say to you. I do not know about anything like what has happened to you. God has destroyed Zion completely! I do not know anyone who can make you people better. Your prophets have promised you many good things. Those good things will not happen. They should have told you that you should not do wrong things. If they had told you that, none of these troubles would have happened. The prophets do not tell you true messages from God and their dreams are false. 15Everyone who goes by laughs at you. They are happy because you are sad. They see how the enemy has destroyed everything in Jerusalem. ‘Surely this cannot be the city that men called most beautiful,’ they say. ‘People have said that this city is the best city on earth.’ 16All your enemies make noises through their teeth because they are very happy. ‘We have won!’ they say. ‘We have waited for this day. Now we have beaten you! Now we have seen it!’

Lamentations 2:14 word by word

נְבִיאַ֗יִךְ חָ֤זוּ לָךְ֙ שָׁ֣וְא וְתָפֵ֔ל וְלֹֽא־גִלּ֥וּ עַל־עֲוֹנֵ֖ךְ לְהָשִׁ֣יב שְׁבוּתֵ֑ךְ וַיֶּ֣חֱזוּ לָ֔ךְ מַשְׂא֥וֹת שָׁ֖וְא וּמַדּוּחִֽים׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thy prophetsנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• have seenחָזָהchâzâh · to seeH2372
• vainשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• and foolish thingsתָּפֵלtâphêl · insipidH8602
• for thee: and they have not discoveredגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: uncoverH1540
• thine iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• to turn awayשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
• thy captivityשְׁבִיתshebûth shebîyth · captivityH7622
• burdensמַשְׂאֵתmaώ'êth · tributeH4864
• and causes of banishmentמַדּוּחַmaddûach · enticementH4065

Cross-references for Lamentations 2:14

• Isaiah 9:15The head is their leaders and important people. The tail is the prophets who teach lies.
• Jeremiah 2:8Your priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?” The people who taught my laws did not know me. Your leaders turned against me. Your prophets spoke messages from Baal. They worshipped useless idols.’
• Jeremiah 5:31The prophets speak messages that are not true. The priests make their own rules for people to obey. And my people love to live like this! But when all this comes to an end, my people will be helpless!’
• Jeremiah 6:13‘They all cheat other people to get what they want. Important people and ordinary people do that. Prophets and priests do that. They love to deceive people.
• Jeremiah 8:10I will give their wives to other men. Their fields will belong to other men. They all cheat other people to get what they want. Important people and ordinary people do that. Prophets and priests do that. They love to deceive people.
• Jeremiah 14:13I said, ‘Lord God, the prophets are deceiving the people. They say that there will not be any war or famine or disease that will hurt the people. Instead, they say that you have promised peace in our land.’
• Jeremiah 23:11The Lord says, ‘The prophets and the priests are all wicked. I see the evil things that they do, even in my temple.
• Jeremiah 27:14So do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, “You will not have to serve the king of Babylon.” The things that they prophesy are lies.
• Jeremiah 28:15Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, ‘Listen to me, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you as his prophet. You have spoken lies to these people and they have believed you.
• Jeremiah 29:8Yes, the Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says, ‘Some of the prophets and the other people use magic to tell you what will happen in the future. Do not let them deceive you with their lies. Do not listen to the dreams that they tell you about.
• Jeremiah 37:19Your own prophets said that the king of Babylon would not attack you or the land of Judah. That was a lie, so what have you done to them?
• Ezekiel 13:2‘Son of man, speak my message to warn Israel's prophets. They are prophesying but they teach only their own ideas. Say to them, “Listen to this message from the Lord.
• Micah 2:11When a person speaks false messages to you, then you believe them. They might say that you would have plenty of wine and strong drink. That is the message that you would like!’
• Micah 3:5The Lord says this: ‘It will be very bad for the prophets who tell false messages. They lead my people the wrong way with false promises. If people give food to them, then they are happy. So they promise that there will be no war. But, if people do not feed them, they become angry. They promise that war will come.
• 2 Peter 2:1Many years ago, there were false prophets among God's people. They did not speak God's true messages. In the same way, there will also be false teachers among you. They will come among you and they will teach you things that are not true. Their wrong ideas will deceive people. Those false teachers will even speak against the Master, who paid the price for their sins. As a result, they will bring trouble on themselves that quickly destroys them.
• Isaiah 58:1The Lord says, ‘Shout out! Shout as loudly as you can! Make as much noise as a trumpet makes! Tell my people that they have not obeyed me. Tell the family of Jacob about their sins.

Commentaries on Lamentations 2:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14They have not discovered thine iniquity - They did not reprove for sin, they flattered them in their transgressions; and instead of turning away thy captivity, by turning thee from thy sins, they have pretended visions of good in thy favor, and false burdens for thy enemies.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee - The Septuagint and Vulgate give the true meaning, “stupidity” (see Jeremiah 23:13 note). To turn away thy captivity - The right sense is, “They have not disclosed to thee thy sins, that so thou mightest repent, and I might have turned away thy captivity.” Burdens - Applied contemptuously to predictions which proved “false” or “empty,” i. e. failed of accomplishment. On the deduction to be drawn…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 Causes for lamentation are described. Multitudes perished by famine. Even little children were slain by their mother's hands, and eaten, according to the threatening, Deut. 28:53. Multitudes fell by the sword. Their false prophets deceived them. And their neighbours laughed at them. It is a great sin to jest at others' miseries, and adds much affliction to the afflicted. Their enemies triumphed over them. The enemies of the church are apt to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22This chapter vividly shows the Lord acting as the one who destroys Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Thy prophets--not God's (Jr 23:26). vain ... for thee--to gratify thy appetite, not for truth, but for false things. not discovered thine iniquity--in opposition to God's command to the true prophets (Is 58:1). Literally, "They have not taken off (the veil) which was on thine iniquity, so as to set it before thee." burdens--Their prophecies were soothing and flattering; but the result of them was heavy calamities to the people, worse than even what…Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 2:14

• Famine
• Minister, Christian
• Prophets

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Cord
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Burden
• Discover
• Fool; Folly
• Lamentations, Book of
• Oracle

Commentaries on Lamentations 2

• 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