Lamentations 2:16

Lamentations 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
• New International Version (NIV)All your enemies open their mouths wide against you; they scoff and gnash their teeth and say, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day we have waited for; we have lived to see it.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)All your enemies have opened their mouth against you; They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, “We have swallowed her up! Surely this is the day we have waited for; We have found it, we have seen it!”

Context of Lamentations 2:16

14Your 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.’ All 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!’ 17The Lord has done what he decided to do. Yes, he has done what he told you about a long time ago. He has destroyed your city and he has not felt sorry about it. He has caused your enemies to be happy. He has made them strong so that they could win against you. 18Day and night, cause your tears to run like a river round the walls of Zion. Cry to the Lord all the time, you people. Do not rest. Do not let your eyes stop crying.

Lamentations 2:16 word by word

פָּצ֨וּ עָלַ֤יִךְ פִּיהֶם֙ כָּל־א֣וֹיְבַ֔יִךְ שָֽׁרְקוּ֙ וַיַּֽחַרְקוּ־שֵׁ֔ן אָמְר֖וּ בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ אַ֣ךְ זֶ֥ה הַיּ֛וֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻ֖הוּ מָצָ֥אנוּ רָאִֽינוּ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• All thine enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• have openedפָּצָהpâtsâh · to openH6475
• their mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• against thee: they hissשָׁרַקshâraq · to whistleH8319
• and gnashחָרַקchâraq · to grindH2786
• the teethשֵׁןshên · toothH8127
• they sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• upבָּלַעbâla‛ · to swallow upH1104
• certainlyאַךְ'ak · surelyH389
• the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• that we looked forקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960
• we have foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• we have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200

Cross-references for Lamentations 2:16

• Lamentations 3:46All our enemies have insulted us.
• Job 16:9God attacks me and he punishes me because he is angry. He shows his anger like a wild animal. He has become my enemy.
• Psalms 22:13They open their mouths like lions! They are ready to eat me! They are like lions that tear their food into pieces.
• Psalms 35:21They open their mouths wide to speak against me. They say, ‘Aha! We have seen the bad things that you do!’
• Psalms 109:2Wicked people are saying bad things against me. They are telling lies about me.
• Psalms 35:16Useless people like that insulted me, and they showed their teeth to frighten me.
• Psalms 37:12Wicked people think about how to hurt righteous people. They show their teeth to frighten good people.
• Psalms 112:10When wicked people see this, they will be angry. They will show their teeth in anger, but then they will disappear. Whatever wicked people want, they will never get it.
• Acts 7:54The group of Jewish leaders listened to Stephen. What he said made them very angry. They bit their teeth together because they were so angry.
• Psalms 56:2They chase me all the time! Those proud people want to catch me, and there are many of them!
• Psalms 57:3He will send help from heaven and he will save me. He will punish the people who attack me. Selah. God will show me his faithful love, and he will do what he has promised.
• Psalms 124:3our enemies would have eaten us alive! They would have destroyed us, because they were so angry against us.
• Isaiah 49:19Enemies have destroyed your land. Its towns have become heaps of stones. But soon your land will be too small for all your people to live in. The enemies who destroyed you will be far away from you.
• Jeremiah 50:7Anyone who found them killed them. Their enemies said, “We are not guilty for their death. They deserved to die because they turned against the Lord. He is their true home where they are safe. But they turned against the Lord, the God that their ancestors trusted.” ’
• Jeremiah 51:34‘King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has destroyed us with his army. He has made us weak and confused. He has eaten us like a hungry monster. He has filled himself with all our good things. Then he spat us out of his mouth.’
• Ezekiel 25:3Say to them, “Listen to this message from the Almighty Lord. This is what he says: You shouted happily when enemies made my holy place unclean. You were happy when the land of Israel became an empty place. And you were happy when Judah's people went away as prisoners to a foreign country.

Commentaries on Lamentations 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16This is the day that we looked for - Jerusalem was the envy of the surrounding nations: they longed for its destruction, and rejoiced when it took place.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Seen it - Omit “it.” The intensity of the enemy‘s exultation is shown by the heaping up of unconnected words. We have found what we sought, have seen what we looked for.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. 16Their enemies were glad that Jerusalem was defeated.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. For the transposition of Hebrew letters (Pe and Ain, La 2:16, 17) in the order of verses, see Introduction. opened ... mouth--as ravening, roaring wild beasts (Job 16:9, 10; Psa 22:13). Herein Jerusalem was a type of Messiah. gnash ... teeth--in vindictive malice. we have seen it--(Psa 35:21). Ain.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 2:16

• Famine
• Gnashing of Teeth
• Teeth

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Cord
• Gnash
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Certain; Certainly; Certainty
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of

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