Lamentations 2:4

Lamentations 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He 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.
• New International Version (NIV)Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set like a foe; and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes in the tent of the daughter of Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow; With His right hand, like an adversary, He has slain all who were pleasing to His eye; On the tent of the daughter of Zion, He has poured out His fury like fire.

Context of Lamentations 2:4

2The Lord has destroyed all the houses where Jacob's people lived. He decided that he must punish them. Because he is angry, he has destroyed all Judah's strong towns. Yes, he has destroyed all the buildings, and he has killed the rulers and all the people. 3Yes, because he is very angry, he has destroyed Israel's whole army. He did not help them when they were fighting the enemy. He was like a big hot fire that burned Jacob's people from all sides. He prepared his bow and his arrows, like an enemy ready to kill people. Like an enemy, he has killed all our strong men that once we were proud of. He has shown how angry he was. He has sent a fire to destroy all Zion's houses. 5The Lord has become like an enemy. He has destroyed Israel and all the beautiful houses there. He has destroyed all the strong towns that had walls. He has caused Judah's people to weep. They are very sad. 6He has knocked down his own holy house as easily as someone can knock down a hut in a garden. He has destroyed this place where people once met him. The Lord has caused Zion's people to forget the special events and the Sabbath days in his holy house. He was very angry. So he thought that our king and our priests were not important. He refused to help them.

Lamentations 2:4 word by word

דָּרַ֨ךְ קַשְׁתּ֜וֹ כְּאוֹיֵ֗ב נִצָּ֤ב יְמִינוֹ֙ כְּצָ֔ר וַֽיַּהֲרֹ֔ג כֹּ֖ל מַחֲמַדֵּי־עָ֑יִן בְּאֹ֙הֶל֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן שָׁפַ֥ךְ כָּאֵ֖שׁ חֲמָתֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He hath bentדָּרַךְdârak · to treadH1869
• his bowקֶ֫שֶׁתqesheth · bowH7198
• like an enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• he stoodנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• with his right handיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
• as an adversaryצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
• and slewהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• pleasantמַחְמָדmachmâd · desireH4261
• to the eyeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• in the tabernacleאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
• of the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
• he poured outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
• his furyחֵמָהchêmâh chêmâ' · rageH2534
• like fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Lamentations 2:4

• Lamentations 2:5The Lord has become like an enemy. He has destroyed Israel and all the beautiful houses there. He has destroyed all the strong towns that had walls. He has caused Judah's people to weep. They are very sad.
• Lamentations 3:3He is completely against me. He causes me trouble all the time.
• Job 6:4Almighty God has shot his arrows into me. Their poison is now deep inside me. God has sent me many troubles that make me afraid.
• Job 16:12I was living in peace, but then God destroyed me. He took hold of my neck and he shook me to pieces. He decided to shoot his arrows at me.
• Isaiah 63:10But they turned against him. They made his Holy Spirit angry. So he then became their enemy. He fought against them.
• Jeremiah 21:5I myself will use my great power and strength to fight against you. I will do that because I am very angry with you.
• Jeremiah 30:14All your friends have turned away from you. They do not want to help you in your troubles. I have hurt you, in the way that an enemy might attack you. You have lived in a very wicked way, and you are guilty of many sins. So I had to punish you, to teach you what is right.
• Ezekiel 24:25Son of man, I will soon take away from them Jerusalem's great temple. It is the beautiful place that has made them very happy. They are very proud of it. They love to look at it. I will also take away their sons and daughters.
• Lamentations 4:1Look! The gold has stopped shining! Look how the best gold has changed! The valuable stones from the Holy Place lie at the end of every street!
• 2 Chronicles 34:21He told them, ‘Go to the temple. Ask the Lord about the message in this book that Hilkiah has found. I need to know what I should do, as well as the people who still live in Judah and in Israel. The Lord has become very angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed his message. They have not done the things that this book tells us that we should do.’
• Isaiah 42:25So the Lord was very angry with them. He punished them with a cruel war. His anger was like a fire all round them, but they did not understand what he was doing. His anger burned them, but they did not learn their lesson.
• Isaiah 51:17Wake up, people in Jerusalem! Get ready! The Lord has been angry with you, and he has punished you. You had to receive all of his anger, like you were drinking strong wine from a cup. Now that you have drunk it all, you cannot stand up straight!
• Isaiah 63:6Because I was angry, I walked on the nations to punish them. My anger was like strong wine that made them drunk. I poured their blood onto the ground.’
• Jeremiah 4:4Give yourselves to me, the Lord, and agree to serve me faithfully. Remove from your lives everything that is not right, so that you obey my covenant. If you do not do that, I will be very angry with you. I will punish you like a hot fire that destroys things. Nobody will be able to stop my anger. People of Judah and Jerusalem, if you continue to do wicked things, I will certainly punish you.’
• Jeremiah 7:20The Lord God says, ‘Because I am so angry, I will punish this land very much. It will be like a fire that nobody can stop. My punishment will destroy people, animals, trees and crops.’
• Jeremiah 36:7Perhaps they will ask the Lord to forgive them. Perhaps they will stop doing all the evil things that they have been doing. The Lord is very angry with them and he has warned them that he will punish them.’

Commentaries on Lamentations 2:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He hath bent his bow - he stood with his right hand - This is the attitude of the archer. He first bends his bow; then sets his arrow upon the string; and, lastly, placing his right hand on the lower end of the arrow, in connection with the string, takes his aim, and prepares to let fly.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He stood with his right hand … - i. e. that right hand so often stretched out to help now grasped a weapon ready for Judah‘s destruction. Were pleasant - Or, was “pleasant.” Put full stop after “eye.” Begin the third distich thus: In the tabernacle - (or, tent) of the daughter of Zion.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4bent His bow: In the past, the Lord had been a powerful warrior for Israel (see Exodus 14:13–15:21; Joshua 23:9–11; Judges 7; 2 Kings 19:32–35). Now he waged war against Jerusalem (see Isaiah 63:10; Ezekiel 24:25).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. (Is 63:10). stood with ... right hand--He took His stand so as to use His right hand as an adversary. Henderson makes the image to be that of an archer steadying his right hand to take aim. Not only did He withdraw His help, but also took arms against Israel. all ... pleasant to ... eye--(Eze 24:25). All that were conspicuous for youth, beauty, and rank. in ... tabernacle--the dwellings of Jerusalem. He.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 2:4

• Bow

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Cord
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of
• bow and arrow, a bow

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