Lamentations 4:20

Lamentations 4:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath, was caught in their traps. We thought that under his shadow we would live among the nations.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The breath of our nostrils, the Lord's anointed, was captured in their pits, of whom we said, "Under his shadow we shall live among the nations."
• New King James Version (NKJV)The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, Was caught in their pits, Of whom we said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”

Context of Lamentations 4:20

18Enemies ran after us, so that we could not go into the streets any longer. We knew that we would die soon. We could not live like this any longer. 19The enemy was quicker than big birds that fly in the air. They followed us so that they could catch us out on the mountains. They hid and they waited for us in the desert. The Lord had chosen a man to be our king. We thought that he would save us. ‘Under his shadow we will live among the other countries,’ we had always said. But the enemy caught him. 21You, Edom's people, live in the country called Uz. And you are happy now. But at a future time, God will hurt you too. The enemy will take away everything that you have. So you will become like drunks. 22God has finished punishing Zion's people. He will let them return to their homes soon. But you, Edom's people, God will certainly punish you. He will discover everything that you have done wrong.

Lamentations 4:20 word by word

ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ יְהוָ֔ה נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלּ֖וֹ נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגּוֹיִֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• of our nostrilsאַף'aph · face: noseH639
• the anointedמָשִׁיחַmâshîyach · anointedH4899
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• was takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
• in their pitsשְׁחִיתshechîyth · pitH7825
• of whom we saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Under his shadowצֵלtsêl · shadowH6738
• we shall liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
• among the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471

Cross-references for Lamentations 4:20

• Lamentations 2:9Zion's gates fell down on the ground. He destroyed them and he has broken them in pieces. The enemies have taken away our king and his sons to a foreign country. The people no longer understand God's Law. The Lord does not give messages to his prophets any more.
• Genesis 2:7Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and he made a man. He breathed air into the nose of the man to give him life. So the man became alive.
• Genesis 44:30Judah continued and he said, ‘So, my lord, I could not go back to my father without his youngest son. My father stays alive because of this boy.
• 2 Samuel 18:3But the men replied, ‘No, you must not go with us. If we have to run away quickly, it will not matter to Absalom's men. Even if they kill half of our soldiers, it will not seem important to them. What they really want is to kill you. You are worth 10,000 of us. You must stay here in the city. Then you can send help to us if we need it.’
• 1 Samuel 12:3Look at me. I stand here where the Lord and his chosen king can see me. Speak now if I have done any wrong thing against you. Have I taken anyone's cow or anyone's donkey? Have I cheated anyone? Have I been cruel to anyone? Have I received bribes from anyone to say that they are not guilty? If I have done any of those things, tell me! Then I will pay back my debt.’
• 1 Samuel 16:6When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse's son Eliab. Samuel thought, ‘I am sure that the Lord has chosen this man to be king.’
• 1 Samuel 24:6David said to his men, ‘I ask the Lord to stop me doing anything wrong to my master. The Lord has chosen him to be Israel's king. I must never do anything to hurt him. He is the king that the Lord has chosen.’
• 1 Samuel 26:9But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not kill Saul. He is the man that the Lord has chosen to be Israel's king. Anyone who attacks him will be guilty of a sin.
• 2 Samuel 1:14David said to him, ‘The Lord had chosen Saul to be Israel's king. You should have been very afraid to kill him!’
• 2 Samuel 19:21Then Abishai, Zeruiah's son, said, ‘We should kill Shimei. He cursed you, the Lord's chosen king, so he deserves to die.’
• Psalms 89:20I have found David, my servant. I have poured my special oil on him, to make him king.
• Jeremiah 39:5But the soldiers of Babylon's army chased after them. They caught Zedekiah on the flat land near Jericho. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah, in the region called Hamath. King Nebuchadnezzar decided that Zedekiah was guilty.
• Jeremiah 52:8But the soldiers of Babylon's army chased after King Zedekiah. They caught him on the flat land near Jericho. All King Zedekiah's soldiers ran away from him in many directions.
• Ezekiel 12:13I will throw my net over him and I will catch him in my trap. I will take him to Babylon city, in the land of the Chaldeans. But he will not see that land. He will die there.
• Ezekiel 17:18Judah's king did not obey his agreement with the king of Babylon. He had promised to serve Babylon's king but instead he turned against him. He did not do what he had promised to do, so he will not escape.
• Ezekiel 19:4The people of other nations heard about him. They dug a hole and they caught him in their trap. They put hooks in him and they took him to Egypt.

Commentaries on Lamentations 4:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord - That is, Zedekiah the king, who was as the life or the city, was taken in his flight by the Chaldeans, and his eyes were put out; so that he was wholly unfit to perform any function of government; though they had fondly hoped that if they surrendered and should be led captives, yet they should be permitted to live under their own laws and king in the land of their bondage.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-20Verses 17-20 A rapid sketch of the last days of the siege and the capture of the king. Lamentations 4:17 Rather, “Still do our eyes waste away looking for our vain help.” In our watching - Or, “on our watchtower.” Lamentations 4:18 Or, They hunted “our steps that we could not go out into the streets. To hunt” means here to lie in ambush, and catch by snares; and the streets are literally “the wide places,” especially at the gates. Toward the end of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-20Verses 13-20 Nothing ripens a people more for ruin, nor fills the measure faster, than the sins of priests and prophets. The king himself cannot escape, for Divine vengeance pursues him. Our anointed King alone is the life of our souls; we may safely live under his shadow, and rejoice in Him in the midst of our enemies, for He is the true God and eternal life.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20The LORD’s anointed … was captured: This refers to King Zedekiah. He tried to escape from Jerusalem, but the Babylonian army captured him. King Nebuchadnezzar treated him cruelly after his capture (2 Kings 25:4–7; Jeremiah 39:4–7; 52:9–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. breath ... anointed of ... Lord--our king, with whose life ours was bound up. The original reference seems to have been to Josiah (2Ch 35:25), killed in battle with Pharaoh-necho; but the language is here applied to Zedekiah, who, though worthless, was still lineal representative of David, and type of Messiah, the "Anointed." Viewed personally the language is too favorable to apply to him. live among the heathen--Under him we hoped to live securely…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Comparable
• Dim
• Josiah
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Messiah
• 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