God’s Word Translation
Lamentations 2:4
4Like an enemy he bent his bow. Like an opponent his right hand held the arrow steady. He killed all the beautiful people. He poured out his fury like fire on the tent of Zion’s people.
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 swallowed up all of Jacob’s pastures without any pity. He tore down the fortified cities of Judah in his fury. He brought the kingdom ⌞of Judah⌟ and its leaders down to the ground in dishonor. 3In his burning anger he cut off all of Israel’s strength. He withdrew his right hand when they faced their enemy. He burned like a raging fire in ⌞the land of⌟ Jacob, destroying everything around him. Like an enemy he bent his bow. Like an opponent his right hand held the arrow steady. He killed all the beautiful people. He poured out his fury like fire on the tent of Zion’s people. 5The Lord became an enemy. He swallowed up Israel. He swallowed up all of its palaces. He destroyed its strongholds. He made the people of Judah mourn and moan. 6He stripped his own booth as if it were a garden and destroyed his own festivals. The Lord wiped out the memory of festivals and days of rest—holy days—in Zion. He expelled kings and priests because of his fierce anger.
Read all of Lamentations 2Lamentations 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 became an enemy. He swallowed up Israel. He swallowed up all of its palaces. He destroyed its strongholds. He made the people of Judah mourn and moan.
- Lamentations 3:3He beat me again and again all day long.
- Job 6:4because the arrows of the Almighty ⌞have found their target⌟ in me, and my spirit is drinking their poison. God’s terrors line up in battle against me.
- Job 16:12I was at ease, and he shattered me. He grabbed me by the back of the neck and smashed ⌞my skull⌟. He set me up as his target,
- Isaiah 63:10But they rebelled and offended his Holy Spirit. So he turned against them as their enemy; he fought against them.
- Jeremiah 21:5I will fight you in anger, fury, and rage with my powerful hand and my mighty arm.
- Jeremiah 30:14All your lovers have forgotten you, and they don’t want you anymore. I’ve punished you as an enemy would. I’ve corrected you as a cruel person would. You are very wicked, and you have many sins.
- Ezekiel 24:25“Son of man, on that day I will take their stronghold away from them. It makes them happy and proud. It is their hearts’ desire and the thing they love the most. I will also take away their sons and daughters.
- Lamentations 4:1“Look how the gold has become tarnished! The fine gold has changed! The sacred stones are scattered at every street corner.
- 2 Chronicles 34:21“On behalf of those who are left in Israel and Judah and me, ask the Lord about the words in this book that was found. The Lord’s fierce anger has been poured on us because our ancestors did not obey the Lord’s word by doing everything written in this book.”
- Isaiah 42:25So he poured out his burning anger and the horrors of war on them. It engulfed them in flames, but they did not understand. It burned them, but they did not take it to heart.
- Isaiah 51:17Wake up! Wake up! Stand up, Jerusalem! You drank from the cup in the Lord’s hand. That cup was filled with his anger. You drank from the bowl, the cup that makes people stagger, and you drained it!
- Isaiah 63:6In my anger I trampled on people. In my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.”
- Jeremiah 4:4Be circumcised by the Lord, and get rid of the foreskins of your hearts, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. If you don’t, my fury will flare up like a fire. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out, because of the evil you do.
- Jeremiah 7:20“This is what the Almighty Lord says: My anger and fury will be poured out on this place, on humans and animals, and on trees and crops. My anger and fury will burn and not be put out.
- Jeremiah 36:7Maybe their prayers will come into the Lord’s presence, and they will turn from their evil ways. The Lord has threatened these people with his terrifying anger and fury.”
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
In the dictionaries
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
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