New King James Version
Lamentations 2:10
10The elders of the daughter of Zion Sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads And gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem Bow their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
- New International Version (NIV)The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence. They are clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame.
Context of Lamentations 2:10
8The Lord has purposed to destroy The wall of the daughter of Zion. He has stretched out a line; He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying; Therefore He has caused the rampart and wall to lament; They languished together. 9Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations; The Law is no more, And her prophets find no vision from the Lord. The elders of the daughter of Zion Sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads And gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem Bow their heads to the ground. 11My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, Because the children and the infants Faint in the streets of the city. 12They say to their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?” As they swoon like the wounded In the streets of the city, As their life is poured out In their mothers’ bosom.
Read all of Lamentations 2Lamentations 2:10 word by word
יֵשְׁב֨וּ לָאָ֤רֶץ יִדְּמוּ֙ זִקְנֵ֣י בַת־צִיּ֔וֹן הֶֽעֱל֤וּ עָפָר֙ עַל־רֹאשָׁ֔ם חָגְר֖וּ שַׂקִּ֑ים הוֹרִ֤ידוּ לָאָ֙רֶץ֙ רֹאשָׁ֔ן בְּתוּלֹ֖ת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- of the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
- sitיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- upon the groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- keep silenceדָּמַםdâmam · to silence: silentH1826
- they have cast upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
- dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- upon their headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- they have girdedחָגַרchâgar · to girdH2296
- themselves with sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
- the virginsבְּתוּלָהbethûlâh · virginH1330
- of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- hang downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
Cross-references for Lamentations 2:10
- Lamentations 4:5Those who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those who were brought up in scarlet Embrace ash heaps.
- Lamentations 5:12Princes were hung up by their hands, And elders were not respected.
- Job 2:13So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
- Isaiah 3:26Her gates shall lament and mourn, And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.
- Isaiah 47:1“Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate.
- Lamentations 1:1How lonely sits the city That was full of people! How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces Has become a slave!
- Lamentations 3:28Let him sit alone and keep silent, Because God has laid it on him;
- Jeremiah 8:14“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the Lord our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the Lord.
- Amos 5:13Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
- Amos 8:3And the songs of the temple Shall be wailing in that day,” Says the Lord God— “Many dead bodies everywhere, They shall be thrown out in silence.”
- Joshua 7:6Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
- 2 Samuel 13:19Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.
- Job 2:12And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven.
- Revelation 18:19“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
- Isaiah 15:3In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth; On the tops of their houses And in their streets Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly.
- Isaiah 36:22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Commentaries on Lamentations 2:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10Sit upon the ground - See the note on Lamentations 1:1. Keep silence - No words can express their sorrows: small griefs are eloquent, great ones dumb.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. 10Burlap, also known as sackcloth, was made from goat or camel hair. People often used it for grain sacks or to carry items on pack animals. Poor people wore it as clothing because it was cheap. People in mourning wore it to show their deep sorrow. Its dark color matched their mood, and its roughness matched their discomfort. Throwing dust on their heads and clothing signaled to neighbors that a family member had died.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. (Job 2:12, 13). The "elders," by their example, would draw the others to violent grief. the virgins--who usually are so anxious to set off their personal appearances to advantage. Caph.Read the comment
Topics related to Lamentations 2:10
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries