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 Living Translation (NLT)Our king—the Lord’s anointed, the very life of our nation— was caught in their snares. We had thought that his shadow would protect us against any nation on earth!

Context of Lamentations 4:20

18They tracked our steps So that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For our end had come. 19Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness. 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.” 21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass over to you And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked. 22The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins!

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 2:9Her 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.
• Genesis 2:7And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
• Genesis 44:30“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,
• 2 Samuel 18:3But the people answered, “You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”
• 1 Samuel 12:3Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
• 1 Samuel 16:6So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”
• 1 Samuel 24:6And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”
• 1 Samuel 26:9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?”
• 2 Samuel 1:14So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
• 2 Samuel 19:21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?”
• Psalms 89:20I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him,
• Jeremiah 39:5But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.
• Jeremiah 52:8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.
• Ezekiel 12:13I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.
• Ezekiel 17:18Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”
• Ezekiel 19:4The nations also heard of him; He was trapped in their pit, And they brought him with chains to the land of 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