Lamentations 4:2

Lamentations 4:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
• New International Version (NIV)How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!
• English Standard Version (ESV)The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter's hands!
• New King James Version (NKJV)The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter!

Context of Lamentations 4:2

1How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! See how the precious children of Jerusalem, worth their weight in fine gold, are now treated like pots of clay made by a common potter. 3Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children’s cries, like ostriches in the desert. 4The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them.

Lamentations 4:2 word by word

בְּנֵ֤י צִיּוֹן֙ הַיְקָרִ֔ים הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑ז אֵיכָ֤ה נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙ לְנִבְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶשׂ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יְדֵ֥י יוֹצֵֽר׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The preciousיָקָרyâqâr · preciousH3368
• sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
• comparableסָלָאsâlâ' · to weighH5537
• to fine goldפַּזpâz · pure goldH6337
• how are they esteemedחָשַׁבchâshab · to devise: countH2803
• as earthenחֶ֫רֶשׂchereώ · earthenwareH2789
• pitchersנֵ֫בֶלnebel nêbel · bagH5035
• the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
• of the handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• of the potterיָצַרyâtsar · to form: potterH3335

Cross-references for Lamentations 4:2

• Isaiah 51:18Not one of your children is left alive to take your hand and guide you.
• Zechariah 9:13Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow. Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.
• Lamentations 2:21“See them lying in the streets— young and old, boys and girls, killed by the swords of the enemy. You have killed them in your anger, slaughtering them without mercy.
• Lamentations 5:12Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and our elders are treated with contempt.
• Isaiah 30:14You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”
• Jeremiah 19:11Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.
• Jeremiah 22:28“Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar? Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?
• Romans 9:21When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?
• 2 Corinthians 4:7We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
• 2 Timothy 2:20In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use.

Commentaries on Lamentations 4:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The precious sons of Zion - The Jewish priests and Jewish believers. Comparable to fine gold - Who were of the pure standard of holiness; holy, because God who called them is holy; but now esteemed no better than earthen pitchers - vessels of dishonor in comparison of what they once were.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The precious sons of Zion - The whole nation was consecrated to God, and formed “a kingdom of priests” Exodus 19:6: in this respect, a type of the Christian Church 1 Peter 2:5. Comparable to fine gold - literally, “weighed with” solid gold, and so equal to their weight in it. With this is contrasted the hollow pitcher easily broken, and made of materials of no intrinsic value.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22Although God’s people still experience his judgment, they will soon experience restoration.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. comparable to ... gold--(Job 28:16, 19). earthen pitchers--(Is 30:14; Jr 19:11). Gimel.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 4:2

• Art
• Pitcher
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Comparable
• Dim
• Poetry
• Pottery
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Earthen Vessels
• Esteem
• Fine
• Gold

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