Lamentations 4:6

Lamentations 4:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
• New International Version (NIV)The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her!

Context of Lamentations 4:6

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. 5The people who once ate the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once wore the finest clothes now search the garbage dumps for food. The guilt of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment and no hand offered help. 7Our princes once glowed with health— brighter than snow, whiter than milk. Their faces were as ruddy as rubies, their appearance like fine jewels. 8But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one recognizes them in the streets. Their skin sticks to their bones; it is as dry and hard as wood.

Lamentations 4:6 word by word

וַיִּגְדַּל֙ עֲוֹ֣ן בַּת־עַמִּ֔י מֵֽחַטַּ֖את סְדֹ֑ם הַֽהֲפוּכָ֣ה כְמוֹ־רָ֔גַע וְלֹא־חָ֥לוּ בָ֖הּ יָדָֽיִם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For the punishment of the iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: punishmentH5771
• of the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• is greaterגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• than the punishmentחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sin: punishmentH2403
• of the sin of Sodomסְדֹםsedôm · SodomH5467
• that was overthrownהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• as in a momentרֶ֫גַעrega‛ · momentH7281
• and no handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• stayedחוּלchûl chîyl · to twist: trembleH2342

Cross-references for Lamentations 4:6

• Isaiah 1:9If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.
• Ezekiel 16:48As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters.
• Matthew 11:23“And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today.
• Luke 10:12I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day.
• Luke 12:47“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.
• Lamentations 4:9Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger. Starving, they waste away for lack of food from the fields.
• Genesis 19:25He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
• Daniel 9:12You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem.
• Matthew 24:21For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.

Commentaries on Lamentations 4:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6For the punishment - He thinks the punishment of Jerusalem far greater than that of Sodom. That was destroyed in a moment while all her inhabitants were in health and strength; Jerusalem fell by the most lingering calamities; her men partly destroyed by the sword, and partly by the famine. Instead of no hands stayed on her, Blayney translates, "Nor were hands weakened in her." Perhaps the meaning is, "Sodom was destroyed in a moment without any human…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Rather, “For” the iniquity “of the daughter of my people was greater than” the sin “of Sodom.” The prophet deduces this conclusion from the greatness of Judah‘s misery (compare Jeremiah 30:11; see also Luke 13:1-5). No hands stayed on her - Or, “no hands were round about her.” Sodom‘s sufferings in dying were brief: there were no starving children, no mothers cooking their offspring for food.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. 66. greater than ... Sodom--(Mt 11:23). No prophets had been sent to Sodom, as there had been to Judea; therefore the punishment of the latter was heavier than that of the former. overthrown ... in a moment--whereas the Jews had to endure the protracted and manifold hardships of a siege. no hands stayed on her--No hostile force, as the Chaldeans in the case of Jerusalem, continually pressed on her before her overthrow. Jeremiah thus shows the greater…Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 4:6

• Famine
• Sin
• Sodom

In the dictionaries

• Sodom
• Comparable
• Dim
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Moment
• 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