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 King James Version (NKJV)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.”

Context of Lamentations 4:20

18They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 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 nations. 21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: the cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. 22The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

Lamentations 4:20 word by word

ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ יְהוָ֔ה נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלּ֖וֹ נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגּוֹיִֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

• breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• nostrilsאַף'aph · face: noseH639
• anointedמָשִׁיחַmâshîyach · anointedH4899
• LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
• pitsשְׁחִיתshechîyth · pitH7825
• whomאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• shadowצֵלtsêl · shadowH6738
• liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
• nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471

Cross-references for Lamentations 4:20

• Lamentations 2:9Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the nations where the law is not; yea, 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 soul.
• Genesis 44:30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;
• 2 Samuel 18:3But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou be ready to succour us out of 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 ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
• 1 Samuel 16:6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.
• 1 Samuel 24:6And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my lord, the LORD’S anointed, to put forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’S anointed.
• 1 Samuel 26:9And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can put forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?
• 2 Samuel 1:14And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to put forth thine 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 David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
• Jeremiah 39:5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him.
• Jeremiah 52:8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
• Ezekiel 12:13My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
• Ezekiel 17:18For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.
• Ezekiel 19:4The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit: and they brought him with hooks unto 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