Lamentations 2:4

Lamentations 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
• New International Version (NIV)Like an enemy he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set like a foe; and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes in the tent of the daughter of Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow; With His right hand, like an adversary, He has slain all who were pleasing to His eye; On the tent of the daughter of Zion, He has poured out His fury like fire.

Context of Lamentations 2:4

2My Lord has mercilessly swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. He threw down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah in His fury. He knocked to the ground and humiliated the kingdom and its princes. 3In fierce anger He has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn His right hand from before the enemy. He blazed against Jacob like raging fire, devouring everything around. He bent His bow like an enemy, set His right hand like a foe, and killed all those pleasant to the eye. In the tent of the daughter of Zion He has poured out His wrath like fire. 5My Lord is like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He swallowed up all her citadels, destroyed her fortifications and multiplied mourning and moaning for the daughter of Judah. 6Like the garden He laid waste His dwelling, destroyed His appointed meeting place. Adonai has caused moed and Shabbat to be forgotten in Zion. In the indignation of His anger He spurned king and kohen.

Lamentations 2:4 word by word

דָּרַ֨ךְ קַשְׁתּ֜וֹ כְּאוֹיֵ֗ב נִצָּ֤ב יְמִינוֹ֙ כְּצָ֔ר וַֽיַּהֲרֹ֔ג כֹּ֖ל מַחֲמַדֵּי־עָ֑יִן בְּאֹ֙הֶל֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן שָׁפַ֥ךְ כָּאֵ֖שׁ חֲמָתֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He hath bentדָּרַךְdârak · to treadH1869
• his bowקֶ֫שֶׁתqesheth · bowH7198
• like an enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• he stoodנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• with his right handיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
• as an adversaryצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
• and slewהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• pleasantמַחְמָדmachmâd · desireH4261
• to the eyeעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• in the tabernacleאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168
• of the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
• he poured outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
• his furyחֵמָהchêmâh chêmâ' · rageH2534
• like fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Lamentations 2:4

• Lamentations 2:5My Lord is like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He swallowed up all her citadels, destroyed her fortifications and multiplied mourning and moaning for the daughter of Judah.
• Lamentations 3:3Surely, He has turned His hand against me again and again all day long.
• Job 6:4For the arrows of Shaddai are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors line up against me.
• Job 16:12I was at ease, but He shattered me; He grabbed me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me His target;
• Isaiah 63:10But they rebelled, and grieved His Ruach ha-Kodesh. So He turned to become their enemy. He Himself fought against them.
• Jeremiah 21:5I myself will fight against you, with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even with anger, fury and in great wrath.
• Jeremiah 30:14All your lovers have forgotten you. They are not looking for you. For I wounded you as an enemy— with cruel punishment— because your iniquity is vast, your sins innumerable.
• Ezekiel 24:25“You, son of man, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, the longing of their soul, as well as their sons and their daughters—
• Lamentations 4:1How dulled is the gold, how tarnished the fine gold. The sacred gems are poured out at the corner of every street.
• 2 Chronicles 34:21“Go! Inquire of Adonai for me and for the remnant in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of Adonai that will be poured out upon us—because our fathers did not observe the word of Adonai to do according to all that is written in this scroll.”
• Isaiah 42:25So He poured out on him the fury of His anger, and the fierceness of battle. it blazed all around him, yet he did not understand it. it burned him, yet he did not take it to heart.
• Isaiah 51:17Awake, awake! Stand up, Jerusalem! From Adonai’s hand you have drunk the cup of His fury, the chalice of reeling that you have drained to the dregs.
• Isaiah 63:6So I trod down the peoples in My anger, and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
• Jeremiah 4:4Circumcise yourselves to Adonai and remove the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Else My wrath will break out like fire and blaze, with no one to quench it, because of your evil deeds!”
• Jeremiah 7:20Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: “My anger and My wrath is about to be poured out on this place—on man and beast, and on the trees of the field and the fruit of the land—and it will burn and not be quenched.”
• Jeremiah 36:7Perhaps they will present their supplication before Adonai, and each one will turn from his wicked way. For great is the anger and fury that Adonai has pronounced against this people.”

Commentaries on Lamentations 2:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He hath bent his bow - he stood with his right hand - This is the attitude of the archer. He first bends his bow; then sets his arrow upon the string; and, lastly, placing his right hand on the lower end of the arrow, in connection with the string, takes his aim, and prepares to let fly.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He stood with his right hand … - i. e. that right hand so often stretched out to help now grasped a weapon ready for Judah‘s destruction. Were pleasant - Or, was “pleasant.” Put full stop after “eye.” Begin the third distich thus: In the tabernacle - (or, tent) of the daughter of Zion.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4bent His bow: In the past, the Lord had been a powerful warrior for Israel (see Exodus 14:13–15:21; Joshua 23:9–11; Judges 7; 2 Kings 19:32–35). Now he waged war against Jerusalem (see Isaiah 63:10; Ezekiel 24:25).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. (Is 63:10). stood with ... right hand--He took His stand so as to use His right hand as an adversary. Henderson makes the image to be that of an archer steadying his right hand to take aim. Not only did He withdraw His help, but also took arms against Israel. all ... pleasant to ... eye--(Eze 24:25). All that were conspicuous for youth, beauty, and rank. in ... tabernacle--the dwellings of Jerusalem. He.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 2:4

• Bow

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Cord
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of
• bow and arrow, a bow

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