The second acrostic, and the hardest to read, because the destroyer is named. The Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, swallowed up her habitations, broken down her strongholds, and bent his bow like an adversary: 'The Lord hath become as an enemy.' The festival is forgotten, king and priest despised, the altar cast off. Elders sit on the ground in silence with dust on their heads; virgins hang down their heads. The prophets find no vision from Jehovah, seeing false burdens instead. Worst is the street scene: children and sucklings swooning, asking their mothers, Where is grain and wine? The call is to pour out the heart like water before the face of the Lord.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Poetry · Jeremiah — Lamentations overview

A. 1–10 The Lord Become as an Enemy to Zion
B. 11–17 Children Fainting in the Streets; the Prophets Saw Vain Things
C. 18–22 Pour Out Thy Heart Like Water Before the Lord

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Lamentations 14 verses
- Lamentations 1:4The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.
- Lamentations 1:12Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see! Is there any sorrow like mine, which was inflicted on me, which the LORD made me suffer on the day of His fierce anger?
- Lamentations 1:16For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.
- Lamentations 1:20See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am churning within; my heart is pounding within me, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is death.
- Read Lamentations 1 →
Lamentations 23 verses
- Lamentations 2:2Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In His wrath He has demolished the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah. He brought to the ground and defiled her kingdom and its princes.
- Lamentations 2:8The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.
- Lamentations 2:17The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy gloat over you and exalted the horn of your foes.
- Read Lamentations 2 →
Psalms 743 verses
- Psalms 74:3Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
- Psalms 74:9There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.
- Psalms 74:11Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!
- Read Psalms 74 →
Lamentations 32 verses
- Lamentations 3:43You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
- Lamentations 3:46All our enemies open their mouths against us.
- Read Lamentations 3 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Psalms 892 verses
- Psalms 89:39You have renounced the covenant with Your servant and sullied his crown in the dust.
- Psalms 89:42You have exalted the right hand of his foes; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
- Read Psalms 89 →
Ezekiel 242 verses
- Ezekiel 24:21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’
- Ezekiel 24:25And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well,
- Read Ezekiel 24 →
Jeremiah 302 verses
- Jeremiah 30:12For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous.
- Jeremiah 30:14All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins.
- Read Jeremiah 30 →
Lamentations 42 verses
- Lamentations 4:10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
- Lamentations 4:16The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor.
- Read Lamentations 4 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.