How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. ['Aleph (')] HOW IS THE GOLD BECOME DIM - "the gold," the splendid adornment of the temple (Calvin; ; , "The whole house he (Solomon) overlaid with gold ... also... [ Continue Reading ]
The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! THE PRECIOUS SONS OF ZION, COMPARABLE TO FINE GOLD - (; ). HOW ARE THEY ESTEEMED AS EARTHEN PITCHERS - (, "as the breaking of a potter's vessel that is broken in piece... [ Continue Reading ]
Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. EVEN THE SEA MONSTERS DRAW OUT THE BREAST. Whales and other cetaceous monsters, are mammalian. Even they suckle their young; but the Jewi... [ Continue Reading ]
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. THE TONGUE OF THE SUCKING CHILD CLEAVETH TO THE ROOF OF HIS MOUTH FOR THIRST. The mothers have no milk to give, through the famine. [He (h)]... [ Continue Reading ]
They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. THEY THAT DID FEED DELICATELY - on dainties. ARE DESOLATE - or, perish. THEY THAT WERE BROUGHT UP IN SCARLET EMBRACE DUNGHILLS. Instead of the scarlet couches on which the grandees... [ Continue Reading ]
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. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE INIQUITY OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE IS GREATER THAN THE PUNISHMENT OF THE SIN OF SODOM - (cf.... [ Continue Reading ]
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: HER NAZARITES - literally, separated ones (Numbers 6:1.) They were held once in the highest estimation, but now they are degraded. God's blessing formerly ca... [ Continue Reading ]
Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. THEIR VISAGE IS BLACKER THAN A COAL - or, 'than blackness' itself (; ). LIKE A STICK - as withered as a dry stick. [Teth (T)]... [ Continue Reading ]
They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. THEY THAT BE SLAIN WITH THE SWORD ARE BETTER THAN THEY THAT BE SLAIN WITH HUNGER. The speedy death by the sword is better than the lingering... [ Continue Reading ]
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. THE HANDS OF THE PITIFUL WOMEN HAVE SODDEN THEIR OWN CHILDREN - (; ). PITIFUL - naturally at other times compassionate (). Josephus describes the unnatural act as i... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. A FIRE IN ZION ... HATH DEVOURED THE FOUNDATIONS - (; ). A most rare event. Fire usually consumes only the surface; but this reached even to the f... [ Continue Reading ]
The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. THE KINGS ... AND ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD, WOULD NOT HAVE BELIEVED THAT THE ADVERSARY ... SHOULD HAVE ENTERED INTO THE G... [ Continue Reading ]
For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, FOR THE SINS OF HER PROPHETS - the false prophets (; ). Supply the sense thus: 'For the sins of her prophets, etc., these calamities have befallen her.' HAVE SHED THE BLOO... [ Continue Reading ]
They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. THEY HAVE WANDERED AS BLIND - with mental aberration. THEY HAVE POLLUTED THEMSELVES WITH BLOOD - both with blood of one another mutually shed-for instance, with "t... [ Continue Reading ]
They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. THEY CRIED UNTO THEM, DEPART YE; IT IS UNCLEAN. "They" - i:e., "men" (), even the very Gentiles, regarded as unclean by the J... [ Continue Reading ]
The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders. THE ANGER - literally, the face of the Lord. It is the countenance which, by its expression, manifests anger (Psalms 34:16). Gesenius translates, 'the... [ Continue Reading ]
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us. AS FOR US, OUR EYES AS YET FAILED - or, rather, 'fail.' This translation forms the best antithesis to the language of the pagan (Lamentations 4:15). Calvin translates, 'While... [ Continue Reading ]
They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. THEY HUNT OUR STEPS - the Chaldeans do so. WE CANNOT GO IN OUR STREETS - without danger. [Qoph (q)]... [ Continue Reading ]
Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. OUR PERSECUTORS ARE SWIFTER THAN EAGLES. The last times are here described, just before the taking of the city. OUR PERSECUTORS ARE SWIFTER THAN EAGLES. The last... [ Continue Reading ]
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. THE BREATH OF OUR NOSTRILS, THE ANOINTED OF THE LORD, WAS TAKEN - our king, with whose life ours was bound up. The original reference seems to have bee... [ Continue Reading ]
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. REJOICE AND BE GLAD, O DAUGHTER OF EDOM - at our calamities (). This is a prophecy that Edom should exult over the fall of Jers... [ Continue Reading ]
The 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. THE PUNISHMENT OF THINE INIQUITY IS ACCOMPLISHED, O DAUGHTER OF ZION - (). Thou hast been punished eno... [ Continue Reading ]