Lamentations 1:18 kjv
The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
Lamentations 1:18 nkjv
"The LORD is righteous, For I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now, all peoples, And behold my sorrow; My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.
Lamentations 1:18 niv
"The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.
Lamentations 1:18 esv
"The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.
Lamentations 1:18 nlt
"The LORD is right," Jerusalem says,
"for I rebelled against him.
Listen, people everywhere;
look upon my anguish and despair,
for my sons and daughters
have been taken captive to distant lands.
Lamentations 1 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 32:4 | "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just..." | God's righteous nature |
| Ezra 9:15 | "O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left this day as a remnant." | Confession validating God's righteousness |
| Neh 9:33 | "You have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly." | Acknowledging God's just actions |
| Dan 9:14 | "...the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done..." | God's justice in calamity |
| Rev 16:7 | "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments." | God's judgments are true and just |
| Lev 26:40-41 | "But if they confess their iniquity... then I will remember my covenant." | Confession as a precursor to God's remembrance |
| Ps 32:5 | "I acknowledged my sin to you... and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." | Power of confession and forgiveness |
| Ps 51:4 | "Against you, you only, have I sinned... that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." | Admitting sin validates God's judgment |
| Prov 28:13 | "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." | Benefit of confessing sin |
| Jer 2:19 | "Your evil will chastise you... it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD..." | Bitterness of forsaking God |
| Jer 4:18 | "Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom..." | Deeds bring direct consequence |
| Deut 28:41 | "You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity." | Warning about children in captivity |
| Deut 28:47-48 | "Because you did not serve the LORD... therefore you shall serve your enemies..." | Disobedience leads to servitude |
| 1 Ki 9:6-9 | "If you turn aside from following me... then I will cut off Israel from the land..." | Prophecy of exile for disobedience |
| Isa 3:25 | "Your men shall fall by the sword and your warriors in battle." | Loss of young men in war |
| Jer 20:6 | "...To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die..." | Specific prophecy of Babylonian captivity |
| Jer 25:11 | "This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Seventy-year captivity decreed |
| Eze 12:3 | "...prepare for yourself baggage for exile, and go forth by day in their sight..." | Act of exile described |
| Deut 29:24-25 | "All the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus...?’ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant...'" | Nations recognize the reason for judgment |
| Jer 19:8 | "I will make this city a desolation... Everyone who passes by it will be astonished..." | Universal shock at Jerusalem's state |
| Jer 22:8-9 | "Many nations will pass by... ‘Why has the LORD dealt thus...?’ And they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant...'" | Foreigners understand divine justice |
| Lam 1:12 | "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow..." | Jerusalem appeals for universal empathy |
| Ps 119:136 | "My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law." | Sorrow over disobedience to God's law |
Lamentations 1 verses
Lamentations 1 18 Meaning
Lamentations 1:18 reveals Jerusalem, personified, publicly confessing her sin and acknowledging God’s perfect righteousness in the judgment that has befallen her. She declares that the devastation and the loss of her children into captivity are direct, just consequences of her rebellion against the Lord's commandments. Her plea to "all people" serves as a solemn witness, inviting them to behold the depth of her sorrow and the justice of her divine punishment.
Lamentations 1 18 Context
Lamentations chapter 1 presents a deeply sorrowful depiction of Jerusalem's ruin and desolation after its destruction and the exile of its people by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The city is personified as a widowed queen, isolated and weeping, abandoned by former allies and subjected to her enemies. The chapter attributes this immense suffering directly to Judah's sins and rebellion against the Lord. Within this backdrop, verse 18 marks a profound moment of public self-incrimination, as Jerusalem not only laments her suffering but also confesses that the Lord's severe judgment is entirely just and warranted, inviting the surrounding nations to witness the consequence of violating God's covenant.
Lamentations 1 18 Word analysis
- The LORD (YHWH): This refers to the covenant God of Israel. The use of this sacred personal name emphasizes His unwavering character and authority within the covenant relationship. It implies His consistency and faithfulness even in judgment.
- is righteous (Tzaddiq): This Hebrew term signifies perfect justice, moral integrity, and rightness in action. Here, it affirms that God’s actions, however severe, are fully in line with His holy character and His just governance. His judgment is not arbitrary but a vindication of His divine law.
- for (Ki): A conjunction indicating the reason or cause. It directly connects Jerusalem's suffering and God's righteousness to the nation's past actions.
- I have rebelled (Meriti): From the root "marah," meaning to be rebellious, disobedient, or to defy. This word conveys an active, intentional, and stubborn turning away from God’s revealed will. It implies an obstinate refusal to submit to divine authority.
- against his commandment (et piyv): More literally "His mouth" or "His word." This refers to God's spoken laws, statutes, and decrees given through the covenant. The rebellion was not against some vague notion, but directly against the explicit instructions from the Creator.
- hear, I pray you (Shim'u-na): An urgent, supplicatory imperative. It's a plea for profound attention, implying not just auditory reception but understanding and acknowledgment. "Na" adds a tone of request and urgency.
- all people (kol ha'ammim): This expands the audience from solely Jerusalem's immediate neighbors to a universal address. It is a desperate call for the Gentile world to witness the devastating consequences of sin against YHWH, potentially serving as a cautionary tale.
- behold (u-r'u): Another urgent imperative, calling for observation and contemplation. It demands that the onlookers truly grasp the depth of the suffering being expressed.
- my sorrow (makho'vi): From "ka'av," meaning pain or suffering. This indicates a deep, intense, personal agony, encompassing physical and emotional anguish due to the destruction and loss.
- my virgins (betūlotai): Unmarried young women. They represent the purity, innocence, and future generations of the nation. Their loss signifies a grievous blow to the nation's vitality and reproductive future.
- my young men (bakhurai): The chosen youth, the strong and vibrant men in the prime of their lives, who would have been protectors, laborers, and future leaders. Their capture represents the loss of national strength, defense, and the promise of continuance.
- are gone into captivity (halkhu bash'vi): This describes the forced displacement and enslavement of the population. It is the direct fulfillment of ancient covenant curses (e.g., Deut 28) and represents the stripping away of freedom, dignity, and homeland.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment": This powerful confession highlights the core theological truth of the verse. It declares God’s just character, even in judgment, by openly admitting Israel's active and deliberate covenant violation. The responsibility for the catastrophe is placed squarely on the nation, removing any doubt about God's equity.
- "hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow": This constitutes Jerusalem's public lament and universal appeal. It shifts the address from God to the nations, transforming her plight into a solemn object lesson. This public appeal aims to gain sympathy but also serves to underscore the undeniable truth of divine retribution witnessed by all.
- "my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity": This phrase graphically illustrates the tragic human cost of the confessed rebellion. The loss of these specific demographic groups, the most vulnerable and the most vital, symbolizes the severe emasculation and depopulation of the nation, shattering its hopes for the future and cementing the reality of the judgment.
Lamentations 1 18 Bonus section
The act of public self-condemnation, confessing before "all people" that YHWH is righteous and Israel is rebellious, is a powerful theological act. It disarms potential criticisms that God is unjust or weak for allowing such destruction to His chosen people. Instead, the focus remains on the covenantal terms and the consequences of violating them. This specific detail of virgins and young men in captivity resonates throughout Scripture, signifying the dismantling of family units, the cessation of new generations, and the decimation of national strength and hope (e.g., Job's loss of children, the curse on childbearing). The language here strongly emphasizes the irreversible nature of the current calamity through the imagery of its future being taken away.
Lamentations 1 18 Commentary
Lamentations 1:18 is a profound theological statement, acting as a crucial pivot in the city's lament. Here, Jerusalem sheds any victim mentality regarding divine judgment and performs an act of radical confession. The declaration "The LORD is righteous" is not a reluctant acknowledgment but a vindication of God’s character. This admission implies that all the pain described previously (e.g., v.1-17) is justly deserved. By confessing "I have rebelled against his commandment," Jerusalem shoulders the full blame for the devastation, acknowledging her covenantal disobedience as the precise cause.
The verse then dramatically widens its scope, appealing to "all people" to "hear" and "behold" her sorrow. This universal call transforms the specific tragedy of Jerusalem into a lesson for all nations. Her suffering is not random but a consequence of defying the God of creation, who holds all accountable. The poignant detail of "my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity" paints a vivid, heart-wrenching picture of the loss. These individuals represent the nation's future, vitality, and innocence. Their captivity signifies a deeply wounded generational continuum, amplifying the profound and lasting impact of Jerusalem’s sin. The verse thus articulates the sorrowful understanding that God’s justice is inexorable, even for His chosen people, and that disobedience brings devastating consequences upon a nation's most precious assets.