Lamentations 1 19

Lamentations 1:19 kjv

I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

Lamentations 1:19 nkjv

"I called for my lovers, But they deceived me; My priests and my elders Breathed their last in the city, While they sought food To restore their life.

Lamentations 1:19 niv

"I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.

Lamentations 1:19 esv

"I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city, while they sought food to revive their strength.

Lamentations 1:19 nlt

"I begged my allies for help,
but they betrayed me.
My priests and leaders
starved to death in the city,
even as they searched for food
to save their lives.

Lamentations 1 verses

Lamentations 1 19 Meaning

The verse portrays Jerusalem, personified as a deeply sorrowful woman, lamenting her dire state. She cries out that her trusted foreign allies, metaphorically called "lovers," abandoned her and proved utterly unhelpful in her time of greatest need. Furthermore, she recounts the tragic death of her own revered religious and civic leaders—the priests and elders—within the besieged city. They perished from the severe famine, desperately seeking any food to preserve their lives. This paints a vivid picture of the utter desolation and isolation experienced by Jerusalem, suffering from both external betrayal and the complete collapse of internal leadership under God's severe judgment.

Lamentations 1 19 Context

Lamentations Chapter 1 serves as an elegy for Jerusalem, "the Daughter of Zion," after its catastrophic fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC. The city is portrayed as a desolate widow, abandoned and weeping, mourning the destruction of its Temple, the death of its people, and the indignity of exile. Verse 19 specifically details aspects of this profound suffering: the failure of Judah's political strategy and the widespread devastation caused by the siege famine. Historically, Judah had pursued numerous alliances with powerful foreign nations like Egypt and Assyria, hoping for military protection against rising empires. These "lovers" often demanded tribute and ultimately proved unreliable, abandoning Judah or even causing further harm, demonstrating Judah's misplaced trust. Within the city, the prolonged Babylonian siege led to extreme scarcity, fulfilling the severe curses outlined in the covenant for disobedience. Even the most respected members of society, the priests and elders—those meant to provide spiritual guidance and civil governance—succumbed to the starvation, symbolizing the utter collapse of societal structure and spiritual authority under God's righteous judgment.

Lamentations 1 19 Word analysis

• I: Represents Jerusalem, personified as a lamenting woman or the "Daughter of Zion" (Lam 1:6), expressing the depth of the city's personal anguish.

• called for: Hebrew qarati (קָרָ֫אתִי), meaning to summon, appeal, or invoke urgently. This indicates a desperate plea for help.

• my lovers: Hebrew leme'ahavai (לְמְאַהֲבַי). A figurative term referring to Judah's foreign political allies, such as Egypt and Assyria, with whom treaties and alliances were formed. Biblically, such alliances could also reflect spiritual infidelity or "harlotry" towards God (Eze 23:5-9).

• but they deceived me: Hebrew hemma hik'ivu li (הֵ֠מָּה הֵכֵּ֤אּאוּ לִי֙). While KJV translates as "deceived," the underlying root kahah (כָּהָה) means "to grow dim, faint, languish." In the Hiphil stem, it suggests "to cause to faint" or "to prove ineffective/futilie." Thus, they "failed" or "proved feeble/languished" when relied upon for help. The consequence was a feeling of deception or betrayal.

• my priests: Hebrew kohenai (כֹּֽהֲנַ֤י). Those dedicated to priestly service in the Temple, responsible for religious rites, instruction, and intercession. Their death highlights the cessation of religious life and the absence of spiritual leadership.

• and mine elders: Hebrew uzkenai (וּזְקֵנַי֙). Respected leaders, holding positions of civic, judicial, and moral authority within the community. Their demise signifies the complete breakdown of civil order and wise counsel.

• gave up the ghost: Hebrew gave'u (גָּוְ֔עוּ). Literally "expired" or "perished." A solemn term for death, here used to describe death by extreme deprivation.

• in the city: Hebrew ba'ir (בָּעִיר). Refers specifically to Jerusalem, which was under a suffocating siege, emphasizing the enclosed and inescapable nature of the suffering.

• while they sought their meat: Hebrew okhel sha'alu (אֹ֤כֶל שָֽׁאֲלוּ֙). Literally "they asked for food" or "they begged for food." This conveys a desperate search for any sustenance, indicating severe and prolonged starvation among the populace.

• to relieve their souls: Hebrew lehashiv nefesh (לְהָשִׁ֖יב נָ֑פֶשׁ). Literally "to bring back the soul" or "to revive life." Nefesh (נפש) can refer to life-breath, person, or even appetite. This highlights their struggle for survival, desperately seeking to restore vitality or simply ease intense hunger.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "I called for my lovers, but they deceived me": This segment underscores Jerusalem's tragic error in relying on human political alliances. The nations she sought aid from, whom she figuratively "loved," proved unreliable, resulting in bitter disappointment and exacerbating her vulnerability. This failure serves as a stark theological lesson against trusting in anything other than God for security (Ps 118:8-9).
  • "my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city": This phrase depicts the internal societal collapse within Jerusalem. The death of both religious (priests) and civic (elders) leaders from famine illustrates that God's judgment permeated every level of society, leaving no one untouched. It highlights the profound suffering and the breakdown of all authority and care within the city.
  • "while they sought their meat to relieve their souls": This powerful imagery captures the horror of the siege famine. Even the respected leaders, whose roles often implied some degree of provision, were reduced to desperate begging and scavenging for food to merely sustain life, signifying the unparalleled severity of the starvation and the profound indignity it imposed upon all.

Lamentations 1 19 Bonus section

The concept of "lovers" in prophetic books, especially in Lamentations and the prophetic writings, carries a significant theological weight. It not only refers to political alliances but often parallels Judah's spiritual idolatry and covenant breaking. Forming alliances with foreign nations frequently led to the adoption of their deities or customs, effectively depicting Israel as an unfaithful spouse to Yahweh. The failure of these human alliances, as stated in Lamentations 1:19, underscores the biblical truth that ultimate security and deliverance come only from God, not from the arm of flesh (Ps 118:8-9; Isa 31:1-3). The death of the priests and elders in the city also highlights the pervasive nature of God's judgment and its comprehensive impact. Even those in positions of spiritual and societal authority, who might have been expected to intercede or find favor, were not exempt from the physical consequences of the nation's rebellion, emphasizing that national sin leads to national suffering, and covenant disobedience brings covenant curses.

Lamentations 1 19 Commentary

Lamentations 1:19 encapsulates the deep agony of Jerusalem by portraying two critical facets of her suffering: external abandonment and internal collapse. The "lovers" represent the political alliances Judah formed with surrounding nations (like Egypt and Assyria) for protection. Their failure to render effective aid or their outright betrayal highlighted Judah's misguided trust in human power over divine faithfulness (Jer 2:36-37). This unfaithfulness in the political sphere paralleled spiritual infidelity against the Lord. Simultaneously, the verse details the horrific impact of the siege famine within Jerusalem's walls, so severe that even the priests and elders, leaders meant to provide spiritual and social guidance, succumbed to starvation. Their desperate search for food to merely "relieve their souls" underscores the extreme physical suffering and complete breakdown of society, proving that divine judgment spared no one. The verse serves as a profound lament over the consequences of a people who turned from God and placed their hope in flawed human institutions, experiencing the full weight of judgment.