Lamentations 1 4

Lamentations 1:4 kjv

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Lamentations 1:4 nkjv

The roads to Zion mourn Because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted, And she is in bitterness.

Lamentations 1:4 niv

The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish.

Lamentations 1:4 esv

The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly.

Lamentations 1:4 nlt

The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning,
for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals.
The city gates are silent,
her priests groan,
her young women are crying ?
how bitter is her fate!

Lamentations 1 verses

Lamentations 1 4 Meaning

Lamentations 1:4 describes the profound desolation and anguish of Jerusalem following its destruction. The verse personifies the roads to Zion as mourning, emphasizing the cessation of joyous pilgrimage and all normal life. It vividly portrays the breakdown of spiritual practices, social structures, and personal well-being, as sacred feasts are no longer observed, city gates lie abandoned, religious leaders lament, and even the hope of the future, symbolized by its virgins, is overcome with sorrow, leaving the city itself immersed in deep bitterness.

Lamentations 1 4 Context

Lamentations chapter 1 presents a stark and agonizing depiction of Jerusalem (often personified as a grieving widow or solitary princess) after its devastating fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC. The city, once teeming with life and the center of Israelite worship, is now a desolate ruin. Verse 4 specifically details various aspects of this pervasive destruction, highlighting the cessation of religious pilgrimage, the abandonment of public life, the despair of its spiritual leaders, and the widespread suffering of its populace, down to its youth. This immediate context underscores the profound spiritual and physical consequences of covenant disobedience, serving as a bitter testimony to God's judgment, as outlined in earlier prophetic warnings. The city's plight reflects the complete breakdown of its relationship with God due to sin and idolatry, leading to its current state of unprecedented sorrow and isolation.

Lamentations 1 4 Word analysis

• The roads to Zion: This refers to the paths leading to Jerusalem, specifically Mount Zion where the Temple stood.
  • "Zion" (צִיּוֹן - Tziyyon): The poetic and theological name for Jerusalem, often emphasizing its status as the holy city and dwelling place of God (Psa 9:11). The destruction of Zion signifies the loss of the center of Israel's spiritual life.
  • "mourn" (אֲבֵלוֹת - avelot): This is personification. Roads cannot literally mourn, but their emptiness is so striking it implies an active sorrow. The term indicates deep grief, normally associated with loss and death. The vibrant activity that once filled these roads – pilgrims, worshippers, merchants – has ceased, leaving them desolate and silent.
• for no one comes to her appointed feasts: This is the direct cause of the roads' mourning.
  • "no one comes" (אֵין בָּא - ein ba): Emphasizes total cessation. No traffic, no pilgrims, no life.
  • "her appointed feasts" (מְוֹעֲדִים - mo'adim): Refers to the sacred festivals (Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles) prescribed by the Torah, which required all Israelite males to journey to Jerusalem. These were times of national joy, worship, and unity. Their absence means the entire system of public worship, communal celebration, and the covenant relationship symbolized by these gatherings has ceased due to the Temple's destruction and the people's exile. This is a profound statement of religious desolation.
• All her gates are desolate: Gates were central to city life, serving as places for commerce, justice, social gathering, and defense.
  • "gates" (שְׁעָרֶיהָ - sh'areha): Symbolized the city's strength, protection, and vital functions. Their ruin reflects total civic collapse.
  • "desolate" (שׁוֹמֵמִים - shomemim): Carries the connotation of being laid waste, abandoned, or appalled by devastation. It signifies an utter lack of activity and the profound shock of what has occurred. The bustling hubs are now silent ruins.
• her priests groan:
  • "priests" (כֹּהֲנֶיהָ - koheneyha): The religious leaders responsible for mediating between God and the people through sacrifices and instruction. Their primary function in the Temple is now impossible.
  • "groan" (נֶאֱנָחוּ - ne'enahu): An expression of deep internal suffering and anguish, often too profound for words or outright weeping. It indicates physical and spiritual distress, a consequence of the Temple's destruction and their loss of purpose and home. Their lament represents the disruption of the entire divine-human communication system through formal worship.
• her virgins have been grieved:
  • "virgins" (בְּתוּלֹתֶיהָ - b'tuloteha): Represents the youth, innocence, beauty, and the future generation of the city. They typically would anticipate marriage and new families.
  • "grieved" (נוּגוֹת - nugot): Expresses deep sorrow, distress, or affliction. The grief of virgins speaks to the widespread impact of the catastrophe, affecting even those who represent hope and the continuation of life. It implies suffering, perhaps from loss of loved ones, prospects, security, or even direct trauma during the siege and capture. The loss of potential joy, marriage, and progeny is a great sorrow.
• and she herself is in bitterness:
  • "she herself" (וְהִיא - v'hi): Refers back to Zion/Jerusalem personified.
  • "bitterness" (מָר־לָהּ - mar-lah): Lit. "it is bitter to her." This word encapsulates the overwhelming, profound suffering and anguish experienced by the city as a whole. It signifies the crushing reality of God's judgment and the sorrow of ruin, leaving a deep, unyielding ache. This "bitterness" aligns with the cup of God's wrath, a common biblical motif (e.g., Jer 23:15).

• "The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts": This opening line sets the tone, highlighting the desolate emptiness where vibrant spiritual life once flourished. The very infrastructure designed for communal worship is weeping from disuse. It speaks to the death of sacred pilgrimage, a cornerstone of Israelite religious life.
• "All her gates are desolate, her priests groan, her virgins have been grieved": This triplet of clauses describes the paralysis of Jerusalem across multiple societal spheres: public/civic life (gates), religious leadership (priests), and the hope of future generations (virgins). It shows that no aspect of the city's existence has been spared from the crushing weight of sorrow and devastation.
• "and she herself is in bitterness": This final statement in the verse serves as a culmination and summary. It emphasizes the profound and pervasive grief that permeates the very essence of the city. The individual elements of distress collectively merge into an overwhelming experience of sorrow and anguish for Jerusalem as a whole.

Lamentations 1 4 Bonus section

• Echoes of Creation and Covenant: The desolation described ("desolate" - shomemim) links to a state of being "waste and void" (tohu wa-bohu) before creation, hinting at a reversal of divine order and the undoing of life as a result of sin. This underscores the catastrophic nature of the judgment.
• Theophany of Absence: The mourning roads and lack of pilgrimage emphasize God's temporary "absence" from His people's worship center, not due to His non-existence but due to their actions that led Him to allow such desolation.
• Fasting vs. Feasting: The verse powerfully highlights the forced cessation of sacred feasts. In post-exilic Judah, several annual fasts (Zech 8:19) were instituted to remember this very period of national sorrow, temporarily replacing the traditional joy of the mo'adim.
• Foreshadowing in Prophecy: Prophets like Jeremiah had warned of such desolation (Jer 7:34, 25:10-11). This verse is the fulfillment, presenting the painful reality of prophetic warning.

Lamentations 1 4 Commentary

Lamentations 1:4 masterfully paints a picture of comprehensive ruin, emphasizing that the fall of Jerusalem was not merely a physical collapse but a deep spiritual and social catastrophe. The verse moves from the external (mourning roads, desolate gates) to the internal and spiritual (groaning priests, grieving virgins), culminating in Jerusalem's profound "bitterness." This bitter state arises directly from the cessation of the "appointed feasts," which signifies the breakdown of the covenant relationship and the inability to properly worship God in the land. The sorrow described is not only due to war's trauma but fundamentally linked to the perceived withdrawal of God's presence and the judgment brought by unfaithfulness, rendering the holy city a symbol of collective grief and divine displeasure. Every aspect of former joy and life is now steeped in agony, serving as a solemn warning against disobedience and a somber reflection on its consequences.