Lamentations 2:10 kjv
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:10 nkjv
The elders of the daughter of Zion Sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads And gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem Bow their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:10 niv
The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:10 esv
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:10 nlt
The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem
sit on the ground in silence.
They are clothed in burlap
and throw dust on their heads.
The young women of Jerusalem
hang their heads in shame.
Lamentations 2 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 2:10 | Elders of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have strewn dust on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth. | Lamentations 3:28-29, Psalm 13:1, Jeremiah 14:2 |
| Lamentations 2:10 | The virgins of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground. | Song of Solomon 1:13, 2 Corinthians 11:2 |
| Zechariah 8:19 | thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be times of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. | Jeremiah 52:6-7, 2 Kings 25:2-4 |
| Jeremiah 13:23 | Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. | Isaiah 1:18, Proverbs 28:13 |
| Isaiah 3:26 | Her gates lament and mourn; empty, she sits on the ground. | Lamentations 1:4, Jeremiah 7:34 |
| Ezekiel 7:12 | Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all its multitude. | Amos 8:10, Revelation 18:9-17 |
| Joel 1:8 | Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the husband of her youth. | Isaiah 47:2, Jeremiah 31:4 |
| 1 Corinthians 7:36 | If anyone thinks that he is failing to do the right thing as it concerns his virginity, and if he has passed the age for it and his need so requires, let him do what he wills. He sins not. Let them marry. | Matthew 19:10, 1 Corinthians 7:28 |
| Isaiah 22:12 | In that day the Lord God of hosts called to weeping and to mourning, to balding and to wearing sackcloth. | Judges 11:37-38, 2 Samuel 1:11-12 |
| Hosea 10:10 | When I want to chastise them, they will be bound to their two sins. | Romans 1:24-32 |
| Habakkuk 3:16 | I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my standing place trembles beneath me. But I will quietly wait for the day of trouble that is coming upon the devastating people. | Psalm 6:3, Jeremiah 8:6 |
| Isaiah 6:5 | And I said, “Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” | Job 42:5-6, Luke 5:8 |
| Psalm 51:17 | The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 66:2 |
| Revelation 18:11 | And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her since no one buys their cargo anymore. | Jeremiah 15:10, Song of Solomon 5:6 |
| 2 Samuel 15:30 | David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, bareheaded and with his head covered. Everyone with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went. | 1 Samuel 20:18, 1 Samuel 24:8 |
| Ezra 9:3 | And when I heard this, I tore my garment and my robe and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. | Job 1:20, Jeremiah 48:37 |
| Lamentations 2:18 | Their heart cried out to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion! Let tears run down like a river day and night! Give yourself no rest; give no outward sign of relief for the apple of your eye! | Psalm 77:2, Jeremiah 9:1 |
| Jeremiah 2:23 | how can you say “I am not defiled; I have not gone after the Baals”? Look at your ways in the valley; know what you have done—you are a young, wild she-camel running wild in her ways, | Ezekiel 16:29-30, Jeremiah 3:21 |
| Psalm 22:6 | But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. | Isaiah 53:3, Mark 9:12 |
| Lamentations 1:1 | How the city is left so lonely, that was full of people! She has become as a widow! That was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal! | Isaiah 3:8, Jeremiah 17:27 |
Lamentations 2 verses
Lamentations 2 10 Meaning
The elders of Zion sit in silence, clothed in sackcloth, symbolizing deep mourning and humility. The virgins of Jerusalem, once vibrant, hang their heads low, a visual representation of their profound distress and loss of innocence. The scene paints a stark picture of a people crushed by divine judgment and earthly devastation.
Lamentations 2 10 Context
This verse is part of the larger lament by the prophet Jeremiah over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people. Chapter 2 vividly describes God's anger and the resulting devastation. The prophet personifies Jerusalem, portraying her as a deeply suffering entity. The imagery of elders in silence, covered in dust and sackcloth, and virgins bowing their heads in shame illustrates the utter ruin and desolation that has befallen the city and its inhabitants. This lament follows the Babylonians' conquest and the subsequent destruction of the Temple, a catastrophic event for the nation of Judah.
Lamentations 2 10 Word Analysis
שׂיבֵי (sivei): Elders.
- Refers to the older, wiser, and most respected men of the community.
- Their silence signifies the complete breakdown of leadership and wisdom in a time of crisis.
- Elders were responsible for the spiritual and societal well-being of Zion.
צִיּוֹן (Tziyyon): Zion.
- Refers to Jerusalem, and specifically the Temple Mount.
- It represents the heart of Israel's religious and political life.
- The desolation of Zion signifies the apparent withdrawal of God's presence and protection.
יֵשְׁבוּ (yeshevu): They sit.
- A simple verb indicating a state of being.
- The posture of sitting, especially on the ground, denotes humility, repentance, and mourning.
עָפָר (afar): Dust.
- A common symbol of mourning, humility, and human mortality (Genesis 3:19).
- Sprinkling dust on one's head was a ritualistic act of deep grief and repentance.
רָאשֵׁיהֶם (rashehem): Their heads.
- The head is often seen as the seat of honor and identity.
- Covering the head or putting dust on it in mourning is a profound expression of shame and sorrow.
חָגְרוּ (chagru): They girded/bound.
- Refers to tying something around the waist.
- Girding with sackcloth signifies humility and penance.
שַׂק (saq): Sackcloth.
- A rough cloth made from animal hair, typically worn during times of extreme grief, fasting, or penitence.
- Its coarseness and discomfort symbolize affliction and a rejection of comfort.
וְתֻפָּנוּ (ve'tufenu): And the virgins.
- Refers to young, unmarried women.
- Their role was often associated with purity and future hope.
- Their distress highlights the violation of innocence and the extinguishing of future generations.
בַּת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם (bat-Yerushalayim): Daughter of Jerusalem.
- A poetic personification of the city, representing its people.
הִטּוּ (hittu): They bowed down/inclined.
- A physical act of submission and distress.
- Bowing their heads to the ground emphasizes their extreme sorrow and possibly their shame and defeat.
רֹאשׁ (rosh): Head.
- As mentioned before, a symbol of dignity.
- Bowing the head signifies the crushing of that dignity.
אָרֶץ (arets): Ground/earth.
- To bow to the earth signifies complete prostration in mourning or humiliation.
Group Analysis: The combined actions of the elders and virgins portray a holistic societal breakdown. The leaders, meant to be a source of strength and guidance, are silenced and abased. The youth, representing the future, are humbled and deprived of joy. This imagery reflects a nation stripped of its dignity, hope, and divine favor due to sin and subsequent judgment. The posture of sackcloth and dust are universal signs of mourning that elevate the emotional and spiritual weight of the disaster.
Lamentations 2 10 Bonus Section
The specific imagery of sackcloth and dust, and elders sitting on the ground, aligns with numerous Old Testament texts describing expressions of intense mourning and repentance. These actions were not mere symbolic gestures but deeply felt reactions to catastrophic loss and a recognition of divine action, whether as judgment or sorrow. The silent elders reflect the failure of human wisdom and leadership when facing God’s wrath, a theme echoed in prophecies where leaders fail to intercede or guide effectively. The bowing virgins speak to the personal and widespread impact of sin and judgment, affecting even the most vulnerable and those representing the continuation of the covenant community.
Lamentations 2 10 Commentary
Lamentations 2:10 captures the profound grief and devastation experienced by Jerusalem. The leaders, the elders, once authoritative figures, are now reduced to silent figures on the ground, covered in the dust of humiliation and bound in sackcloth, signifying repentance and profound sorrow. Their silence underscores the magnitude of the catastrophe; their words are no longer capable of offering comfort or solution. Simultaneously, the virgins, the city's young women, bow their heads in shame and despair, reflecting the loss of purity and the dimming of their future. This verse illustrates a people overwhelmed by God's judgment, a state of total spiritual and societal collapse, where outward expressions of mourning are the only remaining testimony to their brokenness.