Lamentations 3:48 kjv
Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Lamentations 3:48 nkjv
My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Lamentations 3:48 niv
Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed.
Lamentations 3:48 esv
my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Lamentations 3:48 nlt
Tears stream from my eyes
because of the destruction of my people!
Lamentations 3 48 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lam 1:16 | "Rivers of water run down mine eyes for the destruction of the daughter of my people." | Parallel sentiment of deep sorrow |
| Jer 9:1 | "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" | Echoes intense personal grief |
| Ps 137:1 | "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." | Connection to exile and sorrow |
| Is 22:4 | "Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, the voice of the destruction of the daughter of my people." | Shared expression of despair |
| Ps 42:3 | "My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?" | Spiritual distress related to divine absence |
| Jer 8:21 | "For the affliction of the daughter of my people am I afflicted; I am black: astonishment hath holden me." | Identification with the people's suffering |
| Jer 14:17 | "But thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow." | Explicit parallel to the verse's theme |
| Luke 19:41-42 | "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at the least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." | Jesus weeping over Jerusalem |
| John 11:35 | "Jesus wept." | The shortest, but profound, display of empathy |
| Ps 38:17 | "For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me." | Personal experience of enduring sorrow |
| Jer 48:31 | "I also shall cry out in Moab, and mine cry shall reach unto Elim; and my cry by the red sea shall be heard." | Vocal lamentations |
| Ezek 27:28-30 | Describes the mourning of Tyre upon its destruction. | Wider context of lament for cities |
| Acts 20:36-37 | "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him," | Grief at parting |
| Lam 5:16 | "The crown of our head is fallen; woe unto us, that we have sinned!" | Consequences of sin leading to lament |
| Job 3:3-4 | "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a son born, a man child; Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it." | Expressing absolute despair |
| Ps 80:5 | "Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure." | Metaphor for immense suffering |
| Matt 24:21 | "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." | Prophecy of overwhelming disaster |
| Heb 5:7 | "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard, in that he feared;" | Christ's prayers with tears |
| Lam 1:18 | "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." | Acknowledging God's righteousness in suffering |
| Zeph 1:12 | "And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil." | God's judgment and the people's apathy |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 48 Meaning
The verse expresses a profound outpouring of grief over the devastation of Zion, lamenting the sorrow caused by its destruction. It speaks to the deep personal anguish experienced due to the affliction of a people and a place held dear.
Lamentations 3 48 Context
Lamentations is a book of poetic laments that vividly portrays the grief and devastation following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Chapter 3 details the prophet Jeremiah's personal suffering as he witnesses and identifies with the anguish of his people. This specific verse, Lamentations 3:48, arises from this deep sense of personal pain and communal sorrow. The context is the aftermath of a catastrophic national disaster, where the once-thriving city is now ruined and its people are suffering. The prophet is reflecting on the extent of this suffering, which affects him deeply, not just as an observer but as one intimately connected to the fate of his people.
Lamentations 3 48 Word Analysis
כִּי (ki): "because," "for." This conjunction introduces a reason or cause for the preceding or following statement.
עֵינַי (eynay): "my eyes." The plural form of ayin (eye), indicating a literal vision, but often used metonymically for tears or sight. Here, it emphasizes the physical act of seeing the devastation.
מֵימִים (meiyim): "waters." The plural form of mayim (water), suggesting an abundance or a continuous flow.
תֵּרַדְנָה (teradnah): "they flow down." This is the third-person feminine plural imperfect of the verb yarad (to go down, flow down). The feminine plural agrees with einaim (eyes), which is grammatically feminine. It signifies a ceaseless falling or pouring forth.
עַל ('al): "upon," "over." A preposition indicating the object of the lament or grief.
שֶׁ֫בֶר (shever): "breach," "destruction," "breakage," "ruin." This noun denotes a violent fracturing or shattering. It encapsulates the physical and societal breakdown.
בַּת־ (bat-): "daughter of." Used here in a gentile sense, not referring to a literal daughter but the people of a city or nation.
עַמִּי ('ammi): "my people." A possessive form of am (people), indicating the prophet's intimate connection to the nation of Israel.
Groups of words analysis:
- עֵינַי מֵימִים תֵּרַדְנָה ('enay meiyim teradnah): "my eyes water run down." This powerful imagery paints a picture of continuous, overwhelming weeping, as if the eyes themselves are conduits for overflowing waters, reflecting the immense sorrow.
- שֶׁ֫בֶר בַּת־עַמִּי (shever bat-'ammi): "the breach/destruction of the daughter of my people." This phrase succinctly identifies the source of the grief – the catastrophic destruction inflicted upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants.
Lamentations 3 48 Bonus Section
The use of "daughter of my people" (bat-'ammi) is a common prophetic and poetic expression in the Old Testament, personifying the city or nation, often as a young woman, which enhances the pathos and vulnerability of the destruction. The weeping described is not merely an outward expression of sadness but often tied to spiritual disciplines and a communal response to sin and its consequences, as understood by various scholars focusing on the theology of lament. The intensity of weeping is frequently presented as a sign of true repentance and deep spiritual conviction.
Lamentations 3 48 Commentary
This verse powerfully conveys the prophet Jeremiah's profound personal anguish in response to the catastrophic destruction of his nation, Zion. His "eyes" are not just observing the devastation but are acting as overflowing streams, signifying unrestrained tears. The "waters" (my personal interpretation of the plural "meiyim" is that it emphasizes the depth and volume of the tears) represent the immense quantity and ceaseless flow of his grief, so profound it's compared to rivers. The "breach of the daughter of my people" pinpoints the cause of this deep sorrow: the shattering and ruin that has befallen Jerusalem and its people, indicating a complete breakdown of their societal and national structure. It’s an intimate expression of empathy, where the leader feels the pain of his people as if it were his own physical wound. The repetition of "my" (-'ay, 'ammi) underscores this personal investment and connection to the suffering. This isn't a detached observation but a visceral, soul-deep lament that moves from seeing to deeply feeling the catastrophe.