Lamentations 4 15

Lamentations 4:15 kjv

They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

Lamentations 4:15 nkjv

They cried out to them, "Go away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!" When they fled and wandered, Those among the nations said, "They shall no longer dwell here."

Lamentations 4:15 niv

"Go away! You are unclean!" people cry to them. "Away! Away! Don't touch us!" When they flee and wander about, people among the nations say, "They can stay here no longer."

Lamentations 4:15 esv

"Away! Unclean!" people cried at them. "Away! Away! Do not touch!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, "They shall stay with us no longer."

Lamentations 4:15 nlt

"Get away!" the people shouted at them.
"You're defiled! Don't touch us!"
So they fled to distant lands
and wandered among foreign nations,
but none would let them stay.

Lamentations 4 verses

Lamentations 4 15 meaning

Lamentations 4:15 portrays the utter degradation and intense ostracism faced by Jerusalem's once-revered figures, particularly the priests and prophets. Due to their egregious sins and moral corruption, they are deemed ritually "unclean" by their own people and even by the surrounding Gentiles. They are publicly shunned, driven from their places, forced into a wandering existence, and the Gentiles, witnessing their disgrace, declare that these exiles will never again find a settled home or that their God will no longer dwell among them. This verse signifies a complete reversal of their sacred status and profound national humiliation.

Lamentations 4 15 Context

Lamentations chapter 4 vividly details the unparalleled suffering, humiliation, and destruction that befell Jerusalem and its people during and after the Babylonian siege of 586 BC. It contrasts the glorious past of Zion with its present desolation, particularly focusing on the drastic decline of its nobility and leadership. Verse 15 is a harsh commentary on the societal reaction to the extreme moral degradation of Jerusalem's religious leaders – the prophets and priests, whose sins are highlighted in preceding verses (Lam 4:13-14) as the direct cause of God's wrath and the city's ruin. The verse paints a picture of complete public shunning, where these defiled leaders, now equated with outcasts or lepers, are forcibly expelled from the city. The ultimate humiliation is that even foreign nations, the "Gentiles," recognize their disgrace and pronounce judgment on their future, believing they will never recover their land or status.

Lamentations 4 15 Word analysis

• Depart ye; (סוּרוּ, sūru)
  • Word Level: A strong imperative verb, demanding immediate removal. It signifies turning aside or getting out of the way. This imperative is often used for separation from impurity (e.g., Isa 52:11, "depart, depart... touch no unclean thing").
  • Significance: The bitter irony is profound: commands traditionally given to people to separate from external defilement are now directed at the very spiritual leaders who were supposed to uphold purity. It's an indictment of their moral failure leading to their societal rejection.
• it is unclean, (טָמֵא, ṭāmēʾ)
  • Word Level: Refers to ritual and moral impurity, anything ceremonially defiling or sinful. Rooted in Mosaic law regarding holiness (Lev 11-15).
  • Significance: Here, tame transcends mere ritual impurity. It points to a deep, inherent moral corruption of the priests and prophets (mentioned in 4:13) whose sins brought ruin. It makes them untouchable, even more abhorrent than mere ritual outcasts, as they had betrayed their sacred trust.
• depart, depart, touch not:
  • Words-Group Level: The triple repetition of "depart" and the explicit "touch not" emphasize the intense revulsion and complete rejection. This mimics the warnings given about contact with lepers or dead bodies, marking extreme contagion and societal ostracism.
  • Significance: This command from the people (or even Gentiles) signifies a total loss of authority and respect for the defiled leaders. Their presence is now seen as polluting, demanding their utter isolation. It underlines the severe consequences of their spiritual contamination.
• when they fled away and wandered,
  • Words-Group Level: Describes the immediate fate of those expelled. "Fled away" (נָעוּ, na'u) indicates flight and restlessness, while "wandered" (זָעוּ, za'u) signifies a state of aimless movement or staggering.
  • Significance: This highlights the complete loss of status and home. The former guardians of Zion are reduced to desperate, homeless fugitives, their existence defined by rootlessness and displacement. This wandering stands in stark contrast to the settled, blessed life promised in the covenant.
• they said among the Gentiles,
  • Words-Group Level: The judgment and pronouncement of outsiders, non-Israelites.
  • Significance: This detail adds another layer of humiliation. Not only are the defiled rejected by their own, but their disgrace is universally acknowledged and condemned by those who do not share Israel's covenant or faith. It signifies the complete loss of Israel's distinctive glory in the eyes of the world.
• He will no more sojourn there.
  • Words-Group Level: (יָגוּר, yagūr) "sojourn" implies dwelling or residing temporarily, but often with the possibility of permanency. The identity of "He" is crucial.
  • Significance: This can be interpreted in two primary ways:
    1. "He" refers to God: Meaning the Gentiles declare that God has completely abandoned His temple and people, signifying the permanent loss of His divine presence among them (echoing Eze 10:18, 11:23 of God's glory departing).
    2. "He" refers to the Jewish people (or these particular outcasts): Meaning the Gentiles declare that the exiled people will never again find a settled home in Judah; they are condemned to perpetual wandering. Given the context of the preceding phrase ("fled away and wandered"), this latter interpretation is often favored. The Gentile onlookers conclude that the outcasts' former status and homeland are permanently lost, sealing their fate as perpetual nomads. It also speaks to the perception that their unique relationship with God has been irrevocably severed.

Lamentations 4 15 Bonus section

The depth of shame and degradation experienced by those driven out in Lamentations 4:15 has profound psychological and societal implications. To be deemed ṭāmēʾ and publicly expelled by one's own community, and then to have one's perpetual displacement decreed by foreign observers, is to suffer a complete annihilation of personal and national identity. It’s more than just losing a home; it’s losing the very definition of who they were as God's chosen people with a promised land and divine dwelling among them. The words of the Gentiles highlight the global perception of God's judgment and the effective termination of Israel's distinctive relationship with Him, at least in their eyes. This loss of reputation among nations, who once perhaps feared or respected God's people, adds another layer to their desolation. The once-esteemed, now defiled, became living parables of God's severe but righteous judgment against sin that permeated even the highest levels of spiritual leadership.

Lamentations 4 15 Commentary

Lamentations 4:15 encapsulates the ultimate spiritual, social, and national downfall of Judah, centered on the profound defilement of its religious leaders. The "depart ye" echoes ancient purity laws, turning their force back onto those who should have been most pure but became most polluted. This reversal underscores the depth of their sin—it wasn't just individual transgression, but a defilement of their very office and calling, rendering them ṭāmēʾ (unclean) in a spiritual sense more devastating than ritual impurity. The repetition and stark commands to "touch not" reflect an almost instinctual aversion, not only for their contamination but also for their direct culpability in the nation's suffering.

Their ensuing wandering among the nations marks the physical manifestation of their spiritual homelessness. The most crushing blow comes from the Gentiles' pronouncement: "He will no more sojourn there." This external judgment confirms the devastating consequences of their apostasy. It highlights a lost sacred identity and status. Whether "He" refers to God's permanent abandonment of the Temple or the people's perpetual exile from their promised land, the declaration from outside observers confirms a perceived divine rejection and a hopeless future for the people once chosen to embody holiness. It's a testament to the utter destruction of a nation whose spiritual corruption became glaringly evident to the entire world.