Lamentations 4 22

Lamentations 4:22 kjv

The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

Lamentations 4:22 nkjv

The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins!

Lamentations 4:22 niv

Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.

Lamentations 4:22 esv

The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer; but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish; he will uncover your sins.

Lamentations 4:22 nlt

O beautiful Jerusalem, your punishment will end;
you will soon return from exile.
But Edom, your punishment is just beginning;
soon your many sins will be exposed.

Lamentations 4 22 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Lam 4:22Daughter of Edom, your iniquity is made plain; your sin is uncovered.Lam 4:21
Isa 40:2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her...Isa 40:1-2
Jer 30:10For I am with you to save you...Jer 30:10
Jer 31:40...the whole plain of the dead bodies and of all the ashes...Jer 31:38-40
Luke 21:24...and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.Luke 21:24
Rom 11:26...and in this way all Israel will be saved.Rom 11:25-27
Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced your judgment upon her!Rev 18:20
Isa 1:18Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...Isa 1:18
Ps 32:1Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.Ps 32:1
Ex 29:36"You shall sacrifice the bull of sin offering day by day...Ex 29:36
Lev 4:3If it is the anointed priest who sins...Lev 4:3
Heb 9:22Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.Heb 9:22
Mic 7:19He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.Mic 7:18-19
Zech 13:1"On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to wash away sin and uncleanness.Zech 13:1
Mal 3:3He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver...Mal 3:3
Ps 85:2You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sins.Ps 85:2
Isa 53:5But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.Isa 53:4-5
Col 1:14...in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.Col 1:14
1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.1 John 1:7
Rev 21:4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes...Rev 21:4
Heb 10:17... and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.Heb 10:17

Lamentations 4 verses

Lamentations 4 22 Meaning

The punishment of the sin of Jerusalem (personified as daughter Zion) is complete; she will not be exiled again. Her iniquity is also atoned for; God will not punish her any further.

Lamentations 4 22 Context

Lamentations chapter 4 details the utter desolation and suffering of Jerusalem following its destruction by the Babylonians. The chapter contrasts the city's former glory with its present ruin, emphasizing the suffering of its people, including its royalty and vulnerable children. Verse 22 specifically marks a transition, moving from the general account of Jerusalem's suffering and punishment to a concluding statement about the completion of her iniquity and the cessation of her punishment, and importantly, contrasts this with the fate of Edom. This verse appears to be the concluding thought for Jerusalem's judgment within this lament, looking towards the end of her chastisement. The reference to "Daughter of Edom" redirects the focus, hinting at God's justice extending beyond Jerusalem to those who gloated over her downfall.

Lamentations 4 22 Word Analysis

  • עֵ֤קֶב (eqev): Punishment; recompense, reward. In this context, it refers to the culmination of chastisement or the appointed end of her deserved punishment.
  • עַוְּלָתֵךְ (ʿawlātēḵ): Your iniquity, your sin, your wrongdoing. This word signifies a deviation from righteousness and justice.
  • גָּלְתָה (gāləṯâ): Exile; captivity; journey, removal. Here it signifies that her exile or punishment has been completed and removed.
  • פִּשְׁעֵךְ (pısh‘ēḵ): Your transgression; your revolt; your sin. Similar to "iniquity," this term denotes rebellion against divine authority.
  • יֹסִפֶּה (yôsip-pəh): He will add; he will multiply; he will do again.
  • לְגָלוֹתֵךְ (ləḡālōṯēḵ): To exile you; to remove you; to carry you captive. This refers to further periods of punishment or exile.

Words Group Analysis

  • עֵ֤קֶב עַוְּלָתֵךְ גָּלְתָה: The punishment for your iniquity has been removed or completed. This implies that Jerusalem has fully paid the price for her sins, at least concerning exile.
  • פִּשְׁעֵךְ יֹסִפֶּה לְגָלוֹתֵךְ: Your transgression, He (God) will not add (to) exile you. This reinforces the idea that her exile or period of severe judgment is finished, and she will not face further such removals from her land or intensified captivity. The statement acts as a boundary marker for Jerusalem's chastisement.

Lamentations 4 22 Bonus Section

The declaration that Jerusalem’s iniquity is uncovered and her punishment complete echoes themes of divine justice and the eventual restoration of God’s people. While this verse in Lamentations speaks to the cessation of punitive exile for Jerusalem, it does not imply that her sins are no longer problematic in themselves. Rather, it signifies the exhaustion of God’s directed penal judgment for that particular era. Future biblical interpretations, particularly in the New Testament, understand the ultimate atonement for sin to be through Jesus Christ, who bears the full weight of sin’s penalty, allowing for a complete forgiveness and restoration far beyond mere cessation of earthly punishment (e.g., Heb 9:22). The mention of Edom in verse 22 ("Daughter of Edom") serves to contrast Jerusalem's completed chastisement with the impending judgment on Edom for their malicious rejoicing and participation in Jerusalem’s suffering, emphasizing that God’s justice extends to all nations, not just His chosen people. This serves as a polemic against any who presumed they could act with impunity against God's covenant people.

Lamentations 4 22 Commentary

This verse offers a statement of conclusion regarding Jerusalem's period of intense judgment and exile. It declares that the "punishment" or "recompense" for her "iniquity" (עֵ֤קֶב עַוְּלָתֵךְ) has reached its end, symbolized by her being "exiled" (גָּלְתָה) or her captivity being concluded. More powerfully, it states that God "will not add" (יֹסִפֶּה) further to her exile or affliction for her "transgression" (פִּשְׁעֵךְ). This marks the extent of her penalty, not as a cancellation of sin, but as the fulfillment of the divinely appointed period of punishment. It signals the close of this specific phase of divine discipline. The focus then shifts to Edom, highlighting that their hidden sins are now exposed for judgment. This verse points to the complete temporal consequence of Jerusalem’s transgressions against the covenant, even as the theological implication of atonement for sin finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.