Lamentations 4 5

Lamentations 4:5 kjv

They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

Lamentations 4:5 nkjv

Those who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those who were brought up in scarlet Embrace ash heaps.

Lamentations 4:5 niv

Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those brought up in royal purple now lie on ash heaps.

Lamentations 4:5 esv

Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps.

Lamentations 4:5 nlt

The people who once ate the richest foods
now beg in the streets for anything they can get.
Those who once wore the finest clothes
now search the garbage dumps for food.

Lamentations 4 verses

Lamentations 4 5 Meaning

Those who formerly ate delicacies are now starved and wasted away, while those who once were nurtured in splendor now grovel in the dirt, hungry and desperate.

Lamentations 4 5 Context

This verse is found in the Book of Lamentations, which poetically laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Chapter 4 specifically describes the terrible suffering and desolation of the city and its inhabitants following this catastrophe. The focus is on the contrast between the former glory and the current abject misery, highlighting the consequences of sin and God's judgment. The audience, the remnants of Judah, are facing extreme hardship, hunger, and degradation after the Babylonian invasion. The verse speaks to the drastic reversal of fortunes for those who lived lives of luxury and privilege before the destruction.

Lamentations 4 5 Word analysis

• Them (Hebrew: הֵם - hem): Plural pronoun, referring to the people previously described.
• That (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר - asher): Relative pronoun, connecting the description of their former state.
• Did feed (Hebrew: דָּבְקוּ - davkeku): Literally "clung," "cleaved," or "fed richly upon." It implies a close and continuous indulgence.
• Delicately (Hebrew: מַֽעֲדָנִים - ma'adanîm): Means "delicacies," "delights," "luxuries," indicating a life of comfort and refined eating.
• Are desolate (Hebrew: שׁוֹמֵמוּ - shomemu): Verb in Niphal stem, meaning "are made desolate," "are astonished," "are laid waste." It conveys a state of emptiness and ruin.
• In the streets (Hebrew: חוּצוֹת - chutzot): Plural of "chutzzah," meaning "outside," "streets," or "open spaces." It signifies public, exposed places, in contrast to their former private luxury.
• They (Hebrew: הֵמָּה - hemmah): Pronoun, continuing the subject.
• That (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר - asher): Relative pronoun.
• Were brought up (Hebrew: גּדְּלוּ - giddelu): From the root gadal, meaning "to grow," "to be large," "to be trained up," "to be brought up." It implies a nurtured and favored upbringing.
• In scarlet (Hebrew: שָׁנִי - shaniy): Refers to a bright red dye, often crimson or scarlet, signifying wealth, nobility, and luxury in clothing.
• Embrace (Hebrew: חוֹבְקִים - chovkîm): Present participle, "embracing," "clasping," or "holding." In this context, it means to lie with or to cling to something.
• The dunghill (Hebrew: עָפָר - `aphar): Means "dust," "ashes," "dry earth." Here, it symbolizes utter degradation, refuse, and the lowest possible condition of squalor.

Words Group Analysis

• "Did feed delicately" vs. "embrace the dunghill": This is a stark contrast. The former implies abundance, ease, and refined taste, while the latter represents utter destitution, filth, and degradation. The opulent lifestyle is directly juxtaposed with the most lowly and repulsive state.
• "Brought up in scarlet": Scarlet was a costly dye, used by royalty and the wealthy. This phrase vividly paints a picture of aristocratic privilege and a life of privilege shielded from hardship. This is set against the backdrop of the "dunghill," showing a complete and brutal reversal.
• "Desolate in the streets": Being desolate implies being left alone, forsaken, and ruined. To be so in the "streets" signifies public shame and the loss of privacy and security previously afforded by wealth. They are no longer sheltered within opulent homes but are exposed in public spaces.

Lamentations 4 5 Bonus Section

The "scarlet" in ancient times was often derived from insects or roots and was very expensive, thus strongly associated with wealth and royalty, similar to purple. The extreme reversal described can be understood not just as poverty, but as a loss of dignity, status, and any semblance of respect or protection. The "dunghill" signifies not just physical filth but also spiritual and social defilement and rejection, as depicted in passages where things cast out are thrown on refuse heaps. This verse resonates with the concept of "pride goes before a fall," showing that a life excessively focused on earthly comforts and status is ultimately fragile and vulnerable to severe consequences.

Lamentations 4 5 Commentary

This verse vividly illustrates the devastating consequences of societal collapse and divine judgment. It describes individuals who were accustomed to the highest standards of living, indulging in the finest foods and adorned in the most expensive garments (symbolized by scarlet). Their former existence was one of comfort and prestige. However, due to sin and the ensuing judgment, they have fallen to the absolute lowest rung of society. They are now found in public places, exposed and ruined ("desolate in the streets"), a humiliating contrast to their former seclusion and protection. Furthermore, those who were once nurtured with care and dressed in luxurious red hues, are now reduced to embracing the very refuse and dirt of the earth, finding their resting place amongst the lowest and most degraded elements of the environment. This highlights a complete overturning of fortune, where pride and luxury have led to extreme shame and destitution.