Lamentations 5 15

Lamentations 5:15 kjv

The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

Lamentations 5:15 nkjv

The joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning.

Lamentations 5:15 niv

Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.

Lamentations 5:15 esv

The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.

Lamentations 5:15 nlt

Joy has left our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.

Lamentations 5 verses

Lamentations 5 15 Meaning

Lamentations 5:15 succinctly captures the complete and profound despair of the Judahite people following the destruction of Jerusalem and their exile. It articulates a drastic reversal of fortune: the very essence of their internal and communal happiness, once vibrant with celebration and merriment, has vanished entirely and transformed into deep sorrow and a state of perpetual lament. It signifies the end of all reasons for joy and the overwhelming dominance of grief in their collective experience.

Lamentations 5 15 Context

Lamentations chapter 5 is a collective prayer and petition, functioning as the climactic lament of the book, directly addressing God for relief and restoration after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The chapter serves as a stark depiction of the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual devastation experienced by the Jewish people. They recount their servitude, starvation, defilement, the loss of their leaders, the profaning of their women, and the absence of a visible sanctuary or leadership. Verse 15 is nestled within a larger catalog of woes, specifically articulating the internal and cultural desolation. Prior verses detail physical labor and oppression, and the loss of the elders' presence in the gate, setting the stage for the profound emotional consequence expressed in this verse: the utter annihilation of communal joy and celebratory practices that once defined their lives. It represents the psychological depth of their national trauma.

Lamentations 5 15 Word analysis

• שָׁבַת (shavat) – ceased / is ceased: This verb means to "rest, stop, cease, desist." While commonly associated with the peaceful cessation of the Sabbath, here its meaning implies a forceful and permanent termination, an abrupt and unwelcome stopping of something vibrant. It conveys the idea that joy is not merely lessened, but fundamentally extinguished, reflecting a divine or historical action upon the people.
• מְשׂוֹשׂ (masos) – joy / mirth / delight: This term signifies deep-seated gladness, jubilation, or rejoicing. It is often linked with public celebrations, such as festivals, harvests, weddings, and national prosperity. Its cessation points to the destruction of the very fabric of national and religious life that fueled such joy.
• לִבֵּנוּ (libbenu) – our heart: In Hebrew anthropology, the "heart" (lev/levav) is not merely an organ but the seat of intellect, will, emotion, moral character, and one's innermost being. "Our heart" emphasizes the communal and internal nature of this loss; the sorrow pervades the very core of their collective existence. The joy has departed from their very essence.
• נֶהְפַּךְ (nekhpak) – is turned / overturned / transformed: This verb is in the Niphal stem, indicating a passive action—something has been done to them or it has turned itself. It carries the strong sense of a dramatic and complete reversal or overthrow. It's the same root used for the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:21), implying a catastrophic and divine-initiated transformation.
• אֵבֶל (evel) – mourning / lamentation / sorrow: This word refers to a state of grieving, often accompanied by public rites and expressions of deep sorrow, such as wailing, wearing sackcloth, or abstaining from certain pleasures. The complete reversal means that what was once a period of rejoicing has become one of perpetual and profound grief.
• מַחֲלָתֵנוּ (macholtenu) – our dance / our dances: "Machol" denotes a circle dance, typically performed in celebration, praise, or victory (e.g., Exod 15:20, Judg 11:34, Ps 30:11). The act of dancing symbolized life, prosperity, and communion. Its transformation into mourning indicates not just the loss of joy, but the complete negation of joyous communal expression and vitality.

• "The joy of our heart is ceased" (שָׁבַת מְשׂוֹשׂ לִבֵּנוּ): This phrase underscores a profound internal emptiness. It's not just the external manifestations of joy that are gone, but the very capacity for joy, from the core of their collective being. The "ceasing" of joy suggests an unnatural and unwelcome termination, not a peaceful rest. Scholarly insights note this deep emotional desolation, impacting the soul and spirit.
• "Our dance is turned into mourning" (נֶהְפַּךְ לְאֵבֶל מַחֲלָתֵנוּ): This vividly paints a picture of extreme reversal. Activities typically associated with unbridled joy, such as dancing, are now symbolic of profound grief. Commentators emphasize the symbolic significance of "dance" as a communal expression of celebration and victory; its turning to mourning indicates a total national catastrophe where celebrations are replaced by public lament. The reversal is not simply an absence of joy, but an active substitution of it with its absolute antithesis.

Lamentations 5 15 Bonus section

The juxtaposition of "joy" and "mourning," and "dance" and "lamentation," in this verse highlights the radical shift in Israel's national condition after the fall of Jerusalem. The vibrant celebrations tied to the temple, harvest, and covenant renewal—such as Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), a particularly joyful festival—were completely shattered. This verse can also be seen as an echo of covenant curses promised for disobedience, where blessing and joy would turn into sorrow and oppression (Deut 28). The authors of Lamentations, speaking collectively, confess that the catastrophic events are not random but a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness, justifying this reversal from joy to pervasive mourning. The "ceasing" of joy in their "heart" implies a state of internal desolation that mirrors the external physical ruin, impacting the spiritual and psychological well-being of the entire community. It underscores a fundamental breach in their perceived relationship with the divine.

Lamentations 5 15 Commentary

Lamentations 5:15 encapsulates the ultimate spiritual and cultural cost of Judah's destruction. The "joy of our heart" signifies the deep-seated gladness, both personal and communal, tied to their covenant relationship with God, their temple, and their promised land. This profound joy was inherent to their national identity and religious practices, manifest in feasts and celebrations. Its cessation, indicated by "shavat," implies a divine or historical intervention that forcefully removed this foundational element of their existence. The second half of the verse, "our dance is turned into mourning," emphasizes the complete reversal of communal expression. What was once jubilant and celebrated with festive dances, a symbol of life and thanksgiving, is now replaced by somber mourning, the outward sign of death, loss, and national shame. This is not merely a transient sorrow but a pervasive grief that has utterly transformed their reality, signifying the collapse of all aspects of their lives where happiness once resided. The verse resonates with other prophetic texts foretelling the end of mirth due to divine judgment, while also highlighting the deep theological crisis of a people who once believed in their perpetual security.