Lamentations 5:8 kjv
Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.
Lamentations 5:8 nkjv
Servants rule over us; There is none to deliver us from their hand.
Lamentations 5:8 niv
Slaves rule over us, and there is no one to free us from their hands.
Lamentations 5:8 esv
Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand.
Lamentations 5:8 nlt
Slaves have now become our masters;
there is no one left to rescue us.
Lamentations 5 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 5:7 | Our fathers have sinned and are not. | Lamentations 5:7 (consequence) |
| Deuteronomy 28:36 | The Lord will bring you and your king... | Deuteronomy 28:36 (exile) |
| Jeremiah 14:20 | We acknowledge our wickedness... | Jeremiah 14:20 (confession) |
| Psalm 106:6 | Our fathers also acted foolishly and sinned. | Psalm 106:6 (ancestors' sin) |
| Romans 5:12 | Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin... | Romans 5:12 (origin of sin) |
| 2 Samuel 21:1 | During David’s reign, there was a famine... | 2 Samuel 21:1 (generational curse) |
| Isaiah 65:7 | For our sins, and the sins of our fathers... | Isaiah 65:7 (national sin) |
| 1 Corinthians 10:11 | These things happened to them as examples… | 1 Corinthians 10:11 (lessons) |
| Ezra 9:6-7 | "My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God, because our iniquities have risen higher than our heads... | Ezra 9:6-7 (confession) |
| Acts 7:51-53 | "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute?... | Acts 7:51-53 (inherited rebellion) |
| Joshua 7:24-26 | And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan... and all that he had and burned them with fire... the LORD looked away from his fierce wrath. | Joshua 7:24-26 (consequences of sin) |
| Psalm 79:8 | Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us... | Psalm 79:8 (plea for mercy) |
| Matthew 27:25 | And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” | Matthew 27:25 (acceptance of guilt) |
| Galatians 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” | Galatians 3:13 (redemption from curse) |
| Leviticus 26:39 | And those of you who are left shall rot in their enemies' lands and in the lands of their enemies, and they shall pine away in their iniquities... | Leviticus 26:39 (penalty for disobedience) |
| Psalm 135:7 | He makes the clouds also to rise from the ends of the earth... | Psalm 135:7 (God's sovereignty) |
| Amos 5:27 | Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. | Amos 5:27 (exile) |
| Habakkuk 2:12 | "Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!" | Habakkuk 2:12 (woe to injustice) |
| Joel 1:2-3 | Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? | Joel 1:2-3 (call to remembrance) |
| Isaiah 14:22 | "I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and posterity,” declares the LORD. | Isaiah 14:22 (divine judgment) |
| Ezekiel 18:2 | “What do you mean by repeating this proverb over the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?" | Ezekiel 18:2 (individuality vs. corporate sin) |
Lamentations 5 verses
Lamentations 5 8 Meaning
This verse expresses the profound consequence of the sins and iniquities of Israel's ancestors, highlighting how the current generation is bearing the burden of past transgressions, leading to their suffering and diminished status. It underscores a theme of generational consequence for national sin.
Lamentations 5 8 Context
Chapter 5 of Lamentations is a prayer of confession and plea for restoration after the devastation of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. The people of Judah are confessing their sins and the sins of their ancestors, acknowledging the justice of God’s judgment, but still crying out for remembrance and redemption. This particular verse speaks to the ongoing consequences of past national unfaithfulness, a common theme in the prophetic books and historical accounts of Israel. The people recognize that their current desperate situation is not just due to immediate failures but also rooted in the long-standing iniquities of previous generations.
Lamentations 5 8 Word Analysis
"Our fathers": (Hebrew: אֲבֹתֵינוּ - avoteinu) This plural possessive noun refers to their forefathers, the preceding generations of Israelites. It emphasizes a sense of continuity and inherited responsibility within the community and the nation.
"have sinned": (Hebrew: חָטָ֛ — ḥāṭā’) The perfect form of the verb "to sin." It indicates a completed action, referring to the past wrongdoings of their ancestors.
"and are not": (Hebrew: וְאֵינָ֑ם — v’eynam) Literally "and they are not." This phrase carries a dual meaning: it could refer to the fact that the fathers are no longer living (they have died), or it could be a more forceful statement emphasizing their absence and the lack of their present presence or intercession. It highlights the generational gap, with the current generation left to face the consequences.
"we have borne": (Hebrew: נָשָׂ֥אנ֖וּ — nashanu) The perfect form of the verb "to bear" or "to carry." It signifies that the present generation is currently enduring or carrying the weight of the consequences resulting from their fathers' sins.
"their iniquity": (Hebrew: עֲוֺנָֽם — avonam) This refers to the guilt and consequence of sin. It’s not just the act of sin but the transgression and its resultant punishment or burden. The plural possessive indicates the sins of their ancestors.
Words Group Analysis:
- "Our fathers have sinned and are not": This phrase sets the stage for a theme of inherited sin and its lasting effects, distinguishing between the perpetrators of the sin and those who now suffer its consequences.
- "we have borne their iniquity": This collective "we" is crucial, linking the present suffering directly to the past transgressions of the fathers, thus highlighting a corporate responsibility and the interconnectedness of the covenant community across generations.
Lamentations 5 8 Bonus Section
The understanding of this verse is crucial when considering the Old Testament concept of the "sins of the fathers." While it’s important not to read it as a simplistic deterministic curse where individuals are automatically condemned for ancestral sins in the way some might misunderstand it, it does reflect a biblical worldview where the actions of a nation, driven by its leaders and populace over time, have far-reaching consequences that ripple through generations. This principle of shared consequence is also seen in how a faithful act by one generation can also bless subsequent generations (e.g., God’s promises to Abraham’s descendants). The New Testament fulfillment in Christ addresses the ultimate consequence of sin, breaking the curse of sin and death for all who believe, a reality that encompasses the lament of Lamentations.
Lamentations 5 8 Commentary
This verse speaks to the serious theological concept of corporate sin and its intergenerational impact, particularly within the context of God's covenant with Israel. While the later prophets and particularly Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18) emphasize individual accountability, Lamentations here acknowledges the palpable reality of how national sins and apostasies lead to national judgments that affect all descendants. The suffering is not an unjust punishment but a consequence of generations of disobedience that eroded the foundations of their society and their relationship with God. It’s a lament over the chain reaction of sin that continues to impact those who did not directly commit the initial offense, calling for repentance and a turning back to God in the present generation to break this cycle. The cry is one of both confession of the past and petition for present mercy, recognizing that their forefathers' deeds have contributed to their current dire circumstances.