# Lamentations 04 đ: The Siege's Bitter Cost
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
#### × (_Alef_)
### The Prophet Speaks
[[#Verse 01.]] Alas! Gold has lost its luster;
pure gold loses value.
Jewels are scattered
on every street corner.
#### × (_Bet_)
[[#Verse 02.]]Â The precious sons of Zion
were worth their weight in goldâ
Alas!âbut now they are treated like broken clay pots,
made by a potter.
#### × (_Gimel_)
[[#Verse 03.]] Even the jackals nurse their young
at their breast,
but my people are cruel,
like ostriches in the wilderness.
#### × (_Dalet_)
[[#Verse 04.]]Â The infantâs tongue sticks
to the roof of its mouth due to thirst;
little children beg for bread,
but no one gives them even a morsel.
#### × (_He_)
[[#Verse 05.]]Â Those who once feasted on delicacies
are now starving to death in the streets.
Those who grew up wearing expensive clothes
are now dying amid garbage.
#### × (_Vav_)
[[#Verse 06.]] The punishment of my people
exceeds that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
with no one to help her.
#### × (_Zayin_)
[[#Verse 07.]] Our consecrated ones were brighter than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies more ruddy than corals,
their hair like lapis lazuli.
#### × (_Khet_)
[[#Verse 08.]] Now their appearance is darker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it is dried up, like tree bark.
#### × (_Tet_)
[[#Verse 09.]] Those who die by the sword are better off
than those who die of hunger,
those who waste away,
struck down from lack of food.
#### × (_Yod_)
[[#Verse 10.]]Â The hands of tenderhearted women
cooked their own children,
who became their food,
when my people were destroyed.
#### × (_Kaf_)
[[#Verse 11.]] The Lord fully vented his wrath;
he poured out his fierce anger.
He started a fire in Zion;
it consumed her foundations.
#### × (_Lamed_)
[[#Verse 12.]]Â Neither the kings of the earth
nor the people of the lands ever thought
that enemy or foe could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
#### × (_Mem_)
[[#Verse 13.]] But it happened due to the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who poured out in her midst
the blood of the righteous.
#### × Â (_Nun_)
[[#Verse 14.]] They wander blindly through the streets,
defiled by the blood they shed,
while no one dares
to touch their garments.
#### ץ (_Samek_)
[[#Verse 15.]]Â People cry to them, âTurn away! You are unclean!
Turn away! Turn away! Donât touch us!â
So they have fled and wander about;
but the nations say, âThey may not stay here any longer.â
#### פ (_Pe_)
[[#Verse 16.]] The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.
They did not honor the priests;
they did not show favor to the elders.
#### ע (_Ayin_)
### The People of Jerusalem Lament
[[#Verse 17.]]Â Our eyes continually failed us
as we looked in vain for help.
From our watchtowers we watched
for a nation that could not rescue us.
#### ׌ (_Tsade_)
[[#Verse 18.]] Our enemies hunted us down at every step
so that we could not walk about in our streets.
Our end drew near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come!
#### ק (_Qof_)
[[#Verse 19.]]Â Those who pursued us were swifter
than eagles in the sky.
They chased us over the mountains;
they ambushed us in the wilderness.
#### ר (_Resh_)
[[#Verse 20.]] Our very life breathâthe Lordâs anointed kingâ
was caught in their traps,
of whom we thought,
âUnder his protection we will survive among the nations.â
#### ׊ (_Sin/Shin_)
### The Prophet Speaks
[[#Verse 21.]] Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom,
who reside in the land of Uz.
But the cup of judgment will pass to you also;
you will get drunk and take off your clothes.
#### ת (_Tav_)
[[#Verse 22.]] O people of Zion, your punishment will come to an end;
he will not prolong your exile.
But, O people of Edom, he will punish your sin
and reveal your offenses!
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Chapter 4 is an acrostic of 22 verses, with two lines per verse instead of three as in chapters 1 and 2.
2. "Gold has grown dim" (4:1) describes Jerusalem's people, once precious, now treated like clay pots (4:2).
3. Even jackals nurse their young, but Zion had become cruel like ostriches (4:3). Ancient writers thought ostriches neglected their eggs (Job 39:14-16).
4. Infants' tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths from thirst (4:4).
5. Those raised in purple now huddled on ash heaps (4:5).
6. Jerusalem's punishment is called greater than Sodom's, which was overthrown in a moment (4:6).
7. The siege was so terrible that compassionate mothers cooked their own children (4:10), fulfilling the warning in Deuteronomy 28:56-57.
8. The people watched for a nation that could not save them (4:17), most likely Egypt.
9. "The Lord's anointed, the breath of our life" (4:20) refers to King Zedekiah, who was captured while fleeing (Jeremiah 39:5).
10. Edom rejoiced at Jerusalem's fall, but the cup of judgment would pass to Edom too (4:21; Obadiah 10-12).
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the true Anointed One. Zedekiah, called the Lord's anointed and the breath of our life, was captured and could not save (4:20), but Jesus was taken by His enemies and rose again to save all who come to God through Him (Acts 4:26-27; Hebrews 7:25).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Gold has grown dim and precious stones are scattered (4:1-2). What does sin do to the beauty God intended for His people?
2. The sins of the prophets and priests helped bring the disaster (4:13). Why does God hold spiritual leaders to a high standard?
3. The people watched for a nation that could not save them (4:17). Where are you tempted to look for rescue apart from God?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 1: How the gold has grown dim and the fine gold has changed.
- đ verse 13: The disaster came because of the sins of the prophets and the iniquities of the priests.
- đ verse 22: Daughter Zion, your punishment is complete; God will not prolong your exile.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Acts 04#Verse 26.|Acts 4:26-27]] - The rulers gathered against God's anointed Jesus.
- đ [[Hebrews 07#Verse 25.|Hebrews 7:25]] - He always lives to intercede for us.
- đ [[James 03#Verse 01.|James 3:1]] - Teachers will be judged more strictly.
- đ [[Psalm 146#Verse 03.|Psalm 146:3]] - Do not trust in princes who cannot save.
- đ [[Obadiah 01#Verse 10.|Obadiah 10-12]] - Edom should not have rejoiced over Judah.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Lamentations 04 - SOAP|Trouble Does Not Last Always]]
## đ Internal Notes