What does Lamentations 2:19 mean?
"Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street." - Lamentations 2:19
Lamentations 2:19 in the King James Version (KJV) reads, "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street." This verse comes from the book of Lamentations, which is a collection of poetic laments mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people.
In this verse, the prophet is calling on the people to cry out to the Lord in the darkest hours of the night. The mention of "the beginning of the watches" refers to the divisions of the night in ancient Israel, when guards would be stationed to keep watch over the city. The prophet is urging the people to pour out their hearts like water before the Lord, to lift up their hands in prayer for the lives of their young children who are suffering from hunger in the streets. The imagery of pouring out one's heart like water signifies a deep and heartfelt outpouring of emotion and supplication before God.
The theme of this verse, and indeed the entire book of Lamentations, is one of lament and mourning. The destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people is a cause for intense grief and despair, and the prophet calls on the people to express their anguish and plead for God's mercy. The verse reflects the deep sense of loss and hopelessness experienced by the people in the face of such devastating circumstances. It also conveys a sense of urgency and desperation, as the people cry out for relief from their suffering.
The context of this verse is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The city was besieged and eventually conquered, leading to the destruction of the temple and the exile of many of its inhabitants. The book of Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the fall of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people. The verses in the book express the intense sorrow and anguish of the prophet and the people, as they mourn the devastation of their city and the hardships they endure.
The symbolism in this verse is powerful and evocative. The night is a time of darkness and fear, when the people are at their most vulnerable. By calling on them to cry out in the night, the prophet is urging them to turn to God in their time of greatest need. The imagery of pouring out one's heart like water before the Lord conveys a sense of emotional and spiritual release, as the people express their deepest longings and desires for deliverance. The lifting up of hands toward God symbolizes a posture of prayer and supplication, as the people seek God's intervention on behalf of their suffering children.
Overall, Lamentations 2:19 is a poignant and heartfelt plea for God's mercy in the face of overwhelming suffering and despair. The verse captures the depth of emotion and the urgency of the people's need for divine intervention. It serves as a powerful reminder of the profound impact of destruction and suffering, and the enduring human longing for hope and redemption.
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Lamentations 2:19 - "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street."
"Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street." - Lamentations 2:19
Lamentations 3:19 - "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall."
Lamentations 5:19 – "You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation."
Lamentations 5:19 - "Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation."
Ezekiel 19:1 - "Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,"
Ezekiel 19:14 - "And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation."
Lamentations 2:1
Lamentations 2:1
Lamentations 2:1
Lamentations 4:19 - "Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness."
"Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall." - Lamentations 3:19
2 Chronicles 35:25 - "¶ And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations."
Lamentations 1:19 - "I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls."
Lamentations 5:2 - "Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens."
Lamentations 3:2 - "He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light."
"Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel," - Ezekiel 19:1
"Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation." - Lamentations 5:19
Ezekiel 2:10 - "And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."
Lamentations 2:5 - "The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation."
Ezekiel 27:2 - "Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;"
"He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor." Lamentations 2:2
Lamentations 4:2 - "The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!"
"He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor." Lamentations 2:2
2 Samuel 1:17 - "¶ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:"
"And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation." - Ezekiel 19:14
Acts 8:2 - "And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."
"Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens." - Lamentations 5:2
Lamentations 2:12 - "They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom."
"Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness." - Lamentations 4:19