What does Lamentations 2:18 mean?
"Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease." - Lamentations 2:18
Lamentations 2:18 from the King James Version (KJV) reads: "Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease."
The book of Lamentations is a collection of sorrowful poems attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This particular verse is a cry of despair and anguish, as the people of Zion lament the devastation of their city and the suffering of their people. The verse reflects the deep emotional and spiritual pain experienced by the Israelites as they witness the destruction of their homeland and the resulting loss of hope.
The overarching theme of Lamentations 2:18 is the profound grief and devastation experienced by the people of Zion in the wake of the Babylonian conquest. The verse depicts a heartrending plea to God for mercy and comfort in the face of overwhelming suffering. The reference to the "wall of the daughter of Zion" symbolizes the protective walls of the city that have been breached and destroyed, leaving the inhabitants vulnerable and exposed. The plea for tears to flow like a river day and night reflects the depth of sorrow and mourning that has consumed the people. The desperate plea to "give thyself no rest" and to not let "the apple of thine eye cease" emphasizes the urgency and intensity of the suffering, as the people implore God to intervene and alleviate their distress.
The verse also conveys a profound sense of abandonment and desolation. The image of tears flowing like a river conveys the constant and unrelenting nature of the people's sorrow, while the plea for God to "give thyself no rest" conveys the desperate longing for divine intervention in the midst of seemingly endless suffering. The reference to the "apple of thine eye" symbolizes the preciousness and significance of the people of Zion to God, as well as the depth of their anguish and the urgency of their need for God's compassion and mercy.
The context of Lamentations 2:18 is the aftermath of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Israelites. The book of Lamentations is set against the backdrop of the destruction of the city and the devastation of the Temple, as well as the exile of the people to Babylon. The poems in Lamentations express the profound grief and anguish of the Israelites as they grapple with the loss of their homeland, the destruction of their sacred sites, and the suffering of their people.
The symbolism in Lamentations 2:18 reflects the profound emotional and spiritual turmoil experienced by the Israelites in the aftermath of the Babylonian conquest. The reference to tears flowing like a river day and night symbolizes the unrelenting nature of the people's sorrow, while the plea for God to "give thyself no rest" reflects the intensity of their longing for divine comfort and intervention. The reference to the "wall of the daughter of Zion" and the plea for the "apple of thine eye" to not cease underscores the profound sense of vulnerability and abandonment felt by the people, as well as their desperate plea for God's mercy and compassion in the face of overwhelming suffering.
In conclusion, Lamentations 2:18 is a poignant representation of the deep grief and anguish experienced by the people of Zion in the aftermath of the Babylonian conquest. The verse conveys a profound sense of despair and desperation, as the Israelites cry out to God for mercy and comfort in the face of overwhelming suffering. The symbolism and imagery in the verse serve to underscore the intensity of the people's anguish and their desperate longing for divine intervention and solace. It is a powerful expression of the human experience of suffering and the enduring hope for divine compassion and restoration.
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Lamentations 2:18 Artwork
Lamentations 2:18 - "Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease."
Lamentations 2:18-19 - "The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner."
"Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease." - Lamentations 2:18
"The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner." - Lamentations 2:18-19
Matthew 2:18 - "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."
Lamentations 3:1-18
Lamentations 5:18 - "Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it."
Lamentations 3:18 - "And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:"
Lamentations 2:1
Lamentations 2:1
Lamentations 2:1
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 4:18 - "They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come."
"In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." - Matthew 2:18
"Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it." - Lamentations 5:18
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."
"And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:" - Lamentations 3:18
Lamentations 1:18 - "¶ The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity."
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:"
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."
"He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light." - Lamentations 3:2