Lamentations 1:18

Verse

The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against His command. Listen, all you people; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into captivity.

American Standard Version (1901)

Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

Bible in Basic English

The Lord is upright; for I have gone against his orders: give ear, now, all you peoples, and see my pain, my virgins and my young men have gone away as prisoners.

Douay-Rheims 1899

Sade. The Lord is just, for I have provoked his mouth to wrath: hear, I pray you, all ye people, and see my sorrow: my virgins, and my young men are gone into captivity.

Free Bible Version

“The Lord has done what's right, because I rebelled against his instructions. Listen, everyone everywhere; look at what I'm suffering. My young women and young men have been taken off into captivity.

Geneva Bible 1599

The Lord is righteous: for I haue rebelled against his commandement: heare, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorowe: my virgins and my yong men are gone into captiuitie.

King James (Authorized) Version

¶ 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.

Translation for Translators

But what Yahweh has done to us is fair, because we have rebelled against obeying the commands that he gave us. You people everywhere, listen to us; look and see that we are suffering greatly. We had many sons and daughters, but they have been captured and forced to go to distant countries.

Unlocked Literal Bible

Yahweh is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment. Hear, all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my vigorous men have gone into captivity.

Noah Webster Bible

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.

World English Bible

“Yahweh is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please hear all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

Young's Literal Translation

Righteous is Jehovah, For His mouth I have provoked. Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and see my pain, My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

Context

How Lonely Lies the City!

¹⁷Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has decreed against Jacob that his neighbors become his foes. Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them. ¹⁸The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against His command. Listen, all you people; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into captivity.

Sermons

(Through the Bible) Jeremiah 28-30

Chuck Smith

1.4K

Commentary Notes - Lamentations

Walter Beuttler

Summary

This verse reflects the deep sorrow and anguish of the author, likely Jeremiah, as he witnesses the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people. The speaker acknowledges that the Lord is righteous in allowing such calamity to befall them due to their rebellion and sin. Despite the devastation, there is a plea for God to see the distress of His people and to intervene with compassion. The verse captures the raw emotions of grief, repentance, and a cry for divine mercy in the midst of overwhelming despair.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

The sure sign of repentance; justifying God, condemning herself (Neh 9:33; Psa 51:4; Dan 9:7-14). his commandment--literally, "mouth"; His word in the mouth of the prophets.

John Gill Bible Commentary

The Lord is righteous,.... Or, "righteous is he the Lord" (g); in all these dispensations of his providence, how afflictive and severe soever they may seem to be; however the enemies of the church and people of God might transgress just bounds, and act the cruel and unrighteous part; yet good men will always own that God is righteous in all his ways, and that there is no unrighteousness in him; though they sometimes know not how to reconcile his providences to his promises, and especially to his declared love and affection to them; see Jer 12:1; the reason, clearing God of all injustice, follows: for I have rebelled against his commandment; or, "his mouth" (h): the word of his mouth, which he delivered by word of mouth at Mount Sinai, or by his prophets since; and therefore was righteously dealt with, and justly chastised. The Targum makes these to be the words of Josiah before his death, owning he had done wrong in going out against Pharaohnecho, contrary to the word of the Lord; and the next clause to be the lamentation of Jeremiah upon his death: though they are manifestly the words of Jerusalem or Zion, whom the prophet personates, saying, hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow; directing herself to all compassionate persons, to hearken and attend to her mournful complaint, and to consider her sorrow, the nature and cause of it, and look upon her with an eye of pity in her sorrowful circumstances: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity; in Babylon; being taken and carried thither by the Chaldeans; had it been only her ancient men and women, persons worn out with age, that could have been of little use, and at most but of a short continuance, the affliction had not been so great; but her virgins and young men, the flower of the nation, and by whom it might have been supported and increased; for these to be carried away into a strange land must be matter of grief and sorrow. (g) "justus ipse est Jehovah", Cocceius. (h) "ori ejus", Pagninus, Montanus; Piscator, Cocceius.