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Lamentations 1:4

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Lamentations 1:4 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.

King James Version KJV

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

American Standard Version ASV

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Bible in Basic English BBE

The ways of Zion are sad, because no one comes to the holy meeting; all her doorways are made waste, her priests are breathing out sorrow: her virgins are troubled, and it is bitter for her.

Free Bible Version FBV

Even the roads to Zion are in mourning because no one travels on them to go to the religious festivals. All her gates are empty. Her priests groan in sadness. Her girls are suffering. She herself is in bitter distress.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

The wayes of Zion lament, because no man commeth to the solemne feastes: all her gates are desolate: her Priests sigh: her virgins are discomfited, and she is in heauinesse.

Young's Literal Translation YLT

The ways of Zion are mourning, Without any coming at the appointed time, All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted — and she hath bitterness.

World English Bible WEB

The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly. All her gates are desolate. Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Noah Webster Bible WBS

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

Daleth. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast: all her gates are broken down: her priests sigh: her virgins are in affliction, and she is oppressed with bitterness.

Translation for Translators T4T

The roads to Zion Hill are empty [PRS] because no one comes here to celebrate the sacred festivals. The city gates are deserted, and the priests groan. The young women of Jerusalem cry because they are suffering greatly.

Study Highlights

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Berean Amplified Bible — Lamentations 1:4

BAB
Word Study

Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.

Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.

Lamentations 1:4 Interlinear (Deep Study)

BIB
HEB דַּרְכֵ֨י צִיּ֜וֹן אֲבֵל֗וֹת מִ/בְּלִי֙ בָּאֵ֣י מוֹעֵ֔ד כָּל שְׁעָרֶ֨י/הָ֙ שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין כֹּהֲנֶ֖י/הָ נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥י/הָ נּוּג֖וֹת וְ/הִ֥יא מַר לָֽ/הּ
דַּרְכֵ֨י derek H1870 way N-cp
צִיּ֜וֹן Tsîyôwn H6726 Zion N-proper
אֲבֵל֗וֹת ʼâbêl H57 mourning Adj
מִ/בְּלִי֙ bᵉlîy H1097 without Prep | N-ms
בָּאֵ֣י bôwʼ H935 Lebo V-Qal
מוֹעֵ֔ד môwʻêd H4150 meeting N-ms
כָּל kôl H3605 all N-ms
שְׁעָרֶ֨י/הָ֙ shaʻar H8179 gate N-mp | Suff
שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין shâmêm H8074 be desolate V-Qal
כֹּהֲנֶ֖י/הָ kôhên H3548 priest N-mp | Suff
נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים ʼânach H584 to sigh V-Niphal-Inf-c
בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥י/הָ bᵉthûwlâh H1330 virgin N-fp | Suff
נּוּג֖וֹת yâgâh H3013 to suffer V-Niphal-Inf-c
וְ/הִ֥יא hûwʼ H1931 he/she/it Conj | Pron
מַר mar H4751 bitter V-Qal-Perf-3ms
לָֽ/הּ Prep | Suff
Hebrew Word Study

Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.

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Hebrew Word Reference — Lamentations 1:4

דַּרְכֵ֨י derek H1870 "way" N-cp
Derek refers to a road or path, and can also mean a way of life or manner of action. It is often used to describe a journey or direction, and can be used figuratively to describe a person's character or moral path.
Definition: : road/route 1) way, road, distance, journey, manner 1a) road, way, path 1b) journey 1c) direction 1d) manner, habit, way 1e) of course of life (fig.) 1f) of moral character (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 626 OT verses. KJV: along, away, because of, [phrase] by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever). See also: Genesis 3:24; Deuteronomy 28:29; 1 Kings 15:34.
צִיּ֜וֹן Tsîyôwn H6726 "Zion" N-proper
Zion refers to a mountain in Jerusalem, often used as another name for the city, especially in prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Definition: Zion = "parched place" another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Usage: Occurs in 153 OT verses. KJV: Zion. See also: 2 Samuel 5:7; Isaiah 49:14; Psalms 2:6.
אֲבֵל֗וֹת ʼâbêl H57 "mourning" Adj
This Hebrew word means mourning or lamenting, often for the dead or because of a disaster. It appears in the Bible as a time of sorrow. In the KJV, it is translated as mourn or mourner.
Definition: 1) mourning 1a) for the dead 1b) because of calamity 1c) of rites of mourning 2) mourner (subst.) 2a) for the dead 2b) for calamity
Usage: Occurs in 8 OT verses. KJV: mourn(-er, -ing). See also: Genesis 37:35; Isaiah 57:18; Psalms 35:14.
מִ/בְּלִי֙ bᵉlîy H1097 "without" Prep | N-ms
This word means without or nothing, often used for negation. It appears in various forms, such as without or not yet, in the Old Testament.
Definition: subst 1) wearing out adv of negation 2) without, no, not
Usage: Occurs in 57 OT verses. KJV: corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without. See also: Genesis 31:20; Job 38:41; Psalms 19:4.
בָּאֵ֣י bôwʼ H935 "Lebo" V-Qal
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Definition: A shortened name of Lebo Hamath complined withcha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574) This name means to go in, enter
Usage: Occurs in 2307 OT verses. KJV: abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. See also: Genesis 2:19; Genesis 32:7; Exodus 1:19.
מוֹעֵ֔ד môwʻêd H4150 "meeting" N-ms
This Hebrew word refers to a meeting or appointed time, often for a sacred season or festival, like the tent of meeting in Exodus. It can also mean an assembly or congregation. In the Bible, it is used to describe the Israelites' gatherings and celebrations.
Definition: : meeting 1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting 1a) appointed time 1a1) appointed time (general) 1a2) sacred season, set feast, appointed season 1b) appointed meeting 1c) appointed place 1d) appointed sign or signal 1e) tent of meeting
Usage: Occurs in 213 OT verses. KJV: appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn(-ity), synogogue, (set) time (appointed). See also: Genesis 1:14; Numbers 4:31; Psalms 74:4.
כָּל kôl H3605 "all" N-ms
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Definition: 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Usage: Occurs in 4242 OT verses. KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever). See also: Genesis 1:21; Genesis 17:10; Genesis 41:40.
שְׁעָרֶ֨י/הָ֙ shaʻar H8179 "gate" N-mp | Suff
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means a gate or door, often referring to city entrances or temple doors, like in Genesis and Exodus. It can also symbolize a meeting place or marketplace. The word is used to describe important locations in the Bible.
Definition: : gate 1) gate 1a) gate (of entrance) 1b) gate (of space inside gate, i.e. marketplace, public meeting place) 1b1) city, town 1c) gate (of palace, royal castle, temple, court of tabernacle) 1d) heaven
Usage: Occurs in 302 OT verses. KJV: city, door, gate, port ([idiom] -er). See also: Genesis 19:1; 1 Chronicles 9:18; Psalms 9:14.
שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין shâmêm H8074 "be desolate" V-Qal
The word 'shamem' means to be desolate or devastated, like a place left empty and destroyed, often used to describe the aftermath of war or disaster.
Definition: : destroyed/deserted 1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled 1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be desolated, be made desolate 1b2) to be appalled 1c) (Polel) 1c1) to be stunned 1c2) appalling, causing horror (participle) 1c2a) horror-causer, appaller (subst) 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to devastate, ravage, make desolated 1d2) to appal, show horror 1e) (Hophal) to lay desolate, be desolated 1f) (Hithpolel) 1f1) to cause to be desolate 1f2) to be appalled, be astounded 1f3) to cause oneself desolation, cause oneself ruin
Usage: Occurs in 80 OT verses. KJV: make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder. See also: Leviticus 26:22; Jeremiah 50:13; Psalms 40:16.
כֹּהֲנֶ֖י/הָ kôhên H3548 "priest" N-mp | Suff
In the Bible, a priest is a person who serves God and leads others in worship, like the Levitical priests in Exodus. They were responsible for making sacrifices and following God's laws. This term is also used to describe Jesus as a priest-king.
Definition: 1) priest, principal officer or chief ruler 1a) priest-king (Melchizedek, Messiah) 1b) pagan priests 1c) priests of Jehovah 1d) Levitical priests 1e) Zadokite priests 1f) Aaronic priests 1g) the high priest Aramaic equivalent: ka.hen (כָּהֵן "priest" H3549)
Usage: Occurs in 653 OT verses. KJV: chief ruler, [idiom] own, priest, prince, principal officer. See also: Genesis 14:18; Leviticus 13:33; Numbers 17:2.
נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים ʼânach H584 "to sigh" V-Niphal-Inf-c
To sigh means to groan or mourn in pain or grief, like an animal moaning, and is used to express deep emotional distress in the Bible.
Definition: 1) (Niphal) sigh, groan (in pain or grief), gasp 1a) moan (of cattle)
Usage: Occurs in 11 OT verses. KJV: groan, mourn, sigh. See also: Exodus 2:23; Lamentations 1:11; Proverbs 29:2.
בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥י/הָ bᵉthûwlâh H1330 "virgin" N-fp | Suff
A virgin, or bride, is described by this word, emphasizing her private and untouched state, as seen in the stories of Genesis and Esther.
Definition: virgin
Usage: Occurs in 50 OT verses. KJV: maid, virgin. See also: Genesis 24:16; Isaiah 23:12; Psalms 45:15.
נּוּג֖וֹת yâgâh H3013 "to suffer" V-Niphal-Inf-c
This Hebrew word means to cause or feel grief, as seen in the Bible when people suffer or are afflicted, like in the book of Jeremiah.
Definition: 1) to afflict, grieve, suffer, cause grief 1a) (Niphal) grieved, grieving (participle) 1b) (Piel) to grieve 1c) (Hiphil) to cause grief, cause sorrow
Usage: Occurs in 8 OT verses. KJV: afflict, cause grief, grieve, sorrowful, vex. See also: Job 19:2; Lamentations 1:12; Isaiah 51:23.
וְ/הִ֥יא hûwʼ H1931 "he/she/it" Conj | Pron
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Definition: pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)
Usage: Occurs in 1693 OT verses. KJV: he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who. See also: Genesis 2:11; Genesis 32:19; Exodus 21:3.
מַר mar H4751 "bitter" V-Qal-Perf-3ms
Mar means bitter, describing something that tastes bad or is unpleasant. It can also describe emotional pain or discontent, like being angry or chafed.
Definition: adj 1) bitter, bitterness 1a) of water or food 1b) of harlot's end, end of wickedness, cry (fig.) 1c) of pain (subst) adv 2) bitterly
Usage: Occurs in 36 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, [idiom] great, heavy. See also: Genesis 27:34; Psalms 64:4; Proverbs 5:4.
לָֽ/הּ "" Prep | Suff

Study Notes — Lamentations 1:4

Show Verse Quote Highlights

Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1 Jeremiah 9:11 “And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
2 Joel 1:8–13 Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth. Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails. Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple— all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up. Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
3 Jeremiah 10:22 Listen! The sound of a report is coming— a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals.
4 Jeremiah 14:2 “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
5 Isaiah 24:4–6 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away. The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.
6 Lamentations 2:6–7 He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and priest. The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.
7 Lamentations 2:9–11 Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD. The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. My eyes fail from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief over the destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.
8 Isaiah 32:9–14 Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters. In a little more than a year you will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and the fruit harvest will not arrive. Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists. Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines, and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry. For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever— the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—
9 Lamentations 5:13 Young men toil at millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood.
10 Lamentations 1:18–20 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. I called out to my lovers, but they have betrayed me. My priests and elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive. See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am churning within; my heart is pounding within me, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is death.

Lamentations 1:4 Summary

This verse is talking about how the city of Zion, which is another name for Jerusalem, is feeling very sad and empty because no one is coming to visit or worship there. The roads that lead to the city are empty, and the people who used to serve in the temple are now feeling sad and grieving. This is happening because the people have turned away from God and are experiencing the consequences of their sins, as seen in verses like Jeremiah 25:4-7. It's a reminder that when we turn away from God, we can expect to feel empty and sad, but when we turn back to Him, we can experience restoration and joy, as promised in Psalm 51:12.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean for the roads to Zion to mourn?

The roads to Zion mourning means that the paths that lead to the place of worship and celebration are now empty and sorrowful, a reflection of the people's spiritual state, as seen in Lamentations 1:4 and supported by the idea of God's people being called to gather for worship in Leviticus 23:2-4.

Why are the priests and maidens of Zion groaning and grieving?

The priests and maidens are groaning and grieving because they are feeling the weight of the spiritual decay and the loss of their roles in the community, as the temple and its services have been disrupted, much like the prophet Jeremiah lamented in Jeremiah 9:1.

What is the significance of Zion being bitter with anguish?

Zion being bitter with anguish signifies the depth of her sorrow and pain, as she is experiencing the consequences of her sins and the loss of her people, as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28:15 and fulfilled in Lamentations 1:4.

How does this verse relate to the idea of God's judgment?

This verse relates to the idea of God's judgment as it shows the consequences of sin and rebellion against God, as stated in Isaiah 1:4-9, where God's people are called to repentance and restoration.

Reflection Questions

  1. What are some ways that I can apply the idea of mourning and lamenting over spiritual decay in my own life?
  2. How can I, like the priests and maidens of Zion, use my role in the community to bring comfort and restoration to those around me?
  3. What are some ways that I can prioritize the appointed feasts and gatherings in my own life, and use them as opportunities for worship and celebration?
  4. In what ways can I, like Zion, acknowledge and repent of my own sins and the sins of my community, and seek restoration and healing from God?

Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 1:4

The ways of Zion do mourn,.... Being unoccupied, as in Jude 5:6; or unfrequented: this is said by a rhetorical figure; as ways may be said to rejoice, or look pleasant and cheerful, when there are

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 1:4

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 1:4

The ways that lead to the temple have as unlovely a complexion as mourners, being overgrown, by reason that none goeth up as usually to the feasts of the passover, of tabernacles, &c. Either all the gates of Jerusalem, or the temple, or all her cities, are very thin of people, the places that use to be so full. Her priests that were wont to be so fully employed at festivals receiving the people’ s oblations, and offering sacrifices, they mourn, having now nothing to do. The virgins who in those feasts were wont to play with timbrels, , they now mourn, and persons of all ages and ranks are in bitterness.

Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 1:4

Lamentations 1:4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she [is] in bitterness.Ver. 4. The ways of Zion do mourn.] So they seem to do because unfrequented, overgrown with grass, and out of their kindly order. Her priests sigh.] For want of employment. The virgins were afflicted.] Or, Discomfited. Those that are usually set upon the merry pin, and were wont to make mirth at those festivities, And she is in bitterness.] Zion is; but for nothing so much as for the decay of religion, and the loss of holy exercises. When this befalleth, all things else are mere Ichabods to good people, See Zephaniah 3:18. Cultus Dei desertus est, et omnia luctifica. - Jun.

Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 1:4

(4) The ways of Zion do mourn.—The words paint what we may call the religious desolation of Jerusalem. The roads leading to it, the “gates” by which it was entered, were no longer thronged with pilgrims and worshippers. “Virgins” are joined with “priests” as taking part in the hymns and rejoicing processions of the great festivals (Exodus 15:20; Psalms 68:25; Judges 21:19-21; Jeremiah 31:13).

Adam Clarke's Commentary on Lamentations 1:4

Verse 4. The ways of Zion do mourn] A fine prosopopoeia. The ways in which the people trod coming to the sacred solemnities, being now no longer frequented, are represented as shedding tears; and the gates themselves partake of the general distress. All poets of eminence among the Greeks and Romans have recourse to this image. So Moschus, in his Epitaph on Bion, ver. 1-3: - Αιλιναμοιστροναχειτεναπαι, καιΔωριονὑδωρ ΚαιποταμοικλαιοιτετονἱμεροενταΒιωνα. Νυνφυταμοιμυρεσθε, καιαλσεανυνγοαοισθε, κ. τ. λ. "Ye winds, with grief your waving summits bow, Ye Dorian fountains, murmur as ye flow; From weeping urns your copious sorrows shed, And bid the rivers mourn for Bion dead. Ye shady groves, in robes of sable hue, Bewail, ye plants, in pearly drops of dew; Ye drooping flowers, diffuse a languid breath, And die with sorrow, at sweet Bion's death." FAWKES. So Virgil, AEn. vii., ver. 759: - Te nemus Anguitiae, vitrea te Fucinus unda Te liquidi flevere lacus. "For thee, wide echoing, sighed th' Anguitian woods; For thee, in murmurs, wept thy native floods." And more particularly on the death of Daphnis, Eclog. v. ver. 24: - Non ulli pastos illis egere diebus Frigida, Daphni, boves ad flumina: nulla neque amnem Libavit quadrupes, nec graminis attigit herbam. Daphni, tuum Poenos etiam ingemuisse leones Interitum, montesque feri, sylvaeque loquuntur. "The swains forgot their sheep, nor near the brink Of running waters brought their herds to drink: The thirsty cattle of themselves abstained From water, and their grassy fare disdained. The death of Daphnis woods and hills deplore; The Libyan lions hear, and hearing roar." DRYDEN.

Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 1:4

4. The ways of Zion do mourn] The approaches to Jerusalem are meant. They are desolate, without the usual throng of those coming up to the feasts. For the thought of inanimate objects as sympathising with human affairs cp. “Call it not vain—they do not err, Who say, that, when the Poet dies, Mute Nature mourns her worshipper, And celebrates his obsequies.” Lay of the Last Minstrel, Canto V. All her gates are desolate] See on Jeremiah 14:2. her priests do sigh] in the absence of sacrifices, their livelihood has disappeared. Her virgins are afflicted] They are mentioned as taking part in religious ceremonies. See Exodus 15:20; Judges 21:21; Psalms 68:25; Jeremiah 31:13. It is clear from this passage that when the poem was written, there was no attempt at worship on the Temple site, though it may have continued for a while after the destruction of the city (see on Jeremiah 41:5).

Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 1:4

Zion, as the holy city, is the symbol of the religious life of the people, just as Judah in the previous verse represents their national life.

Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 1:4

4. Ways of Zion — That is, the roads and highways leading to Zion. Do mourn — Because they are no longer trodden by the pilgrims going up to the solemn feasts, the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles.

Sermons on Lamentations 1:4

SermonDescription
Samuel Rutherford X. to Lady Kenmure, on the Death of Her Husband by Samuel Rutherford Samuel Rutherford delivers a heartfelt sermon to a grieving widow, encouraging her to find comfort in God during the loss of her husband. He reminds her that God sees her sorrow an
Richard Owen Roberts God's Holiness - Part 4 by Richard Owen Roberts In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of holiness and the hatred of sin in the eyes of God. He quotes various Bible verses to support his message, including Luke 1
Leonard Ravenhill John 7:37 by Leonard Ravenhill In this sermon, the speaker discusses a period of 400 years of darkness and stillness without any prophetic voice. Suddenly, a man appears in the wilderness, wearing a piece of old
Don Courville On Eagles' Wings Pt 113 by Don Courville In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant and warning others about the corruption of the word of God. He highlights the need for accurate translati
Nancy Leigh DeMoss Call for the Wailing Women - Part 1 by Nancy Leigh DeMoss This sermon emphasizes the urgency of recognizing the spiritual danger we are in and the need for repentance and turning back to God. It draws parallels between the moral decline i
Aaron Hurst Ephraim Is a Cake Not Turned by Aaron Hurst In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of surrendering everything to God and not holding back. He urges the audience to examine their lives and identify any "stuff"
Horatius Bonar Are We Christians? or Are We Worldlings? by Horatius Bonar In this sermon, the preacher addresses the issue of Christians becoming too comfortable and indulgent in the world. He emphasizes the need for self-denial and separation from world
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