Lamentations 4:12
New International Version
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

New Living Translation
Not a king in all the earth— no one in all the world— would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem.

English Standard Version
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

Berean Standard Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

King James Bible
The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

New King James Version
The kings of the earth, And all inhabitants of the world, Would not have believed That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem—

New American Standard Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

NASB 1995
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

NASB 1977
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

Legacy Standard Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

Amplified Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the earth, That the adversary (oppressor) and enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

Christian Standard Bible
The kings of the earth and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The kings of the earth and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates.

American Standard Version
The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Lamed The Kings of the Earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that the enemy and the oppressor comes and enters the gates of Jerusalem

Brenton Septuagint Translation
LAMED. The kings of the earth, even all that dwell in the world, believed not that an enemy and oppressor would enter through the gates of Jerusalem.

Contemporary English Version
Not a king on this earth or the people of any nation believed enemies could break through her gates.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Lamed. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed, that the adversary and the enemy should enter in by the gates of Jerusalem.

English Revised Version
The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, that the adversary and the enemy should enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Neither the kings of the earth nor anyone living on earth could believe that enemies or invaders would ever get through the gates of Jerusalem.

Good News Translation
No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations, believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

International Standard Version
None of the kings of the earth would have believed, nor the world's inhabitants, that the adversary and the enemy could have breached the gates of Jerusalem.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The kings of the earth believed not, Neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter Into the gates of Jerusalem.

Literal Standard Version
The kings of earth did not believe, | And any of the inhabitants of the world, | That an adversary and enemy would come | Into the gates of Jerusalem.

Majority Standard Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

New American Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the world’s inhabitants, That foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

NET Bible
Neither the kings of the earth nor the people of the lands ever thought that enemy or foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

New Revised Standard Version
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

New Heart English Bible
The kings of the earth did not believe, neither all the inhabitants of the world, that the adversary or the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

Webster's Bible Translation
The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

World English Bible
The kings of the earth didn’t believe, neither did all the inhabitants of the world, that the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

Young's Literal Translation
Believe not did the kings of earth, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That come would an adversary and enemy Into the gates of Jerusalem.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Distress of Zion
11The LORD has exhausted His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations. 12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem. 13But this was for the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 29:24
So all the nations will ask, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?'

Jeremiah 21:13
Behold, I am against you who dwell above the valley, atop the rocky plateau--declares the LORD--you who say, "Who can come against us? Who can enter our dwellings?"


Treasury of Scripture

The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

Deuteronomy 29:24-28
Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? …

1 Kings 9:8,9
And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? …

Psalm 48:4-6
For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together…

Jump to Previous
Adversary Attackers Believe Believed Doors Earth Enemies Enemy Enter Entered Foe Foes Gates Haters Inhabitants Jerusalem Kings Possible Seem World World's
Jump to Next
Adversary Attackers Believe Believed Doors Earth Enemies Enemy Enter Entered Foe Foes Gates Haters Inhabitants Jerusalem Kings Possible Seem World World's
Lamentations 4
1. Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13. She confesses her sins
21. Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.














(12) Would not have believed.--In. looking to the fact that Jerusalem had been taken by Shishak (1Kings 14:26), Joash (2Kings 14:13), the statement seems at first hyperbolical. It has to be remembered, however, that since the latter of these two the city had been strongly fortified by Uzziah, Hezekiah, and Manasseh, and the failure of Sennacherib's attempt had probably led to the impression that it was impregnable.

Verse 12. - The kings of the earth, etc. And yet Jerusalem had been taken twice before its capture by Nebuchadnezzar (see 1 Kings 14:26; 2 Kings 14:131. How is the language of the second part to be accounted for? It will help us to an answer if we observe that the later Jews seem to have acquired an exorbitant confidence in their national future ever since the Book of Deuteronomy had become as it were canonical in the reign of Josiah. "The temple of Jehovah" was ever in their mouths (Jeremiah 7:9), and the strong outward regard paid to the directions of the Law seemed to them to justify their believing in the fulfilment of its promises. And, in fact, the grand deliverance of Jerusalem in the reign of Hezekiah might, even without this misunderstanding of Deuteronomy, have inspired a firm faith in the security of Jerusalem. A sacred poet had already, on the occasion of that deliverance, declared of the holy city that "God upholdeth the same forever" (Psalm 48:8), and also (in vers. 4, 5) used the same hyperbole as the author of this lamentation to express the wide reaching interest felt in the fortunes of Jerusalem.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The kings
מַלְכֵי־ (mal·ḵê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of the earth
אֶ֔רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

did not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

believe,
הֶאֱמִ֙ינוּ֙ (he·’ĕ·mî·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 539: To confirm, support

nor any
כֹּ֖ל (kōl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

people
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י (yō·šə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

of the world,
תֵבֵ֑ל (ṯê·ḇêl)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8398: The earth, the globe, its inhabitants, a particular land

that
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

an enemy
צַ֣ר (ṣar)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6862: Narrow, a tight place, a pebble, an opponent

or a foe
וְאוֹיֵ֔ב (wə·’ō·w·yêḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary

could enter
יָבֹא֙ (yā·ḇō)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

the gates
בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֖י (bə·ša·‘ă·rê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

of Jerusalem.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel


Links
Lamentations 4:12 NIV
Lamentations 4:12 NLT
Lamentations 4:12 ESV
Lamentations 4:12 NASB
Lamentations 4:12 KJV

Lamentations 4:12 BibleApps.com
Lamentations 4:12 Biblia Paralela
Lamentations 4:12 Chinese Bible
Lamentations 4:12 French Bible
Lamentations 4:12 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:12 The kings of the earth didn't believe (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 4:11
Top of Page
Top of Page