Lamentations 4:15
New International Version
“Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them. “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!” When they flee and wander about, people among the nations say, “They can stay here no longer.”

New Living Translation
“Get away!” the people shouted at them. “You’re defiled! Don’t touch us!” So they fled to distant lands and wandered among foreign nations, but none would let them stay.

English Standard Version
“Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.”

King James Bible
They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

New King James Version
They cried out to them, “Go away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!” When they fled and wandered, Those among the nations said, “They shall no longer dwell here.

New American Standard Bible
“Keep away! Unclean!” they cried out of themselves. “Keep away, keep away, do not touch!” For they distanced themselves as well as wandered; People among the nations said, “They shall not continue to reside with us.

NASB 1995
“Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.”

NASB 1977
“Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to sojourn with us.”

Amplified Bible
People cried to them, “Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Do not touch!” So they fled, then they wandered [as fugitives]; People among the nations said, “They shall not stay here any longer with us.”

Christian Standard Bible
“Stay away! Unclean! ” people shouted at them. “Away, away! Don’t touch us! ” So they wandered aimlessly. It was said among the nations, “They can stay here no longer.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Stay away! Unclean!” people shouted at them.” Away, away! Don’t touch us!” So they wandered aimlessly. It was said among the nations,” They can stay here no longer.”

American Standard Version
Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Samekh Separate from them and call them defiled. Depart and do not touch them, because they have provoked anger also, and they are afflicted. Among the nations they said: "They will not continue to dwell anymore"

Brenton Septuagint Translation
SAMECH. Depart ye from the unclean ones: call ye them: depart, depart, touch them not: for they are on fire, yea, they stagger: say ye among the nations, They shall no more sojourn there.

Contemporary English Version
Instead, everyone shouted, "Go away! Don't touch us! You're filthy and unfit to belong to God's people!" So they had to leave and become refugees. But foreign nations told them, "You can't stay here!"

Douay-Rheims Bible
Samech. Depart you that are defiled, they cried out to them: Depart, get ye hence, touch not: for they quarrelled, and being removed, they said among the Gentiles: He will no more dwell among them.

English Revised Version
Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
'Get away! You're unclean,' people yelled at them. 'Get away! Get away! Don't touch anyone.' When they fled and wandered around, the people of the nations said, 'They can't stay here any longer.'

Good News Translation
"Get away!" people shouted. "You're defiled! Don't touch me!" So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

International Standard Version
"Go away! Unclean!" they shouted at them. "Go away! Go away! Don't touch!" When they fled away and wandered, those among the nations decreed, "They cannot live here!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Depart ye! unclean!' men cried unto them, 'Depart, depart, touch not'; Yea, they fled away and wandered; Men said among the nations: 'They shall no more sojourn here.'

Literal Standard Version
“Turn aside—unclean,” they called to them, | “Turn aside, turn aside, do not touch,” | For they fled—indeed, they have wandered, | They have said among nations: “They do not add to sojourn.”

Majority Standard Bible
“Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.”

New American Bible
“Go away! Unclean!” they cried to them, “Away, away, do not touch!” If they went away and wandered, it would be said among the nations, “They can no longer live here!

NET Bible
People cry to them, "Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn away! Don't touch us!" So they have fled and wander about; but the nations say, "They may not stay here any longer."

New Revised Standard Version
“Away! Unclean!” people shouted at them; “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; it was said among the nations, “They shall stay here no longer.”

New Heart English Bible
"Go away." they cried to them, "Unclean. Away, away. Do not touch." When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, "They shall not live here anymore."

Webster's Bible Translation
They cried to them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

World English Bible
“Go away!” they cried to them. “Unclean! Go away! Go away! Don’t touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, “They can’t live here any more.”

Young's Literal Translation
'Turn aside -- unclean,' they called to them, 'Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled -- yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: 'They do not add to sojourn.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Distress of Zion
14They wandered blind in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments. 15“Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.” 16The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor.…

Cross References
Leviticus 13:45
A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!'

Leviticus 13:46
As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

Jeremiah 49:5
Behold, I am about to bring terror upon you, declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, from all those around you. You will each be driven headlong, with no one to regather the fugitives.


Treasury of Scripture

They cried to them, Depart you; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

no reference

Jump to Previous
Ace Continue Cried Crying Depart Dwell Fled Flee Flight Fugitives Further Heathen Longer Nations Resting-Place Sojourn Themselves Touch Touching Turn Unclean Wander Wandered Wanderers Wandering
Jump to Next
Ace Continue Cried Crying Depart Dwell Fled Flee Flight Fugitives Further Heathen Longer Nations Resting-Place Sojourn Themselves Touch Touching Turn Unclean Wander Wandered Wanderers Wandering
Lamentations 4
1. Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13. She confesses her sins
21. Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.














(15) They cried unto them--i.e., these, as they passed, cried to the blood-stained priests. The cry "unclean" was that uttered by the leper as a warning to those he met (Leviticus 13:45). Here it comes from those whom they meet, and who start back in their fear of defilement.

When they fled away.--The words seem to refer to some lost facts, like those suggested by Lamentations 4:14 : the murderers fleeing from their own countrymen, and finding themselves equally abhorred among the heathen.

Verse 15. - They cried unto them, etc. As they leave the city they are pursued by the maledictions of those whom they have oppressed. It is unclean. The cry with which the leper was directed to warn off passengers, lest they should become infected (Leviticus 13:45). There may be an allusion to this, but, though commonly accepted, the view is not certain, as the" leper" in the present case is not the person who raises the cry, but those who meet him. When they fled away and wandered. The clause is difficult. If the text is correct, Keil's explanation may perhaps pass, "When they fled away, (there) also they wandered," alluding to the "wandering" ascribed to them with a somewhat different shade of meaning in the preceding verso. In any case there ought to be a fuller stop than a comma after "touch not," which words close the first of the two parallel lines of which the verse consists. But very probably "when" (Hebrew, ki) is an intrusion, and we should begin the second line thus: "They fled, they also wandered about." They said among the heathen, etc. Even in their place of exile they found no rest (comp. Deuteronomy 28:65). This is better than understanding "the heathen" (literally, the nations) to mean "the Chaldean army," and the place of sojourn prohibited to be Jerusalem.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Go away!
ס֣וּרוּ (sū·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

Unclean!”
טָמֵ֞א (ṭā·mê)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2931: Unclean

men shouted at them.
קָ֣רְאוּ (qā·rə·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

“Away,
ס֤וּרוּ (sū·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

away!
ס֙וּרוּ֙ (sū·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

touch us!”
תִּגָּ֔עוּ (tig·gā·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike

So
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they fled
נָצ֖וּ (nā·ṣū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5132: To flash, to blossom, to fly away

and
גַּם־ (gam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

wandered.
נָ֑עוּ (nā·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5128: To quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter

Among the nations
בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם (bag·gō·w·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

it was said,
אָֽמְרוּ֙ (’ā·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“They can stay
לָגֽוּר׃ (lā·ḡūr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1481: To turn aside from the road, sojourn, to shrink, fear, to gather for, hostility

here no
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

longer.”
יוֹסִ֖יפוּ (yō·w·sî·p̄ū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3254: To add, augment


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:15 Depart you they cried to them Unclean! (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 4:14
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