◄ Lamentations 4:22 ►
O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.
Study Bible
O Daughter of Zion
This phrase refers to the people of Jerusalem, often personified as a daughter in the Hebrew Scriptures. The term "Zion" is a poetic synonym for Jerusalem, the city of David, and the spiritual heart of Israel. In Hebrew, "bat Tzion" (בַּת צִיּוֹן) conveys a sense of endearment and familial connection, emphasizing God's covenant relationship with His people. Historically, Zion represents the place where God dwells among His people, and this phrase reassures the Israelites of their special status and the eventual end of their suffering.

your punishment will be completed
The Hebrew word for "punishment" here is "עֲוֹנֵךְ" (avonek), which can also mean iniquity or guilt. The completion of punishment signifies the end of divine discipline. In the context of Lamentations, this is a message of hope, indicating that the period of suffering and exile is not indefinite. It reflects God's justice and mercy, as He does not punish beyond what is necessary for correction and restoration.

He will not prolong your exile
The term "exile" refers to the Babylonian captivity, a period of profound loss and dislocation for the Israelites. The Hebrew root "גָּלָה" (galah) means to uncover or reveal, often used to describe the act of being taken away from one's homeland. This promise of a finite exile underscores God's faithfulness to His covenant and His ultimate plan for redemption and restoration. It reassures the Israelites that their return to their homeland is assured by divine decree.

But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom
Edom, the descendants of Esau, are often depicted as Israel's antagonists. The Hebrew word for "punish" is "פָּקַד" (paqad), which can mean to visit or attend to, often with the implication of judgment. This phrase indicates that while Israel's punishment is ending, Edom's judgment is forthcoming. Historically, Edom rejoiced over Jerusalem's downfall, and this prophecy serves as a reminder of God's justice and the principle that those who oppose His people will face consequences.

He will expose your sins
The Hebrew root "גָּלָה" (galah) is used again here, meaning to uncover or reveal. This exposure of sins implies a divine reckoning where hidden iniquities are brought to light. For Edom, this signifies that their actions against Israel will not go unnoticed or unpunished. In a broader theological context, it serves as a warning that all nations and individuals are accountable to God, and His justice will ultimately prevail.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Daughter of Zion
This term refers to the people of Jerusalem or the inhabitants of Judah. It is a poetic way of personifying the city and its people, often used to express God's relationship with them.

2. Daughter of Edom
Edom represents the descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother, and is often seen as an adversary to Israel. In this context, Edom symbolizes those who rejoice over Judah's downfall.

3. Punishment and Exile
The verse speaks of the end of Judah's punishment and exile, indicating a period of suffering due to their sins, which God allowed as a form of discipline.

4. Iniquity and Sin
These terms refer to moral wrongdoing and rebellion against God. The verse contrasts the completed punishment of Zion with the impending judgment on Edom for their sins.

5. God's Justice
The event of God punishing Edom while completing Zion's punishment highlights His justice and sovereignty over nations.
Teaching Points
God's Discipline is Temporary
God's discipline, though painful, is not eternal. He sets a limit to the suffering of His people, promising restoration and hope.

Justice for All Nations
God's justice is impartial. While He disciplines His people, He also holds other nations accountable for their actions, as seen with Edom.

Hope in God's Promises
Believers can find hope in God's promises of restoration and forgiveness, trusting that He will not prolong their trials beyond what is necessary.

The Consequences of Rejoicing in Others' Misfortune
Edom's punishment serves as a warning against taking pleasure in the downfall of others. Christians are called to empathy and compassion.

God's Sovereignty Over History
The completion of Zion's punishment and the judgment of Edom remind us of God's sovereign control over historical events and His ultimate plan for redemption.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the temporary nature of God's discipline provide comfort during difficult times?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we do not fall into the trap of rejoicing over others' misfortunes, as Edom did?

3. How can the promise of God's justice for all nations influence our perspective on current global events?

4. What are some practical ways to hold onto hope in God's promises during personal trials?

5. How does recognizing God's sovereignty over history impact your daily life and decision-making?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jeremiah 25:12
This verse speaks of the completion of Babylon's seventy-year reign, similar to the completion of Zion's punishment, emphasizing God's control over the timing of events.

Obadiah 1:10-14
This passage details Edom's sins against Israel, providing context for why God would expose Edom's sins and punish them.

Isaiah 40:2
This verse speaks of Jerusalem's warfare being accomplished and her iniquity pardoned, paralleling the message of completed punishment in Lamentations 4:22.
Sermons
A Message from God for TheeCharles Haddon Spurgeon Lamentations 4:22
Edom's RejoicingJ. Udall.Lamentations 4:21-22
God's Discovery of Man's SinsHomilistLamentations 4:21-22
The Debt of Guilt ExtinguishedLamentations 4:21-22
People
Jeremiah, Nazarites
Places
Edom, Jerusalem, Sodom, Uz, Zion
Topics
Accomplished, Add, Captivity, Carry, Complete, Completed, Daughter, Disclose, Discover, Edom, Evil-doing, Exile, Expose, Iniquity, Inspected, Longer, O, Prisoner, Prolong, Punish, Punishment, Remove, Removed, Reward, Sin, Sins, Uncover, Uncovered, Visit, Wickedness, Zion
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Lamentations 4:22

     7217   exile, in Babylon

Library
A Message from God for Thee
Our two messages we will try to deliver in their order; we shall then want your attention and patience for a minute while we answer the question--Why the difference? and then we will press upon each character the force of the message, that each may be led to believe what is addressed to him. I. Our FIRST MESSAGE IS ONE OF COMFORT. "The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity." 1. We find, at the outset, a joyous fact. Read it …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

1875-1877. Mrs. Way's Sewing --Class for Jewesses --Bible Flower Mission --George Clarice --Incidents in Home Work --The Lord's Day --Diary at Sea -- Letters of Cheer
Mrs. Way's sewing--class for Jewesses--Bible Flower Mission--George Clarice--Incidents in home work--The Lord's Day--Diary at sea-- Letters of cheer from Canada. The Home of Industry has been already likened to the Pool of Bethesda with its fine porches. Many sights there have been peculiar to itself, and in no instance has this in past years been more remarkable, than in the meeting for Jewesses, which has been carried on ever since the year 1870. From fifty to seventy daughters of Israel are gathered …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers

The Children of the Poor.
THE CHILDREN OF THE POOR. The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.--LAMENTATIONS iv., 4. The writer of these words bewailed a state of War and Captivity--a state of things in which the great relations of human life are broken up and desecrated. But it is strange to find that the most flourishing forms of civilization involve conditions very similar to this. For, if any man will push beyond the circle of his daily associations, and enter the regions of the abject poor, he will …
E. H. Chapin—Humanity in the City

It Will be Attempted to Give a Complete List of his Writings In
chronological order; those included in this volume will be marked with an asterisk and enumerated in this place without remark. The figures prefixed indicate the probable date. (1) 318: *Two books contra Gentes,' viz. c. Gent. and De Incarn. (2) 321-2: *Depositio Arii (on its authorship, see Introd.) (3) 328-373: *Festal Letters. (4) 328-335? *Ecthesis or Expositio Fidei. (5) Id.? *In Illud Omnia, etc. (6) 339: *Encyclica ad Episcopos ecclesiæ catholicæ. (7) 343: *Sardican Letters (46, …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Sermons of St. Bernard on the Passing of Malachy
Sermon I (November 2, 1148.)[1005] 1. A certain abundant blessing, dearly beloved, has been sent by the counsel of heaven to you this day; and if it were not faithfully divided, you would suffer loss, and I, to whom of a surety this office seems to have been committed, would incur danger. I fear therefore your loss, I fear my own damnation,[1006] if perchance it be said, The young children ask bread, and no man offereth it unto them.[1007] For I know how necessary for you is the consolation which …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

The Great Shepherd
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. I t is not easy for those, whose habits of life are insensibly formed by the customs of modern times, to conceive any adequate idea of the pastoral life, as obtained in the eastern countries, before that simplicity of manners, which characterized the early ages, was corrupted, by the artificial and false refinements of luxury. Wealth, in those …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of the Word. ...
The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of the Word. We have seen how Justin declared that it was not permissible to regard "the Spirit" and "the Power" that came upon the Virgin as any other than the Word of God Himself. And we also noted in passing that Theophilus of Antioch spoke of the Word as being "Spirit of God" and "Power of the Highest," the second of which designations comes from Luke i. 35. We have now to ask whether the language of Irenæus corresponds with this interpretation and makes …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
1. The most important point here is to keep in mind the organic unity of the Old Testament. Its predictions are not isolated, but features of one grand prophetic picture; its ritual and institutions parts of one great system; its history, not loosely connected events, but an organic development tending towards a definite end. Viewed in its innermost substance, the history of the Old Testament is not different from its typical institutions, nor yet these two from its predictions. The idea, underlying …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Lamentations
The book familiarly known as the Lamentations consists of four elegies[1] (i., ii., iii., iv.) and a prayer (v.). The general theme of the elegies is the sorrow and desolation created by the destruction of Jerusalem[2] in 586 B.C.: the last poem (v.) is a prayer for deliverance from the long continued distress. The elegies are all alphabetic, and like most alphabetic poems (cf. Ps. cxix.) are marked by little continuity of thought. The first poem is a lament over Jerusalem, bereft, by the siege, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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