Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets; those brought up in crimson huddle in ash heaps. Those who once ate delicaciesThis phrase refers to the people of Jerusalem who previously lived in luxury and abundance. The Hebrew word for "delicacies" is "מַעֲדַנִּים" (ma'adannim), which implies not just food, but a lifestyle of ease and pleasure. Historically, Jerusalem was a city of prosperity, especially during the reigns of kings like Solomon. The contrast here is stark, highlighting the drastic change from wealth to poverty, serving as a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly riches and the consequences of turning away from God. are destitute in the streets
The Hebrew root for "destitute" is "חָרַב" (charav), meaning to be dry or desolate. This word paints a vivid picture of complete deprivation and abandonment. The streets, once bustling with trade and activity, are now places of despair. This imagery serves as a powerful metaphor for spiritual desolation, urging believers to seek sustenance in God rather than worldly wealth. those brought up in crimson
"Crimson" here is translated from the Hebrew "תּוֹלָע" (tola), a term often associated with royalty and wealth, as crimson dye was expensive and reserved for the elite. This phrase underscores the high status and privilege once enjoyed by these individuals. The use of "brought up" suggests a life of privilege from birth, emphasizing the depth of their fall. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and the false security of social status. huddle in ash heaps
The image of "ash heaps" is one of utter ruin and mourning. In ancient times, sitting in ashes was a sign of deep sorrow and repentance. The Hebrew word "אֵפֶר" (epher) for "ash" signifies not only physical destruction but also spiritual humility. This phrase calls believers to reflect on the importance of repentance and the hope of restoration through God's mercy. It is a poignant reminder that no matter how far one falls, there is always a path back to God through humility and repentance. Persons / Places / Events 1. Jeremiah- Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people. 2. Jerusalem- The city that has been destroyed by the Babylonians, leading to the suffering and destitution described in Lamentations. 3. Babylonian Siege- The event that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., resulting in the dire conditions described in this verse. 4. The Nobility of Jerusalem- The individuals who once lived in luxury and are now reduced to poverty and shame. 5. The Streets and Ash Heaps- Symbolic of the drastic fall from wealth and comfort to poverty and despair. Teaching Points The Fleeting Nature of Earthly WealthEarthly riches and status are temporary and can be lost in an instant. Our security should be in God, not in material possessions. The Consequences of DisobedienceThe suffering of Jerusalem's nobility serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments. Empathy and Compassion for the DestituteAs Christians, we are called to show compassion and support for those who are suffering, recognizing that circumstances can change for anyone. The Importance of HumilityPride in wealth and status can lead to downfall. We should cultivate humility and gratitude for God's provision. Trust in God's SovereigntyEven in times of great loss and suffering, we must trust in God's plan and His ability to restore and redeem. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the reversal of fortunes in Lamentations 4:5 challenge our understanding of wealth and security? 2. In what ways can the consequences faced by Jerusalem's nobility serve as a warning for us today? 3. How can we apply the lessons of humility and gratitude in our daily lives, especially in times of abundance? 4. What practical steps can we take to show empathy and support for those who are experiencing destitution or hardship? 5. How can we strengthen our trust in God's sovereignty during times of personal or communal loss? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, which include the reversal of fortunes similar to what is described in Lamentations 4:5. Isaiah 3This passage speaks of the judgment on Jerusalem and Judah, including the stripping away of luxury and status, paralleling the fall from wealth to destitution. Proverbs 23:5This verse warns about the fleeting nature of wealth, which connects to the sudden change in circumstances for those in Lamentations 4:5. People Jeremiah, NazaritesPlaces Edom, Jerusalem, Sodom, Uz, ZionTopics Ash, Ate, Dainties, Delicacies, Delicate, Delicately, Desolate, Destitute, Dressed, Dunghills, Dung-hills, Dust, Eating, Embrace, Embraced, Feasted, Feasting, Fed, Feed, Heaps, Lie, Nurtured, Out-places, Perish, Pits, Purple, Reared, Scarlet, Streets, Stretched, Supported, WastedDictionary of Bible Themes Lamentations 4:5 5478 property, houses 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: 18631875-1877. 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 Links Lamentations 4:5 NIVLamentations 4:5 NLTLamentations 4:5 ESVLamentations 4:5 NASBLamentations 4:5 KJV
Lamentations 4:5 Commentaries
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