Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

LAMENTATIONS 1:12KJV
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Lamentations 1:12 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 1:12 mean?

Lamentations 1:12 is a cry of deep sorrow, where Jerusalem, personified as a grieving woman, calls out to those passing by to notice her unique suffering, which she says was brought upon her by the LORD’s fierce anger. The verse highlights the unmatched pain and devastation experienced by Jerusalem after its destruction.

The speaker is Jerusalem itself, pictured as a person who is devastated and pleading for compassion from anyone who sees her. The city’s suffering is described as something extraordinary, not just ordinary sadness, and the cause is identified as the LORD’s anger. This verse sets a tone of public lament, inviting witnesses to recognize the depth of Jerusalem’s pain and the seriousness of divine judgment.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 1:12

  • סבל (H4341, transliterated "makʾov" or "sorrow"): This word is used twice for "sorrow" and refers to intense pain or suffering, emphasizing that Jerusalem’s grief is not just emotional but also deeply physical and personal.
  • עָבַר (H5674, transliterated "avar" or "pass"): This word for "pass by" paints a picture of people moving past Jerusalem without stopping, highlighting the city’s isolation and the indifference of others to her suffering.
  • נָבַט (H5027, transliterated "nabat" or "behold"): This word means "look" or "pay attention," showing Jerusalem’s desperate plea for others to truly see and acknowledge her pain, not just walk by.
  • יְהוָה (H3068, transliterated "YHWH" or "the LORD"): The use of God’s personal name underlines that this suffering is not random but is understood as coming directly from the LORD’s anger.

Why Lamentations 1:12 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that Jerusalem’s suffering was just a result of bad luck or human enemies; it emphasizes that the pain was seen as a direct result of the LORD’s anger.
  • The verse draws attention to the loneliness of suffering, showing how pain can feel even worse when others seem to ignore it or pass by without caring.
  • Lamentations 1:12 sets the tone for the whole book, introducing the theme of public lament and inviting readers to witness and reflect on the seriousness of Jerusalem’s downfall.

Where else these words appear

“afflicted” Hebrew H3013 · used in 8 verses

  • Job 19:2 How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?
  • 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.
  • Lamentations 3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

“sorrow” Hebrew H4341 · used in 15 verses

  • Exodus 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
  • Psalms 38:17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
  • Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

“done” Hebrew H5953 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 10:2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.
  • Judges 20:45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
  • Isaiah 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

“fierce” Hebrew H2740 · used in 40 verses

  • Exodus 15:7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
  • Nehemiah 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
  • Jeremiah 25:37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.