The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

LAMENTATIONS 1:18KJV
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Lamentations 1:18 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 1:18 mean?

Lamentations 1:18 describes the speaker admitting that the LORD is just and fair, while openly confessing personal rebellion against God's command. The speaker calls on everyone to listen and witness the deep sorrow caused by the loss of young people taken into captivity.

In this verse, Jerusalem is personified as a woman speaking to the nations, acknowledging that her suffering is deserved because of disobedience. She asks others to pay attention to her pain, especially the loss of her "virgins" and "young men," which highlights the tragic consequences of the city's downfall and exile.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 1:18

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing God's covenant relationship with Israel and His authority in judging the city.
  • righteous (צַדִּיק, tsaddiq): This word means just or morally right. By using it, the speaker admits that God's actions are fair, even though they are painful.
  • rebelled (מָרָה, marah): This verb means to act defiantly or disobediently. The speaker is not blaming God but taking responsibility for breaking His command.
  • commandment (פֶּה, peh): Literally meaning "mouth," this word here refers to what God has spoken or commanded, showing that the rebellion was against God's direct word.
  • sorrow (מַכְאֹב, makh'ov): This word points to deep pain or grief, underlining the emotional and physical suffering experienced.
  • virgins (בְּתוּלָה, betulah) and men (בָּחוּר, bachur): These terms refer to young women and young men, highlighting the loss of the next generation and the future hope of the community.
  • captivity (שְׁבִי, shevi): This word means being taken away as prisoners, emphasizing the forced removal and loss of freedom.

Why Lamentations 1:18 matters

  • Lamentations 1:18 clarifies that the suffering Jerusalem faces is not random or unfair, but a direct result of turning away from God's commands, shifting the focus from blaming God to honest self-examination.
  • The verse emphasizes the depth of loss by naming the young women and men, making the tragedy personal and vivid, rather than abstract.
  • By inviting "all people" to hear and see her sorrow, Jerusalem's voice becomes a testimony and warning to others, connecting her story to a wider audience and inviting empathy and reflection.

Where else these words appear

“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.

“rebelled” Hebrew H4784 · used in 43 verses

  • Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
  • 1 Kings 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
  • Psalms 107:11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

“men” Hebrew H970 · used in 44 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
  • Isaiah 31:8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
  • Jeremiah 51:22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

“captivity” Hebrew H7628 · used in 47 verses

  • Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
  • Ezra 8:35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.
  • Jeremiah 22:22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.