Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

LAMENTATIONS 1:8KJV
Know the Bible

Lamentations 1:8 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 1:8 mean?

Lamentations 1:8 says that Jerusalem has sinned very seriously, and as a result, she has been cast away and shamed. Those who once respected Jerusalem now look down on her because her disgrace is exposed, and she reacts with sorrow and withdrawal.

The verse is part of a poem where the city of Jerusalem is described as a woman suffering after her downfall. The speaker, likely the prophet Jeremiah, is lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem after the Babylonian conquest. The verse uses the image of nakedness to show public humiliation, and Jerusalem’s sighing and turning away shows her deep shame and grief.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 1:8

  • "Grievously" (חָטָא חָטְאָה, ḥāṭā’ ḥāṭā’): This phrase repeats the Hebrew word for "sin," emphasizing the seriousness and intensity of Jerusalem’s wrongdoing.
  • "Removed" (נִדָּה, niddāh): This word often refers to something or someone made unclean or set apart because of impurity. Here, it highlights that Jerusalem is treated as defiled and cast out from her former place of honor.
  • "Nakedness" (עֶרְוָה, ‘ervāh): This word means "nakedness" or "shameful exposure." In this context, it points to Jerusalem’s disgrace being visible to everyone, not just a private matter.
  • "Sigheth" (נֶאֶנְחָה, ne’enḥāh): This word means to sigh or groan, showing Jerusalem’s deep sorrow and pain at her situation.

Why Lamentations 1:8 matters

  • The verse makes clear that Jerusalem’s suffering is directly connected to her own actions, not just the result of outside forces, which is a key theme in Lamentations.
  • The use of shame and public exposure as images shows how complete Jerusalem’s downfall is—her former glory is now replaced by humiliation.
  • This verse helps set the tone for the rest of the chapter, where Jerusalem’s misery is described in personal, emotional terms, making the city’s loss feel very human and relatable.

Where else these words appear

“despise” Hebrew H2107 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 46:6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

“sigheth” Hebrew H584 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
  • 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.
  • Ezekiel 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

“grievously” Hebrew H2399 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 41:9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
  • Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
  • Psalms 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

“nakedness” Hebrew H6172 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
  • Leviticus 18:13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
  • Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.