Lamentations 2:22 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 2:22 mean?

Lamentations 2:22 describes how, on the day of God’s anger, no one was spared from disaster—everyone, even those once cared for and raised, was overtaken by the enemy. The verse pictures a total and inescapable judgment, where the people’s former security and nurturing could not protect them.

This verse is spoken by the writer of Lamentations, traditionally understood as Jeremiah, as he mourns the destruction of Jerusalem. He is addressing God, describing the completeness of the catastrophe: even the youngest and most vulnerable, those once “swaddled and brought up,” have been consumed. The verse highlights the overwhelming sense of loss and the feeling that God’s anger has left no survivor.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 2:22

• “Solemn” (מוֹעֵד, mo‘ed): This word often means a set time or festival, but here it is used ironically—the gathering is not for celebration, but for destruction, as if disaster itself is being summoned like a festival.
• “Terrors” (מָגוֹר, magor): This word means fears or terrors, emphasizing that what surrounds the people is not safety but dread, called together as if for a gathering.
• “Swaddled” (תָּפַח, tafach): This refers to infants who have been wrapped and cared for, underscoring the tragedy that even the most innocent and helpless have not been spared.
• “Consumed” (כָּלָה, kalah): This word means to be finished or destroyed, showing the completeness of the enemy’s devastation.

Why Lamentations 2:22 matters

• The verse clears up any idea that God’s judgment was partial or limited; it stresses that no one escaped, not even the most vulnerable.
• The use of words like “solemn day” and “terrors” in a festival context highlights the reversal of what should have been joyful gatherings into times of fear and loss.
• This verse connects to the wider theme of Lamentations, where the poet struggles with the pain of seeing God’s people, including children, utterly devastated, making the grief deeply personal and communal.