The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

LAMENTATIONS 4:11KJV
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Lamentations 4:11 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 4:11 mean?

Lamentations 4:11 says that the LORD has fully carried out his anger against Jerusalem, pouring out his fierce wrath and destroying even the very foundations of Zion with fire. The verse describes the total devastation that has come upon the city as a result of God's judgment.

The speaker is likely the prophet Jeremiah, expressing deep sorrow over Jerusalem’s destruction after the Babylonian invasion. The verse emphasizes that this disaster is not just a military defeat but is understood as the completion of God’s anger, leaving nothing untouched, not even the city’s deepest foundations.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 4:11

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name for Israel’s God, highlighting that the judgment comes directly from Him, not just from human enemies.
  • accomplished (כָּלָה, kalah): This word means to bring to completion or finish. The verse stresses that God’s fury has reached its full end—nothing more remains to be done.
  • fury (חֵמָה, chemah) and fierce (חָרוֹן, charon): Both words relate to intense anger, but "charon" adds the sense of burning or consuming heat, underlining the destructive nature of God’s response.
  • foundations (יְסוֹד, yesod): This word refers to the very base or support of something. The destruction is so thorough that it reaches the core of Zion, not just its surface structures.

Why Lamentations 4:11 matters

  • Lamentations 4:11 clarifies that the destruction of Jerusalem is seen as a direct act of God’s judgment, not merely the result of Babylonian power or chance.
  • The verse’s language about fire devouring the foundations shows the completeness of the disaster—nothing is left untouched, which highlights the seriousness of the people’s situation.
  • By using words that stress completion and intensity, the verse connects to the overall theme of Lamentations: deep grief over the consequences of turning away from God, and the reality of divine justice.

Where else these words appear

“foundations” Hebrew H3247 · used in 20 verses

  • Exodus 29:12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
  • Leviticus 5:9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering.
  • Job 22:16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

“kindled” Hebrew H3341 · used in 28 verses

  • Joshua 8:8 And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
  • Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
  • Jeremiah 43:12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.

“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.

“out” Hebrew H8210 · used in 111 verses

  • Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
  • Job 30:16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
  • Ezekiel 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;