They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

LAMENTATIONS 4:18KJV
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Lamentations 4:18 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 4:18 mean?

Lamentations 4:18 describes a time when the people of Jerusalem feel trapped and hunted, unable to move freely in their own city because their enemies are watching every step. The verse expresses a sense of hopelessness, as the people believe their destruction is certain and their time has run out.

The speaker is likely the prophet Jeremiah, voicing the collective experience of Jerusalem’s survivors during the Babylonian siege. The verse paints a vivid picture of fear and confinement: the city’s streets, once places of daily life, have become dangerous. The language shows the people’s awareness that their downfall is not just possible but imminent, emphasizing how completely their enemies have surrounded and overwhelmed them.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 4:18

  • "hunt" (צָדַד, tsadad): This word means to lie in wait or ambush, not just to chase. It suggests the enemies are carefully watching and planning, making escape impossible.
  • "steps" (צַעַד, tsa‘ad): This refers to literal footsteps or movements, highlighting how closely every action is monitored.
  • "streets" (רְחוֹב, rechov): This word means open spaces or broad streets, pointing to public areas that should be safe but are now dangerous.
  • "end" (קֵץ, qets): Used twice in this verse, it means a final point or limit, stressing the people’s belief that their fate is sealed and there is no hope left.

Why Lamentations 4:18 matters

  • Lamentations 4:18 clarifies just how total the siege was—people could not even walk in their own streets without fear, showing the complete loss of normal life.
  • The verse highlights the psychological toll of the siege: not just physical danger, but the constant feeling of being watched and hunted.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme of Lamentations, which is honest about suffering and loss, helping readers understand the depth of Jerusalem’s crisis during the Babylonian conquest.

Where else these words appear

“steps” Hebrew H6806 · used in 14 verses

  • 2 Samuel 6:13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
  • Job 31:4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
  • Proverbs 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

“hunt” Hebrew H6679 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
  • Joshua 9:12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
  • Jeremiah 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

“streets” Hebrew H7339 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
  • Esther 6:9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
  • Jeremiah 5:1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

“end” Hebrew H7093 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
  • Esther 2:12 Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women,(for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)
  • Ezekiel 7:3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.