Lamentations 1:16 Meaning and Explanation
“For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The city weeps without ceasing, for the comforter who might relieve her is far away and her children are left desolate.
What Does Lamentations 1:16 Mean?
'Mine eye, mine eye' — the repetition is the stammer of someone crying too hard to speak smoothly. The eyes run down with water; the tears will not stop. The poem has reached the heart of its sorrow, and the heart of that sorrow is again the absent comforter. The one who could relieve the soul is far off.
This is the ache that runs like a thread through the whole chapter. Among lovers and friends and elders, none can comfort her. The children are desolate because the enemy prevailed. The verse leaves us in the loneliness of unconsoled grief — and in doing so it makes us long, with the whole of Scripture, for a Comforter who draws near rather than stays far.
Lamentations 1:16 in the Original Language
menachem (מְנַחֵם), 'comforter' -- one who draws near to console the grieving, the very presence Jerusalem says is far from her.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 1:16
What does Lamentations 1:16 mean?
The city weeps without ceasing, for the comforter who might relieve her is far away and her children are left desolate.