Lamentations 2:13 Meaning and Explanation
“What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The poet searches for any comparison that might comfort Jerusalem, but her ruin is as vast as the sea, and he asks who could ever heal it.
What Does Lamentations 2:13 Mean?
The poet longs to comfort the city and casts about for some likeness, some parallel suffering that might say, 'you are not alone, others have borne this too.' But he finds none. 'What shall I equal to thee?' Her sorrow is beyond comparison, and so beyond the ordinary comforts that comparison brings.
'Thy breach is great like the sea' — the wound is as wide and bottomless as the ocean, swallowing every attempt to measure or cross it. Then comes the question that hangs over the whole book: 'who can heal thee?' Spoken here as a cry of helplessness, it secretly opens a door. If no human comfort suffices and no human hand can heal, the question turns the heart toward the only One whose mercy might be deep enough for a wound as wide as the sea.
Lamentations 2:13 in the Original Language
shever (שֶׁבֶר), 'breach' -- a fracture or shattering, here a wound as vast as the sea.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 2:13
What does Lamentations 2:13 mean?
The poet searches for any comparison that might comfort Jerusalem, but her ruin is as vast as the sea, and he asks who could ever heal it.