Lamentations 2:16 Meaning and Explanation
“All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Hostile celebration adds a distinct sorrow to disaster. Lamentations records the enemies' words without approving them, allowing their gloating to be heard plainly. Their response clarifies how exposed Jerusalem has become and prepares for the chapter's next confession that the LORD has fulfilled his declared judgment.
Jerusalem's enemies celebrate her fall as the victory they long desired. Their hostile words reveal delight in destruction, while the surrounding chapter places the city's calamity under the LORD's solemn judgment.
The Context of Lamentations 2:16
The poet has just described passersby mocking Jerusalem's ruined reputation in verse 15. Verse 16 narrows the focus to "thine enemies," whose open mouths, hissing, and gnashing teeth express active hostility. They claim to have swallowed Jerusalem up and to have reached the day they had awaited. The following verse states that the LORD has done what he devised and fulfilled his word from days of old, while also saying that he caused the enemy to rejoice. The poem then turns from reporting scorn to urgent prayer: the heart cries to the LORD, tears flow, and Zion is called to pour out her heart for hungry children.
What Does Lamentations 2:16 Mean?
The enemies "have opened their mouth" against Jerusalem, a vivid way to describe unrestrained speech of accusation, boasting, and contempt. Their hissing and gnashing of teeth intensify the scene. They do more than observe a military victory; they relish Zion's humiliation. "We have swallowed her up" presents Jerusalem as utterly consumed by hostile power. Their final words are emphatic: this is the day they looked for, found, and saw. Repetition conveys satisfaction that their long desire has come to pass. The verse lets their evil joy sound as harsh as it is. It neither excuses their speech nor asks the afflicted to pretend it was harmless.
Verse 16 follows the mockery of passersby and leads directly into verse 17, where the poem recognizes the LORD's fulfilled word. That sequence preserves two truths within the lament. Jerusalem's enemies act with real malice and rejoice over suffering. Jerusalem's downfall also lies within the judgment the LORD had announced. Verse 14 has already recalled prophets who offered vain visions instead of uncovering iniquity. The chapter therefore refuses easy explanations. It grieves the hungry, the slain, and the ruined sanctuary, and it remembers the moral and prophetic failure bound up with the catastrophe. Judgment does not turn the enemies' gloating into righteousness.
The enemies' claim to have "swallowed" Jerusalem recalls biblical language in which the wicked seek to devour the vulnerable, while God remains able to judge those who exalt themselves. Lamentations later asks the LORD to remember the reproach and scorn borne by his people. The chapter's movement toward prayer matters here. After enemies speak loudly, Zion is summoned to cry to the LORD day and night. Their words are not the final voice in the poem. Suffering people may name hostility accurately before God and seek his regard for lives endangered by hunger and violence. Such prayer neither denies judgment nor yields the last word to those who celebrate another's fall.
Bible Verses Related to Lamentations 2:16
“Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.”
- Psalm 35:25
“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:”
- Proverbs 24:17
“All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.”
- Lamentations 3:46
“But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.”
- Obadiah 1:12
Where Lamentations 2:16 Echoes in Scripture
Revelation 18:20 provides a later canonical contrast to the enemies' celebration in Lamentations 2:16. There, rejoicing is called for because God has judged a corrupt city that oppressed others and shed blood. The contrast helps distinguish delight in hostile conquest from worshipful recognition of God's righteous judgment. Lamentations records enemies exulting over Jerusalem's misery; Revelation directs joy toward God's justice after oppression has been answered.
How to Apply Lamentations 2:16 Today
This verse calls for careful speech when others fail, lose influence, or endure consequences. A setback can reveal whether our hearts seek restoration, truth, and mercy, or whether we secretly enjoy another's humiliation. It also offers companionship to those who have heard cruel words during an already painful season. We can bring specific accusations, taunts, and fears to God without softening them. In communities, it is fitting to pray for those affected by conflict, hunger, loss, or public disgrace, and to practice words that preserve another person's dignity even when serious wrong has occurred.
Reflection & Prayer
Whose downfall has stirred a desire in us to feel vindicated, and whose pain have we been slow to notice? Ask God to search the motives beneath our words and silences. Pray: "Lord, restrain every delight in another's ruin. Give us truthful speech, compassion for those in distress, and reverence for your righteous judgment."