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 →The enemies open their mouths in triumph, gloating that they have at last swallowed up the city they long awaited to see fall.
What Does Lamentations 2:16 Mean?
The enemies open their mouths wide, hissing and gnashing their teeth in savage delight. Their cry, 'We have swallowed her up,' takes the very verb the poet used of God's judgment and puts it in their mouths as a boast. They imagine themselves the authors of her destruction, missing that they were only an instrument in a larger hand.
'This is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.' They had longed for this day, and now they savor it. Their triumph is real but shallow, for they read only the surface of events. The faithful sufferer, even crushed, sees deeper: that the day belongs ultimately to God's purposes, and that the gloating of enemies is not the last word over a people God has not finally abandoned.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 2:16
What does Lamentations 2:16 mean?
The enemies open their mouths in triumph, gloating that they have at last swallowed up the city they long awaited to see fall.