Lamentations 2:8 Meaning and Explanation
“The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The LORD purposed to destroy Zion's wall, measuring it with a line for ruin until even the ramparts mourned.
What Does Lamentations 2:8 Mean?
This destruction was no accident of war but a settled purpose. God 'stretched out a line' — the very measuring cord a builder uses to plan a structure, here used in reverse, to mark out what will be torn down. The instrument of construction becomes the instrument of demolition. The deliberateness is what stuns: this was measured and intended.
'He hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying' until the work was complete. So thorough is the ruin that the poet imagines the wall and rampart themselves mourning, languishing together like grieving companions. When stone is pictured as weeping, we understand the sorrow has saturated everything. Even the wreckage laments what it has become.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 2:8
What does Lamentations 2:8 mean?
The LORD purposed to destroy Zion's wall, measuring it with a line for ruin until even the ramparts mourned.