Lamentations 4:19
“Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Their pursuers were swifter than eagles, hunting them down on mountain and in wilderness alike.
What Does Lamentations 4:19 Mean?
'Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven.' The enemy pursued with a speed beyond escape, faster than the swiftest bird of prey. There was no outrunning them; flight was futile against pursuers so quick. The image conveys the hopelessness of trying to flee.
'They pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.' Wherever the people fled, to the high mountains or the open wilderness, the enemy was there, chasing or lying in ambush. There was no terrain that offered refuge, no hiding place that was safe. The verse completes the picture of a people utterly hemmed in, hunted in every direction. It is the desperation of those for whom every road of escape has been closed.