Lamentations 4:5 Meaning and Explanation
“They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Those who once feasted in luxury now starve in the streets, and the finely raised cling to refuse heaps.
What Does Lamentations 4:5 Mean?
The reversal of fortune is total. 'They that did feed delicately' — those accustomed to fine food and comfort — are now 'desolate in the streets,' starving and homeless. The wealthy and pampered have been brought as low as the poorest, sharing the common ruin.
'They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.' Scarlet was the color of luxury and rank; those raised in it now cling to garbage heaps, scavenging for survival. The contrast between scarlet and dunghills captures how completely the catastrophe has leveled every distinction of wealth and status. Calamity is no respecter of persons; it has emptied palace and hovel alike. The verse warns how thin the security of riches truly is when judgment comes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 4:5
What does Lamentations 4:5 mean?
Those who once feasted in luxury now starve in the streets, and the finely raised cling to refuse heaps.