Lamentations 5:18 Meaning and Explanation

'Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate.' Mount Zion, the holy hill where the temple stood, the very dwelling place of God among his people, now lies desolate and abandoned. Of all the losses, this strikes deepest, for it was the center of the nation's life with God. The holy mountain is empty and ruined.

'The foxes walk upon it.' Wild animals now roam freely over the sacred site, a sign of complete abandonment and ruin. Where priests once ministered and crowds once worshiped, foxes prowl through the rubble. The image of desolation could hardly be more vivid. Yet it is precisely the desolation of Zion that gives way, in the very next verse, to the great contrast: though Zion lies in ruins, the LORD himself remains forever. The ruined mountain sets the stage for the eternal throne.