The Meaning of Lamentations 1:20 Explained

Lamentations 1:20

KJV: Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

YLT: See, O Jehovah, for distress is to me, My bowels have been troubled, Turned hath been my heart in my midst, For I have greatly provoked, From without bereaved hath the sword, In the house it is as death.

Darby: See, Jehovah, for I am in distress, my bowels are troubled; my heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled: without, the sword hath bereaved me, within, it is as death.

ASV: Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold,  O LORD;  for I [am] in distress:  my bowels  are troubled;  mine heart  is turned  within  me; for I have grievously  rebelled:  abroad  the sword  bereaveth,  at home  [there is] as death. 

What does Lamentations 1:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The city was greatly distressed because of the calamity that had come upon it, due to its rebelliousness against Yahweh. The streets and houses had become places of death and now stood empty.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 1

1  The miseries of Jerusalem and of the Jews lamented
12  The attention of beholders demanded to this unprecedented case
18  The justice of God acknowledged, and his mercy supplicated

What do the individual words in Lamentations 1:20 mean?

See Yahweh that in distress I [am] My soul is troubled is overturned My heart within me for very I have been rebellious Outside bereaves the sword at home [it is] like death -
רְאֵ֨ה יְהוָ֤ה כִּֽי־ צַר־ לִי֙ מֵעַ֣י חֳמַרְמָ֔רוּ נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ לִבִּי֙ בְּקִרְבִּ֔י כִּ֥י מָר֖וֹ מָרִ֑יתִי מִח֥וּץ שִׁכְּלָה־ חֶ֖רֶב בַּבַּ֥יִת כַּמָּֽוֶת ס

רְאֵ֨ה  See 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יְהוָ֤ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
צַר־  in  distress 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צַר 
Sense: narrow, tight.
לִי֙  I  [am] 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
מֵעַ֣י  My  soul 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: מֵעֶה  
Sense: internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly.
חֳמַרְמָ֔רוּ  is  troubled 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָמַר 
Sense: to boil, foam, foam up, ferment.
נֶהְפַּ֤ךְ  is  overturned 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
לִבִּי֙  My  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
בְּקִרְבִּ֔י  within  me 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
מָר֖וֹ  very 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: מָרָה  
Sense: to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against.
מָרִ֑יתִי  I  have  been  rebellious 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: מָרָה  
Sense: to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against.
מִח֥וּץ  Outside 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
שִׁכְּלָה־  bereaves 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מְשַׁכֶּלֶת 
Sense: to be bereaved, make childless, miscarry.
חֶ֖רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
בַּבַּ֥יִת  at  home 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
כַּמָּֽוֶת  [it  is]  like  death 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation