The Meaning of Lamentations 1:4 Explained

Lamentations 1:4

KJV: The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

YLT: The ways of Zion are mourning, Without any coming at the appointed time, All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted -- and she hath bitterness.

Darby: The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly: all her gates are desolate; her priests sigh, her virgins are in grief; and as for her, she is in bitterness.

ASV: The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The ways  of Zion  do mourn,  because none come  to the solemn feasts:  all her gates  are desolate:  her priests  sigh,  her virgins  are afflicted,  and she [is] in bitterness. 

What does Lamentations 1:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

No Judahites came to the feasts in Jerusalem because they were in exile. Consequently the roads mourned that pilgrims did not cover them with joyful song. Jerusalem"s gates missed the constant flow of people in and out of the city. The gates were where people congregated to transact business, to carry out legal transactions, and to socialize. The few priests and virgins left there were lonely and miserable.

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 1:4 mean?

The roads to Zion [are] mourning because no one comes to the set feasts all her gates are desolate Her priests sigh Her virgins are afflicted and she [is] in bitterness to -
דַּרְכֵ֨י צִיּ֜וֹן אֲבֵל֗וֹת מִבְּלִי֙ בָּאֵ֣י מוֹעֵ֔ד כָּל־ שְׁעָרֶ֙יהָ֙ שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין כֹּהֲנֶ֖יהָ נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥יהָ נּוּג֖וֹת‪‬ וְהִ֥יא מַר־ לָֽהּ ס

דַּרְכֵ֨י  The  roads  to 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
צִיּ֜וֹן  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
אֲבֵל֗וֹת  [are]  mourning 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: אָבֵל  
Sense: mourning.
מִבְּלִי֙  because  no  one 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: בְּלִי 
Sense: wearing out adv of negation.
בָּאֵ֣י  comes  to 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מוֹעֵ֔ד  the  set  feasts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹועֵד  
Sense: appointed place, appointed time, meeting.
שְׁעָרֶ֙יהָ֙  her  gates 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין  are  desolate 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמֵם  
Sense: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy.
כֹּהֲנֶ֖יהָ  Her  priests 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים  sigh 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָנַח  
Sense: (Niphal) sigh, groan (in pain or grief), gasp.
בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥יהָ  Her  virgins 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בְּתוּלָה  
Sense: virgin.
נּוּג֖וֹת‪‬  are  afflicted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: יָגָה 
Sense: to afflict, grieve, suffer, cause grief.
וְהִ֥יא  and  she  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
מַר־  in  bitterness 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation