The Meaning of Lamentations 1:6 Explained

Lamentations 1:6

KJV: And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

YLT: And go out from the daughter of Zion doth all her honour, Her princes have been as harts -- They have not found pasture, And they go powerless before a pursuer.

Darby: And from the daughter of Zion all her splendour is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture; and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

ASV: And from the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed: Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, And they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And from the daughter  of Zion  all her beauty  is departed:  her princes  are become like harts  [that] find  no pasture,  and they are gone  without strength  before  the pursuer. 

What does Lamentations 1:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Once majestic, Jerusalem now sat humiliated. Her leaders, including Zedekiah and his advisers, had fled like frightened stags that could find no pasture-even though they had been strong in the past (cf. 2 Kings 24:1; 2 Kings 24:12; 2 Kings 25:4-5; Jeremiah 39:4-5).

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 1:6 mean?

And has departed from - from the daughter of Zion all her splendor have become Her princes like deer no [That] find pasture that flee without strength Before the pursuer -
וַיֵּצֵ֥א [מן־] [בת־] (מִבַּת־) צִיּ֖וֹן כָּל־ הֲדָרָ֑הּ הָי֣וּ שָׂרֶ֗יהָ כְּאַיָּלִים֙ לֹא־ מָצְא֣וּ מִרְעֶ֔ה וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ בְלֹא־ כֹ֖חַ לִפְנֵ֥י רוֹדֵֽף ס

וַיֵּצֵ֥א  And  has  departed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
[בת־]  - 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
(מִבַּת־)  from  the  daughter 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּ֖וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
הֲדָרָ֑הּ  her  splendor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: הָדָר  
Sense: ornament, splendour, honour.
הָי֣וּ  have  become 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
שָׂרֶ֗יהָ  Her  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
כְּאַיָּלִים֙  like  deer 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אַיָּל  
Sense: stag, deer, hart.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
מָצְא֣וּ  [That]  find 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
מִרְעֶ֔ה  pasture 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִרְעֶה  
Sense: pasture, pasturage.
וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ  that  flee 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בְלֹא־  without 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
כֹ֖חַ  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּחַ 
Sense: strength, power, might.
לִפְנֵ֥י  Before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
רוֹדֵֽף  the  pursuer 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation