The Meaning of Lamentations 2:14 Explained

Lamentations 2:14

KJV: Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

YLT: Thy prophets have seen for thee a false and insipid thing, And have not revealed concerning thine iniquity, To turn back thy captivity, And they see for thee false burdens and causes of expulsion.

Darby: Thy prophets have seen vanity and folly for thee; and they have not revealed thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee burdens of falsehood and causes of expulsion.

ASV: Thy prophets have seen for thee false and foolish visions; And they have not uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity, But have seen for thee false oracles and causes of banishment.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy prophets  have seen  vain  and foolish things  for thee: and they have not discovered  thine iniquity,  to turn away  thy captivity;  but have seen  for thee false  burdens  and causes of banishment. 

What does Lamentations 2:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The false prophets had misled the people (cf. Jeremiah 2:5; Jeremiah 10:15; Jeremiah 14:13; Jeremiah 16:19). They had not told them the truth that would have led them to return to God and spared them from captivity. Jerusalem was a place of perverted leadership.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

1  Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem
20  He complains thereof to God

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:14 mean?

Your prophets have seen for you FALSE and deceptive visions and not they have uncovered on your iniquity to bring back - your captives but have envisioned for you prophecies and delusions -
נְבִיאַ֗יִךְ חָ֤זוּ לָךְ֙ שָׁ֣וְא וְתָפֵ֔ל וְלֹֽא־ גִלּ֥וּ עַל־ עֲוֺנֵ֖ךְ לְהָשִׁ֣יב [שביתך] (שְׁבוּתֵ֑ךְ) וַיֶּ֣חֱזוּ לָ֔ךְ מַשְׂא֥וֹת וּמַדּוּחִֽים ס

נְבִיאַ֗יִךְ  Your  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
חָ֤זוּ  have  seen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
לָךְ֙  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
שָׁ֣וְא  FALSE 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
וְתָפֵ֔ל  and  deceptive  visions 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: תָּפֵל 
Sense: foolish, insipid.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
גִלּ֥וּ  they  have  uncovered 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
עֲוֺנֵ֖ךְ  your  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
לְהָשִׁ֣יב  to  bring  back 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
[שביתך]  - 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
(שְׁבוּתֵ֑ךְ)  your  captives 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: שְׁבוּת 
Sense: captivity, captives.
וַיֶּ֣חֱזוּ  but  have  envisioned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
לָ֔ךְ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
מַשְׂא֥וֹת  prophecies 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מַשְׂאֹות 
Sense: uprising, utterance, burden, portion, uplifting.
וּמַדּוּחִֽים  and  delusions 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַדּוּחִים  
Sense: seduction, enticement, a thing to draw aside.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation