The Meaning of Lamentations 2:16 Explained

Lamentations 2:16

KJV: All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

YLT: Opened against thee their mouth have all thine enemies, They have hissed, yea, they gnash the teeth, They have said: 'We have swallowed her up, Surely this is the day that we looked for, We have found -- we have seen.'

Darby: All thine enemies open their mouth against thee, they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up; this is forsooth the day that we looked for: we have found, we have seen it.

ASV: All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

All thine enemies  have opened  their mouth  against thee: they hiss  and gnash  the teeth:  they say,  We have swallowed [her] up:  certainly  this [is] the day  that we looked for;  we have found,  we have seen  [it]. 

What does Lamentations 2:16 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

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

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:16 mean?

have opened against you their mouth all your enemies they hiss and gnash [their] teeth They say we have swallowed [her] up surely this [is] the day we have waited for we have found [it] we have seen [it] -
פָּצ֨וּ עָלַ֤יִךְ פִּיהֶם֙ כָּל־ א֣וֹיְבַ֔יִךְ שָֽׁרְקוּ֙ וַיַּֽחַרְקוּ־ שֵׁ֔ן אָמְר֖וּ בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ אַ֣ךְ זֶ֥ה הַיּ֛וֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻ֖הוּ מָצָ֥אנוּ רָאִֽינוּ ס

פָּצ֨וּ  have  opened 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פָּצָה  
Sense: to part, open, separate, set free.
עָלַ֤יִךְ  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פִּיהֶם֙  their  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
א֣וֹיְבַ֔יִךְ  your  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
שָֽׁרְקוּ֙  they  hiss 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁרַק  
Sense: to hiss, whistle, pipe.
וַיַּֽחַרְקוּ־  and  gnash 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָרַק  
Sense: (Qal) to gnash, grind (the teeth).
שֵׁ֔ן  [their]  teeth 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שֵׁן  
Sense: tooth, ivory.
אָמְר֖וּ  They  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ  we  have  swallowed  [her]  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: בָּלַע 
Sense: to swallow down, swallow up, engulf, eat up.
אַ֣ךְ  surely 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַךְ  
Sense: indeed, surely (emphatic).
זֶ֥ה  this  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
הַיּ֛וֹם  the  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
שֶׁקִּוִּינֻ֖הוּ  we  have  waited  for 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: קָוָה 
Sense: to wait, look for, hope, expect.
מָצָ֥אנוּ  we  have  found  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
רָאִֽינוּ  we  have  seen  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation