The Meaning of Lamentations 2:21 Explained

Lamentations 2:21

KJV: The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.

YLT: Lain on the earth in out-places have young and old, My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword, Thou hast slain in a day of Thine anger, Thou hast slaughtered -- Thou hast not pitied.

Darby: The child and the old man lie on the ground in the streets; my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword: thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, thou hast not spared.

ASV: The youth and the old man lie on the ground in the streets; My virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword: Thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast slaughtered, and not pitied.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The young  and the old  lie  on the ground  in the streets:  my virgins  and my young men  are fallen  by the sword;  thou hast slain  [them] in the day  of thine anger;  thou hast killed,  [and] not pitied. 

What does Lamentations 2:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

People of all ages and both sexes, even the youths who were the hope of Judah"s future, lay dead in the streets because the Lord had slaughtered them without sparing.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

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

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:21 mean?

Lie On the ground in the streets Young and old My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword You have slain [them] in the day of Your anger You have slaughtered not [and] pitied -
שָׁכְב֨וּ לָאָ֤רֶץ חוּצוֹת֙ נַ֣עַר וְזָקֵ֔ן בְּתוּלֹתַ֥י וּבַחוּרַ֖י נָפְל֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב הָרַ֙גְתָּ֙ בְּי֣וֹם אַפֶּ֔ךָ טָבַ֖חְתָּ לֹ֥א חָמָֽלְתָּ ס

שָׁכְב֨וּ  Lie 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
לָאָ֤רֶץ  On  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
חוּצוֹת֙  in  the  streets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
נַ֣עַר  Young 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
וְזָקֵ֔ן  and  old 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
בְּתוּלֹתַ֥י  My  virgins 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: בְּתוּלָה  
Sense: virgin.
וּבַחוּרַ֖י  and  my  young  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: youth, young man.
נָפְל֣וּ  have  fallen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
בֶחָ֑רֶב  by  the  sword 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
הָרַ֙גְתָּ֙  You  have  slain  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
בְּי֣וֹם  in  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
אַפֶּ֔ךָ  of  Your  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
טָבַ֖חְתָּ  You  have  slaughtered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: טָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, slay, butcher, kill ruthlessly.
חָמָֽלְתָּ  [and]  pitied 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָמַל 
Sense: (Qal) to spare, pity, have compassion on.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation