The Meaning of Lamentations 2:9 Explained

Lamentations 2:9

KJV: Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.

YLT: Sunk into the earth have her gates, He hath destroyed and broken her bars, Her king and her princes are among the nations, There is no law, also her prophets Have not found vision from Jehovah.

Darby: Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from Jehovah.

ASV: Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: Her king and her princes are among the nations where the law is not; Yea, her prophets find no vision from Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Her gates  are sunk  into the ground;  he hath destroyed  and broken  her bars:  her king  and her princes  [are] among the Gentiles:  the law  [is] no [more]; her prophets  also find  no vision  from the LORD. 

What does Lamentations 2:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The city gates with their bars were no longer effective in keeping Jerusalem safe, and the king (Jehoiakim) and his advisers had gone into exile. The Mosaic Law now failed to govern the Israelites since they could no longer observe its cultic ordinances. Yahweh had also stopped giving His prophets revelations of His will.
". . . when Jerusalem was destroyed, Israel received no prophetic communication, ... God the Lord did not then send them a message to comfort and sustain them." [1]

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

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

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:9 mean?

Have sunk into the ground Her gates He has destroyed and broken her bars Her king and her princes [are] among the nations [is] no [more] the Law and her prophets no find vision from Yahweh -
טָבְע֤וּ בָאָ֙רֶץ֙ שְׁעָרֶ֔יהָ אִבַּ֥ד וְשִׁבַּ֖ר בְּרִיחֶ֑יהָ מַלְכָּ֨הּ וְשָׂרֶ֤יהָ בַגּוֹיִם֙ אֵ֣ין תּוֹרָ֔ה גַּם־ נְבִיאֶ֕יהָ לֹא־ מָצְא֥וּ חָז֖וֹן מֵיְהוָֽה ס

טָבְע֤וּ  Have  sunk 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: טָבַע  
Sense: to sink, sink into, sink down, pierce, settle down, drown, be settled, be planted.
בָאָ֙רֶץ֙  into  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
שְׁעָרֶ֔יהָ  Her  gates 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
אִבַּ֥ד  He  has  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
וְשִׁבַּ֖ר  and  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
בְּרִיחֶ֑יהָ  her  bars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בְּרִיחַ  
Sense: bar.
מַלְכָּ֨הּ  Her  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְשָׂרֶ֤יהָ  and  her  princes  [are] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
בַגּוֹיִם֙  among  the  nations 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֵ֣ין  [is]  no  [more] 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
תּוֹרָ֔ה  the  Law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
נְבִיאֶ֕יהָ  her  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
מָצְא֥וּ  find 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
חָז֖וֹן  vision 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָזׄון  
Sense: vision.
מֵיְהוָֽה  from  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation