The Meaning of Lamentations 4:18 Explained

Lamentations 4:18

KJV: They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

YLT: They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For come hath our end.

Darby: They hunted our steps, that we could not go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

ASV: They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They hunt  our steps,  that we cannot go  in our streets:  our end  is near,  our days  are fulfilled;  for our end  is come. 

What does Lamentations 4:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Judah"s allies proved to be her enemies. The residents of Jerusalem could not even walk the streets of their city because the danger was so great during the siege. They knew that their end was near.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 4

1  Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13  She confesses her sins
21  Edom is threatened and Zion comforted

What do the individual words in Lamentations 4:18 mean?

They tracked our steps so that we could not walk in our streets was near Our end were over Our days for had come our end -
צָד֣וּ צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ מִלֶּ֖כֶת בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ קָרַ֥ב קִצֵּ֛ינוּ מָלְא֥וּ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כִּי־ בָ֥א קִצֵּֽינוּ ס

צָד֣וּ  They  tracked 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: צוּד 
Sense: to hunt.
צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ  our  steps 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: צַעַד  
Sense: step, pace, stride.
מִלֶּ֖כֶת  so  that  we  could  not  walk 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ  in  our  streets 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: רְחֹב  
Sense: broad or open place or plaza.
קָרַ֥ב  was  near 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
קִצֵּ֛ינוּ  Our  end 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: קֵץ  
Sense: end.
מָלְא֥וּ  were  over 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
יָמֵ֖ינוּ  Our  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
בָ֥א  had  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
קִצֵּֽינוּ  our  end 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: קֵץ  
Sense: end.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation