The Meaning of Lamentations 5:18 Explained

Lamentations 5:18

KJV: Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

YLT: For the mount of Zion -- that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.

Darby: Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: foxes walk over it.

ASV: For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Because of the mountain  of Zion,  which is desolate,  the foxes  walk  upon it. 

What does Lamentations 5:18 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 5

1  A complaint of Zion in prayer unto God

What do the individual words in Lamentations 5:18 mean?

Because of Mount Zion which is desolate with foxes walking about on it -
עַ֤ל הַר־ צִיּוֹן֙ שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם שׁוּעָלִ֖ים הִלְּכוּ־ בֽוֹ פ

עַ֤ל  Because 
Parse: Preposition
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.
הַר־  of  Mount 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
צִיּוֹן֙  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם  which  is  desolate 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמֵם  
Sense: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy.
שׁוּעָלִ֖ים  with  foxes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שׁוּעָל  
Sense: fox, a burrower.
הִלְּכוּ־  walking  about 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בֽוֹ  on  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation