Internet Verse Search Commentaries Word Analysis ITL - draft

Lamentations 4:1

NETBible	א (Alef)¹Alas!² Gold has lost its luster;³ pure gold loses value.⁴ Jewels⁵ are scattered on every street corner.⁶
NIV © biblegateway Lam 4:1	How the gold has lost its lustre, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at the head of every street.
NASB © biblegateway Lam 4:1	How dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones are poured out At the corner of every street.
NLT © biblegateway Lam 4:1	How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets!
MSG © biblegateway Lam 4:1	Oh, oh, oh...How gold is treated like dirt, the finest gold thrown out with the garbage, Priceless jewels scattered all over, jewels loose in the gutters.
BBE © SABDAweb Lam 4:1	How dark has the gold become! how changed the best gold! the stones of the holy place are dropping out at the top of every street.
NRSV © bibleoremus Lam 4:1	How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The sacred stones lie scattered at the head of every street.
NKJV © biblegateway Lam 4:1	How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered At the head of every street.
[+] More English


KJV	How is the gold <02091> become dim <06004> (8714)_! [how] is the most <02896> fine gold <03800> changed <08132> (8799)_! the stones <068> of the sanctuary <06944> are poured out <08210> (8691) in the top <07218> of every street <02351>_.
NASB © biblegateway Lam 4:1	How <0351> dark <06004> the gold <02091> has become <06004> , How the pure <02896> gold <03800> has changed <08132> ! The sacred <06944> stones <068> are poured <08210> out At the corner <07218> of every <03605> street <02351> .
LXXM	pwv <4459> ADV amaurwyhsetai {V-FPI-3S} crusion <5553> N-ASN alloiwyhsetai {V-FPI-3S} to <3588> T-ASN argurion <694> N-ASN to <3588> T-ASN agayon <18> A-ASN execuyhsan <1632> V-API-3P liyoi <3037> N-NPM agioi <40> A-NPM ep <1909> PREP archv <746> N-GSF paswn <3956> A-GPF exodwn <1841> N-GPF
NET [draft] ITL	א (Alef)Alas <0349> ! Gold <02091> has lost <08132> its luster <06004> ; pure <02896> gold <03800> loses value. Jewels <06944> <068> are scattered <08210> on every <03605> street <02351> corner <07218> .
HEBREW	o twuwx <02351> lk <03605> sarb <07218> sdq <06944> ynba <068> hnkptst <08210> bwjh <02896> Mtkh <03800> ansy <08132> bhz <02091> Mewy <06004> hkya (4:1) <0349>

NETBible

א (Alef)¹Alas!² Gold has lost its luster;³ pure gold loses value.⁴ Jewels⁵ are scattered on every street corner.⁶

NET Notes

¹sn According to W. F. Lanahan (“The Speaking Voice in the Book of Lamentations” JBL 93 [1974]: 48), the persona or speaking voice in chap. 4 is a bourgeois, the common man. This voice is somewhat akin to the Reporter in chs 1-2 in that much of the description is in the third person. However, “the bourgeois has some sense of identity with his fellow-citizens” seen in the shift to the first person plural. The alphabetic acrostic structure reduces to two bicola per letter. The first letter of only the first line in each stanza spells the acrostic.

²tn See the note at 1:1

³tn Heb “had grown dim.” The verb יוּעַם (yu’am), Hophal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular from עָמַם (’amam, “to conceal, darken”), literally means “to be dimmed” or “to be darkened.” Most English versions render this literally: the gold has “become dim” (KJV, NKJV), “grown dim” (RSV, NRSV), “is dulled” (NJPS), “grown dull” (TEV); however, but NIV has captured the sense well: “How the gold has lost its luster.”

⁴tc The verb יִשְׁנֶא (yishne’, Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular) is typically taken to be the only Qal imperfect of I שָׁנָהּ (shanah). Such a spelling with א (aleph) instead of ה (he) is feasible. D. R. Hillers suggests the root שָׂנֵא (sane’, “to hate”): “Pure gold is hated”. This maintains the consonantal text and also makes sense in context. In either case the point is that gold no longer holds the same value, probably because there is nothing available to buy with it.

⁴tn Heb “changes.” The imagery in this verse about gold is without parallel in the Bible and its precise nuance uncertain.

⁵tn Heb “the stones of holiness/jewelry.” קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) in most cases refers to holiness or sacredness. For the meaning “jewelry” see J. A. Emerton, “The Meaning of אַבְנֵי־קֹדֶשׁ in Lamentations 4:1” ZAW 79 (1967): 233-36.

⁶tn Heb “at the head of every street.”