TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
Her gates have sunk into the ground; he destroyed and broke their bars. Her king and rulers are among the Goyim, there is no more Torah, and her prophets do not receive visions from ADONAI.
Berean Standard Bible
Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
American Standard Version
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.
World English Bible Messianic
Her gates are sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars: Her king and her princes are among the nations where the law is not; Yes, her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Her gates are sunke to the grounde: he hath destroyed and broken her barres: her King and her princes are among the Gentiles: the Lawe is no more, neither can her Prophets receiue any vision from the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
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.
In the KJVVerse 20,342 of 31,102
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Commentary on Lamentations 2 verses 1–9
1 ¶ How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!
2 The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.
3 He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.
4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
5 The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
7 The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
8 The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.
9 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.
It is a very sad representation which is here made of the state of God's church, of Jacob and Israel, of Zion and Jerusalem; but the emphasis in these verses seems to be laid all along upon the hand of God in the calamities which they were groaning under. The grief is not so much that such and such things are done as that God has done them, that he appears angry with them; it is he that chastens them, and chastens them in wrath and in his hot displeasure; he has become their enemy, and fights against them; and this, this is the wormwood and the gall in the affliction and the misery.
I. Time was when God's delight was in his church, and he appeared to her, and appeared for her, as a friend. But now his displeasure is against her; he is angry with her, and appears and acts against her as an enemy. This is frequently repeated here, and sadly lamented. What he has done he has done in his anger; this makes the present day a melancholy day indeed with us, that it is the day of his anger (Lam 2:1), and again (Lam 2:2) it is in his wrath, and (Lam 2:3) it is in his fierce anger, that he has thrown down and cut off, and (Lam 2:6) in the indignation of his anger. Note, To those who know how to value God's favour nothing appears more dreadful than his anger; corrections in love are easily borne, but rebukes in love wound deeply. It is God's wrath that burns against Jacob like a flaming fire (Lam 2:3), and it is a consuming fire; it devours round about, devours all her honours, all her comforts. This is the fury that is poured out like fire (Lam 2:4), like the fire and brimstone which were rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah; but it was their sin that kindled this fire. God is such a tender Father to his children that we may be sure he is never angry with them but when they provoke him, and give him cause to be angry; nor is he ever angry more than there is cause for. God's covenant with them was that if they would obey his voice he would be an enemy to their enemies (Exo 23:22), and he had been so as long as they kept close to him; but now he is an enemy to them; at least he is as an enemy, Lam 2:5. He has bent his bow like an enemy, Lam 2:4. He stood with his right hand stretched out against them, and a sword drawn in it as an adversary. God is not really an enemy to his people, no, not when he is angry with them and corrects them in anger. We may be sorely displeased against our dearest friends and relations, whom yet we are far from having an enmity to. But sometimes he is as an enemy to them, when all his providences concerning them seem in outward appearance to have a tendency to their ruin, when every thing made against them and nothing for them. But, blessed be God, Christ is our peace, our peacemaker, who has slain the enmity, and in him we may agree with our adversary, which it is our wisdom to do, since it is in vain to contend with him, and he offers us advantageous conditions of peace.
II. Time was when God's church appeared very bright, and illustrations, and considerable among the nations; but now the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud (Lam 2:1), a dark cloud, which is very terrible to himself, and through which she cannot see his face; a thick cloud (so that word signifies), a black cloud, which eclipses all her glory and conceals her excellency; not such a cloud as that under which God conducted them through the wilderness, or that in which God took possession of the temple and filled it with his glory: no, that side of the cloud is now turned towards them which was turned towards the Egyptians in the Red Sea. The beauty of Israel is now cast down from heaven to the earth; their princes (Sa2 1:19), their religious worship, their beauty of holiness, all that which recommended them to the affection and esteem of their neighbours and rendered them amiable, which had lifted them up to heaven, was now withered and gone, because God had covered it with a cloud. He has cut off all the horn of Israel (Lam 2:3), all her beauty and majesty (Psa 132:17), all her plenty and fulness, and all her power and authority. They had, in their pride, lifted up their horn against God, and therefore justly will God cut off their horn. He disabled them to resist and oppose their enemies; he turned back their right hand, so that they were not able to follow the blow which they gave nor to ward off the blow which was given them. What can their right hand do against the enemy when God draws it back, and withers it, as he did Jeroboam's? Thus was the beauty of Israel cast down, when a people famed for courage were not able to stand their ground nor make good their post.
III. Time was when Jerusalem and the cities of Judah were strong and well fortified, were trusted to by the inhabitants and let alone by the enemy as impregnable. But now the lord has in anger swallowed them up; they are quite gone; the forts and barriers are taken away, and the invaders meet with no opposition: the stately structures, which were their strength and beauty, are pulled down and laid waste. 1. The Lord has in anger swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob (Lam 2:2), both the cities and the country houses; they are burnt, or otherwise destroyed, so totally ruined that they seem to have been swallowed up, and no remains left of them. He has swallowed up, and has not pitied. One would have thought it a pity that such sumptuous houses, so well built, so well furnished, should be quite destroyed, ad that some pity should have been had for the poor inhabitants that were thus dislodged and driven to wander; but God's wonted compassion seemed to fail: He has swallowed up Israel, as a lion swallows up his prey, Lam 2:5. 2. He has swallowed up not only her common habitations, but her palaces, all her palaces, the habitations of their princes and great men (Lam 2:5), though those were most stately, and strong, and rich, and well guarded. God's judgments, when they come with commission, level palaces with cottages, and as easily swallow them up. If palaces be polluted with sin, as theirs were, let them expect to be visited with a curse, which shall consume them, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof, Zac 5:4. 3. He had destroyed not only their dwelling-places, but their strong-holds, their castles, citadels, and places of defence. These he has thrown down in his wrath, and brought them to the ground; for shall they stand in the way of his judgments, and give check to the progress of them? No; let them drop like leaves in autumn; let them be rased to the foundations, and made to touch the ground, Lam 2:2. And again (Lam 2:5), He has destroyed his strong-holds; for what strength could they have against God? And thus he increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation, for they could not but be in a dreadful consternation when they saw all their defence departed from them. This is again insisted on, Lam 2:7-9. In order to the swallowing up of her palaces, he has given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces, which were their security, and, when they are broken down, the palaces themselves are soon broken into. The walls of palaces cannot protect them, unless God himself be a wall of fire round about them. This God did in his anger, and yet he has done it deliberately. It is the result of a previous purpose, and is done by a wise and steady providence; for the Lord has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; he brought the Chaldean army in on purpose to do this execution. Note, Whatever desolations God makes in his church, they are all according to his counsels; he performs the thing that is appointed for us, even that which makes most against us. But, when it is done, he has stretched out a line, a measuring line, to do it exactly and by measure: hitherto the destruction shall go, and no further; no more shall be cut off than what is marked to be so. Or it is meant of the line of confusion (Isa 34:11), a levelling line; for he will go on with his work; he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying, that right hand which he stretched out against his people as an adversary, Lam 2:4. As far as the purpose went the performance shall go, and his hand shall accomplish his counsel to the utmost, and not be withdrawn. Therefore he made the rampart and the wall, which the people had rejoiced in and upon which perhaps they had made merry, to lament, and they languished together; the walls and the ramparts, or bulwarks, upon them, fell together, and were left to condole with one another on their fall. Her gates are gone in an instant, so that one would think they were sunk into the ground with their own weight, and he has destroyed and broken her bars, those bars of Jerusalem's gates which formerly he had strengthened, Psa 147:13. Gates and bars will stand us in no stead when God has withdrawn his protection.
IV. Time was when their government flourished, their princes made a figure, their kingdom was great among the nations, and the balance of power was on their side; but now it is quite otherwise: He has polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof, Lam 2:2. They had first polluted themselves with their idolatries, and then God dealt with them as with polluted things; he threw them to the dunghill, the fittest place for them. he has given up their glory, which was looked upon as sacred (that is a character we give to majesty), to be trampled upon and profaned; and no marvel that the king and the priest, whose characters were always deemed venerable and inviolable, are despised by every body, when God has, in the indignation of his anger, despised the king and the priest, Lam 2:6. He has abandoned them; he looks upon them as no longer worthy of the honours conveyed to them by the covenants of royalty and priesthood, but as having forfeited both; and then Zedekiah the king was used despitefully, and Seraiah the chief priest put to death as a malefactor. The crown has fallen from their heads, for her king and her princes are among the Gentiles, prisoners among them, insulted over by them (Lam 2:9), and treated not only as common persons, but as the basest, without any regard to their character. Note, It is just with God to debase those by his judgments who have by sin debased themselves.
V. Time was when the ordinances of God were administered among them in their power and purity, and they had those tokens of God's presence with them; but now those were taken from them, that part of the beauty of Israel was gone which was indeed their greatest beauty. 1. The ark was God's footstool, under the mercy-seat, between the cherubim; this was of all others the most sacred symbol of God's presence (it is called his footstool, Ch1 28:2; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7); there the Shechinah rested, and with an eye to this Israel was often protected and saved; but now he remembered not his footstool. The ark itself was suffered, as it should seem, to fall into the hands of the Chaldeans. God, being angry, threw that away; for it shall be no longer his footstool; the earth shall be so, as it had been before the ark was, Isa 66:1. Of what little value are the tokens of his presence when his presence is gone! Nor was this the first time that God agave his ark into captivity, Psa 78:61. God and his kingdom can stand without that footstool. 2. Those that ministered in holy things had been pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion (Lam 2:4); they had been purer than snow, whiter than mile (Lam 4:7); none more pleasant in the eyes of all good people than those that did the service of the tabernacle. But now these are slain, and their blood is mingled with their sacrifices. Thus is the priest despised as well as the king. Note, When those that were pleasant to the eye in Zion's tabernacle are slain God must be acknowledged in it; he has done it, and the burning which the Lord has kindled must be bewailed but the whole house of Israel, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, Lev 10:6. 3. The temple was God's tabernacle (as the tabernacle, while that was in being, was called his temple, Psa 27:4) and this he has violently taken away (Lam 2:6); he has plucked up the stakes of it and cut the cords; it shall be no more a tabernacle, much less his; he has taken it away, as the keeper of a garden takes away his hovel or shade, when he has done with it and has no more occasion for it; he takes it down as easily, as speedily, and with a little regret and reluctance as if it were but a cottage in a vineyard or a lodge in a garden of cucumbers (Isa 1:8), but a booth which the keeper makes, Job 27:18. When men profane God's tabernacle it is just with him to take it from them. God has justly refused to smell their solemn assemblies (Amo 5:21); they had provoked him to withdraw from them, and then no marvel that he has destroyed his places of the assembly; what should they do with the places when the services had become an abomination? He has now abhorred his sanctuary (Lam 2:7); it has been defiled with sin, that only thing which he hates, and for the sake of that he abhors even his sanctuary, which he had delighted in and called his rest for ever, Psa 132:14. Thus he had done to Shiloh. Now the enemies have made as great a noise of revelling and blaspheming in the house of the Lord as ever had been made with the temple-songs and music in the day of a solemn feast, Psa 74:4. Some, by the places of the assembly (Lam 2:6), understand not only the temple, but the synagogues, and the schools of the prophets, which the enemy had burnt up, Psa 74:8. 4. The solemn feasts and the sabbaths had been carefully remembered, and the people constantly put in mind of them; but now the Lord has caused those to be forgotten, not only in the country, among those that lived at a distance, but even in Zion itself; for there were none left to remember them, nor were there the places left where they used to be observed. Now that Zion was in ruins no difference was made between sabbath time and other times; every day was a day of mourning, so that all the solemn feasts were forgotten. Note, It is just with God to deprive those of the benefit and comfort of sabbaths and solemn feasts who have not duly valued them, nor conscientiously observed them, but have profaned them, which was one of the sins that the Jews were often charged with. Those that have seen the days of the Son of man, and slighted them, may desire to see one of those days and not be permitted, Luk 17:22. 5. The altar that had sanctified their gifts is now cast off, for God will no more accept their gifts, nor be honoured by their sacrifices, Lam 2:7. The altar was the table of the Lord, but God will no longer keep house among them; he will neither feast them nor feast with them. 6. They had been blest with prophets and teachers of the law; but now the law is no more (Lam 2:9); it is no more read by the people, no more expounded by the scribes; the tables of the law are gone with the ark; the book of the law is taken from them, and the people are forbidden to have it. What should those do with Bibles who had made no better improvement of them when they had them? Her prophets also find no vision from the Lord; God answers them no more by prophets and dreams, which was the melancholy case of Saul, Sa1 28:15. They had persecuted God's prophets, and despised the visions they had from the Lord, and therefore it is just with God to say that they shall have no more prophets, no more visions. Let them go to the prophets that had flattered and deceived them with visions of their own hearts, for they shall have none from God to comfort them, or tell them how long. Those that misuse God's prophets justly lose them.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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Thomas AquinasAD 1274
Verse 9 thus refers: "Her gates have sunk into the ground", That is, the ground filled with tribulations, and so unable to be torn up. Psalm 69(68):2 thus states: I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold." Again: "her gates", That is, the kings for whom there is the power of a judge who is exercised at the gates, (of the city, Jerusalem). Also: "he has ruined and broken her bars." That is by capturing and leading her into captivity. So: "her bars", namely princes in whom the kingdom is entrusted regarding its gates and bars.
Then is declared: "her king and princes are among the nations." For, Psalm l07(106):l6 claims: "For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts into the bars of iron." Besides, Isaiah 3:26 asserts: "And her gates shall lament and mourn; ravaged, she shall sit upon the ground."
Second, regarding humankind's dignity, spiritual princes like priests, are referred to. Then is said: "the law is no more". That is, through the teachings of priests. Like the prophet Malachi 2:7 proclaims: "For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."
Finally Verse 9 states: "and her prophets obtain no vision from the Lord." And as Psalm 74(73):9 declares: "We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long."
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Lamentations 2:9 vividly portrays the multifaceted devastation of Jerusalem, lamenting not only the physical destruction of its fortifications and the loss of national sovereignty through the exile of its leadership, but also, most profoundly, the cessation of divine communication. This verse encapsulates the utter despair and spiritual barrenness experienced by Judah, where the very structures of protection, governance, and divine guidance have collapsed, leaving the people in a state of profound silence from God.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Lamentations 2:9 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the overwhelming depth of Jerusalem's devastation and despair. Personification is prominently used through the repeated possessive pronoun "her" ("Her gates," "her bars," "her king," "her prophets"), treating the city of Jerusalem as a grieving woman who has suffered immense, personal loss and humiliation. This device evokes profound empathy and makes the suffering tangible and relatable. Hyperbole is evident in the phrase "Her gates are sunk into the ground," an exaggeration that emphasizes the absolute and irreversible nature of the destruction, suggesting a depth of ruin far beyond mere collapse. The declaration that "the law is no more" employs Metonymy, where "the law" stands in for the entire covenant order, its institutions, and its authoritative application, implying the collapse of the entire spiritual and societal framework that once governed Israel. Finally, Symbolism is pervasive throughout the verse: the "gates and bars" symbolize security and defense, their destruction representing utter vulnerability and exposure. The "king and princes" symbolize national sovereignty, leadership, and divine order. Most significantly, "vision from the LORD" symbolizes direct divine communication and guidance, its absence signifying spiritual abandonment and a terrifying silence from God.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 2:9 profoundly articulates the severe consequences of covenant disobedience, demonstrating how God's judgment can manifest in the complete dismantling of a nation's physical security, its established leadership, and, most agonizingly, its spiritual connection to Him. The silence of God, once a vibrant source of comfort, direction, and prophetic insight, becomes a terrifying reality, underscoring the gravity of Israel's unfaithfulness. This verse serves as a stark reminder that true security and flourishing are ultimately dependent on a vibrant, obedient relationship with the LORD, maintained through attentiveness to His law and His voice. When a people persistently rejects God's guidance and spurns His covenant, even His direct communication can cease, leaving them in a profound spiritual void that compounds their physical suffering.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 2:9 offers a sobering and profound reflection on the consequences of spiritual decline and corporate disobedience. It challenges contemporary believers and communities to critically examine the foundations of their own security and guidance. Do we primarily rely on physical safeguards, human ingenuity, and political leadership, or do we truly depend on God's revealed word and His active, guiding presence? The lament that "the law is no more" and "no vision from the LORD" serves as a stark warning against spiritual apathy, a casual disregard for divine instruction, and a failure to seek God's face. In a world fraught with uncertainty, the temptation to seek answers and security apart from God is ever-present. This verse calls us to cultivate a vibrant, listening relationship with the LORD, diligently studying His word, engaging in fervent prayer, and seeking the discerning guidance of the Holy Spirit, lest we experience a similar spiritual famine in our individual lives or collective communities. It reminds us that true prosperity and well-being are not merely the absence of external threats but are fundamentally rooted in the presence of God's guiding voice and the upholding of His righteous standards.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "the law is no more" mean the Torah was literally destroyed or forgotten?
Answer: No, "the law is no more" does not mean the written Torah (the Pentateuch) was literally destroyed or forgotten. Instead, it signifies the collapse of the entire system and structures that upheld, taught, and enforced the law. This includes the destruction of the Temple, the exile of the priesthood and king, and the disruption of daily life that made regular observance and instruction of the law impossible. It speaks to the breakdown of the covenant order and the authoritative application of God's statutes within the nation, leading to a state where the law's practical influence and public instruction were effectively nullified. The people were left without the societal framework that integrated God's commands into their communal life, as lamented in Psalm 74:9.
Why would God cease to give "vision from the LORD" to His prophets?
Answer: The cessation of "vision from the LORD" to the prophets was a severe form of divine judgment, indicating a period of God's apparent withdrawal due to Israel's persistent and unrepentant sin. Throughout their history, God had consistently communicated His will, warnings, and comfort through His prophets. When the people repeatedly ignored these messages, rejected His covenant, and turned to idolatry, God's silence became a direct consequence, a spiritual famine (as seen in Amos 8:11). It served to underscore the gravity of their rebellion and the brokenness of their relationship with Him, leaving them without the divine guidance they had spurned. This silence was not permanent but a disciplinary measure, intended to bring about repentance and a renewed longing for God's voice.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 2:9, with its poignant depiction of broken defenses, exiled leadership, and the agonizing silence of God's prophetic voice, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. While Judah experienced the cessation of the old covenant's structures and direct prophetic revelation, Christ inaugurates a new and living way, providing ultimate answers to these laments. The "gates sunk into the ground" and "broken bars" of Jerusalem speak to a vulnerability that finds its ultimate answer in Christ, who is our true "strong tower" and an impregnable "refuge" for all who trust in Him (Proverbs 18:10). The exile of "king and princes among the Gentiles" foreshadows the ultimate King, Jesus, who, though rejected by His own people, was indeed "delivered over to the Gentiles" (Matthew 20:19) to suffer and die. Yet, His kingdom is not of this world, but eternal and universal (John 18:36), gathering people from every nation. Most significantly, the lament that "the law is no more" and "her prophets also find no vision from the LORD" is decisively overcome in Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17), embodying its righteousness perfectly and providing the means for its true internalization through the New Covenant, where God's law is written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Moreover, Jesus is the ultimate Prophet, the very "Word of God made flesh" (John 1:14), through whom God has spoken His final and complete revelation to humanity in these last days (Hebrews 1:1-2). The spiritual silence lamented in Lamentations is shattered by the resounding voice of Christ, who continues to speak through His indwelling Spirit and His inspired written Word, offering not a temporary vision but an enduring, living relationship with God.