TRV
Translation
King James Version
They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Keep away! Unclean!" people shout at them, "Keep away! Away! Don't touch us!"They flee, to wander here and there; but no nation allows them to stay.
Berean Standard Bible
“Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.”
American Standard Version
Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here.
World English Bible Messianic
Depart! they cried to them, Unclean! depart, depart, don’t touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall not live here any more.
Geneva Bible (1599)
But they cried vnto them, Depart, ye polluted, depart, depart, touch not: therefore they fled away, and wandered: they haue sayd among the heathen, They shall no more dwell there.
Young's Literal Translation
`Turn aside--unclean,' they called to them, `Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled--yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: `They do not add to sojourn.'
Study This Verse
Commentary on Lamentations 4 verses 13–20
13 ¶ For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,
14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
15 They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.
16 The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.
17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.
18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
We have here,
I. The sins they were charged with, for which God brought this destruction upon them, and which served to justify God in it (Lam 4:13, Lam 4:14): It is for the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests. Not that the people were innocent; no, they loved to have it so (Jer 5:31), and it was to please them that the prophets and priests did as they did; but the fault is chiefly laid upon them, who should have taught them better, should have reproved and admonished them, and told them what would be in the end hereof; of the hands of those watchmen who did not give them warning will their blood be required. Note, Nothing ripens a people more for ruin, nor fills the measure faster, than the sins of their priests and prophets. The particular sin charged upon them is persecution; the false prophets and corrupt priests joined their power and interest to shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, the blood of God's prophets and of those that adhered to them. They not only shed the blood of their innocent children, whom they sacrificed to Moloch, but the blood of the righteous men that were among them, whom they sacrificed to that more cruel idol of enmity to the truth and true religion. This was that sin which the Lord would not pardon (Kg2 24:4) and which brought the last destruction upon Jerusalem (Jam 5:6): You have condemned and killed the just. And the priests and prophets were the ringleaders in persecution, as in Christ's time the chief priests and scribes were the men that incensed the people against him, who otherwise would have persisted in their hosannas. Now these are those that wandered as blind men in the streets, Lam 4:14. They strayed from the paths of justice, were blind to every thing that is good, but to do evil they were quick-sighted. God says of corrupt judges, They know not, neither do they understand; they walk in darkness (Psa 82:5); and Christ says of the corrupt teachers, They are blind leaders of the blind, Mat 15:14. They have so polluted themselves with innocent blood, the blood of the saints, that men could not touch their garments; they made themselves odious to all about them, so that good men were as shy of touching them as of touching a dead body, which contracted a ceremonial pollution, or of touching the bloody clothes of one slain, which tender spirits care not to do. There is nothing that will make prophets and priests to be abhorred so much as a spirit of persecution.
II. The testimony of their neighbours produced in evidence against them, both to convict them of sin and to show the equity of God's proceedings against them. Some that have grown very impudent in sin boast that they care not what people say of them; but God, by the prophet, would have the Jews to take notice of what people said of them and what was the opinion of the standers by concerning them (Lam 4:15, Lam 4:16), what they said, nay, what they cried unto them, especially to the corrupt priests and prophets, among the heathen. 1. They upbraided them with their pretended purity, while they lived in all manner of real iniquity. They cried to them, "Depart you; it is unclean. You were so precise that you would not touch a Gentile, by cried, Depart, depart; stand by thyself; I am holier than thou," Isa 65:5. Thus the prosecutors of Christ would not go into the judgment-hall, lest they should be defiled. "But can you now keep the Gentiles from touching you, when God has delivered you into their hands? When you flee away and wander you will bid them stand off and not touch you, because they are unclean. But in vain; these serpents will not be charmed or enchanted thus; no, they will no respect the persons of the priests, nor favour the elders; the most venerable persons will to them be despicable." 2. They upbraided them with their sins, and the anger of God against them for their sins, and the direful effects of that anger. They cried to them, Depart you; it is unclean. They all cried out shame on them, and could easily foresee that God would not long suffer so provoking a people to continue in so good a land. They knew their statutes and judgments were righteous, and expected they should be a wise and understanding people, Deu 4:6. But, when they saw them quite otherwise, they cried, Depart, depart; they soon read their doom, that the land would spue them out, as it had done their predecessors, and, when they saw the dispersed of Jacob fleeing and wandering, they told them of it. They said, Now the anger of the Lord has divided them, has dispersed them into all countries, because they respected not the persons of the priests, the pious priests that were among them, such as Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, Jeremiah, and others; neither did they favour the elders, but despised them and their authority when they went about to check them for their vicious courses. The very heathen foresaw that this would ruin them. 3. They triumphed in their ruin as irrecoverable. They said, when they saw them expelled out of their own land, "Now they shall no more sojourn there; they have bidden it a final farewell, never more to return to it, for God will no more regard them, and how then can they help themselves?" Herein they were mistaken. God had not cast them off, for all this. yet thus much is intimated, that all about them observed them to be so very provoking to their God that there was not reason to expect any other than that they should be quite abandoned.
III. The despair which they themselves were almost brought to under their calamities. Having heard what they said concerning them among the heathen, let us now hear what they say concerning themselves (Lam 4:17): "As for us, we look upon our case to be in a manner helpless. Our end is near (Lam 4:18), the end both of our church and of our state; we are just at the brink of the ruin of both; nay, our end has come; we are utterly undone; a fatal final period is put to all our comforts; the days of our prosperity are fulfilled; they are numbered and finished." Thus their fears concurred with the hopes of their enemies that the Lord would no more regard them. For, 1. The refuges they fled to disappointed them. They looked for help from this and the other powerful ally, but to no purpose; it proved vain help. The succours they expected did not come in, or at least they had not the success they expected, and their eyes failed with looking for that which never came (Lam 4:17); they watched in watching; they watched long, and with a great deal of earnestness and impatience, for a nation that promised them assistance, but failed the, and frustrated their expectation. They could not save them; they were too weak to contend with the Chaldean army and therefore retired. Help from creatures is vain help (Psa 60:11), and we may look for it till our eyes fail, till our hearts fail, and come short of it at last. 2. The persecutors they fled from overtook them and overcame them (Lam 4:18): They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets. When the Chaldeans besieged the city they raised their batteries so high above the walls that they could command the town, and shoot at people as they went along the streets. They hunted them with their arrows from place to place. When the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, their persecutors were swifter than the eagles of heaven when they fly upon their prey, Lam 4:19. There was no escaping them; they pursued them upon the mountains, and, when they thought they had got clear of them, they fell into the hands of those that laid wait for them in the wilderness, to cut off their retreat, and to pick up stragglers. nay, the king himself, though he may be supposed to have had all the advantages the exigence of the case would admit to favour his flight, yet could not escape, for divine vengeance pursued him with them, and then (Lam 4:20), The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits. Some apply it to Josiah, who was killed in battle by the king of Egypt; but it is rather to be understood of Zedekiah, who was the last king of the house of David, and who was pursued by the Chaldeans and seized in the plains of Jericho, Jer 39:5. He was the anointed of the Lord, heir of that family which God had appointed to the government. he was very much confided in by the Jewish state: They said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen. They promised themselves that the remnant which were left after Jeconiah's captivity should, under the protection of his government, yet again take root downward and bear fruit upward. They thought, though they were so reduced that they could not think of reigning over the heathen, as they had done, yet they might make a shift to live among them and not be insulted and pulled to pieces by them. Thus apt are sinking interests not only to catch at every twig, but to think it will recover them. Jerusalem died of a consumption, a flattering distemper. Even when she was ready to expire she formed some hopeful symptoms to herself, and on them grounded a hope that she should recover; but what came of it? The shadow under which they thought they should live proved like that of Jonah's gourd, which withered in a night. He that was the anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits, as if he had been but a beast of prey; so little account did they make of a person deemed sacred and not to be violated. Note, When we make any creature the breath of our nostrils, and promise ourselves that we shall live by it, it is just with God to stop that breath, and deprive us of the life we expected by it; for God will have the honour of being himself along our life and the length of our days.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–20. Public domain.
Copy as
Thomas AquinasAD 1274
Here is considered the derision of captured citizens by their enemies. So, first the profanation of holy things was blamed on these enemies. As said: "Away! Unclean!' men cried out to them." Namely, enemies cried out against the Jews, as ones unclean from their own places.
Then: "Away! Away! Touch not!" That is, you Jews, unclean as to holy things. As Leviticus 21:16-17 states: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, none of your descendants throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God.'"
Secondly, was blamed on the Jews the indignation of their Lord God, insofar as to a destruction of divine aid.
So Verse 15 continues: "so they became fugitives and wanderers." Namely, as enemies blaming each other (as Jews); and by chiding and grieving among themselves.
As Verse 15 concludes: "Men said among the nations, 'They shall stay with us no longer'." That is, as if, God depended on the Jews. As Psalm 71 (70):ll states: "And say, 'God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him; for there is none to deliver him.'"
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.
Copy as
Continue studying Lamentations 4:15 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Lamentations 4:15 powerfully depicts the utter social ostracism and profound spiritual degradation experienced by the inhabitants of Jerusalem following its destruction. Driven out by vehement cries of "unclean," they were forced into a desperate, aimless wandering, only to face the crushing consensus among foreign nations that they would never again be permitted to dwell in their homeland. This verse encapsulates the severe consequences of divine judgment, highlighting the complete loss of national identity, security, and dignity for a people once chosen and set apart.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Lamentations 4 is a deeply mournful elegy, contrasting Jerusalem's former glory with its present, horrific devastation, primarily focusing on the suffering endured during and after the Babylonian siege of 586 BC. The chapter graphically details the widespread famine, the moral decay of once-noble leaders, and the pervasive despair. Verse 15 marks a critical shift from physical suffering to the profound social and spiritual degradation of the people, particularly those who were formerly revered but are now utterly rejected. It directly follows a scathing indictment of the moral corruption of priests and prophets in Lamentations 4:13-14, implying that the "unclean" status in verse 15 is a direct consequence of their systemic sin. This verse serves as a climactic expression of the utter humiliation and complete loss of place for the remnant of Judah, emphasizing their forced expulsion and perpetual wandering.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical setting is the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army in 586 BC, which led to the exile of a significant portion of the Judean population. Culturally, the concept of "unclean" (Hebrew: ṭâmêʼ) was foundational to Israelite law and society, meticulously detailed in the Mosaic Law, particularly in books like Leviticus. Ritual impurity could stem from various sources—such as contact with dead bodies, certain skin diseases, or specific bodily discharges—and necessitated separation from the community and the sanctuary until purification rites were performed. To be publicly declared "unclean" was to be ritually, socially, and often physically ostracized. Applying this term to the people of Jerusalem, especially its leaders, underscored their profound moral and spiritual defilement in the eyes of God and even their fellow citizens. This expulsion mirrored the fate of lepers, who were required to cry "Unclean, unclean!" as they walked (Leviticus 13:45). The "heathen" or "nations" (Hebrew: gôwyim) refer to the surrounding Gentile peoples, whose recognition and declaration of Judah's permanent exile further cemented their humiliation and loss of status.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prevalent in Lamentations and the broader prophetic literature. It starkly highlights the theme of Divine Judgment, demonstrating the severe and inescapable consequences of persistent national sin and covenant unfaithfulness, as vividly warned in passages like Deuteronomy 28. The explicit declaration of "unclean" underscores the theme of Defilement and Moral Corruption, particularly among those who were expected to maintain spiritual purity, such as the priests and prophets mentioned in Lamentations 4:13. Furthermore, the forced "wandering" and the definitive statement that they would "no more sojourn there" emphasize the tragic theme of Exile and Loss of Homeland, a central punishment for Israel's disobedience, leading to a profound Loss of Identity and Security. The verse encapsulates the spiritual, social, and physical devastation wrought by God's righteous wrath and the complete reversal of Judah's covenantal standing.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Lamentations 4:15 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of profound suffering and rejection. Repetition is prominently used with the thrice-repeated "depart," creating a sense of urgency, vehemence, and inescapable expulsion. This rhetorical device amplifies the intensity of the rejection and the absolute nature of the command to leave, emphasizing the finality of their banishment. Metonymy or Symbolism is evident in the application of "unclean" to people. While ṭâmêʼ traditionally refers to ritual impurity of objects or physical conditions, here it is applied to the moral and spiritual state of the people, symbolizing their profound defilement in God's sight due to their pervasive sins. This transforms a ceremonial term into a devastating moral and spiritual indictment. There is also a strong sense of Irony, as those who were once the chosen people, set apart by God and called to be holy, are now themselves declared "unclean" and cast out, losing their distinctive identity and place among the nations. The verse's stark imagery evokes a powerful sense of Pathos, drawing the reader into the deep sorrow, humiliation, and despair of the exiled people.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 4:15 stands as a stark theological statement on the devastating consequences of corporate sin and the unwavering severity of divine judgment. It underscores the biblical principle that persistent rebellion against God's covenant, especially by those entrusted with spiritual leadership, leads to profound spiritual defilement and ultimately, separation from His presence and promises. The declaration of "unclean" is not merely a social ostracism but a direct reflection of their spiritual state, demonstrating that unrepentant sin renders one abhorrent in the eyes of a holy God. This verse serves as a powerful reminder that God's holiness demands purity, and His justice ensures that disobedience carries profound and lasting consequences, including the loss of one's divinely appointed place, identity, and security. The desolation described is a direct fulfillment of the curses pronounced in the covenant for unfaithfulness, demonstrating God's unwavering commitment to His word, both in blessing and in judgment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 4:15 offers a profoundly sobering reflection on the destructive power of sin, not just individually, but corporately, and its capacity to lead to deep spiritual and social alienation. It challenges us to consider the seriousness with which God views defilement, whether it manifests as ritual impurity, moral corruption, or spiritual apathy. For contemporary believers, this verse serves as a potent warning about the insidious consequences of compromising truth, embracing corruption, or allowing spiritual apathy to fester within a community, church, or nation. It calls us to a radical pursuit of purity and holiness, recognizing that our actions, both personal and collective, have far-reaching implications for our standing before God and our witness to the world. Just as Judah lost its home, its identity, and its security due to unfaithfulness, so too can sin lead to a loss of spiritual vitality, purpose, and intimate communion with God. It compels us to repent, to seek restoration through Christ, and to live in a manner that honors God's holiness, ensuring that we do not become "unclean" in His sight, cut off from His life-giving presence and promises.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who are the "they" who cried "Depart ye; [it is] unclean" in this verse?
Answer: The precise identity of "they" is debated among scholars, but the immediate literary context of Lamentations 4, particularly Lamentations 4:13-14, strongly suggests it refers to the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem, or perhaps even the foreign conquerors, who are expressing extreme repulsion towards those deemed morally and ritually defiled. It is most likely directed at the corrupt priests, prophets, and leaders whose pervasive sins brought about the city's destruction, as they were perceived as the primary source of the "uncleanliness" that provoked divine judgment and led to their expulsion.
What is the significance of being called "unclean" in this context?
Answer: In ancient Israel, "unclean" (Hebrew: ṭâmêʼ) signified a state of ritual impurity that rendered a person unfit for worship or participation in community life, often requiring temporary separation (see Leviticus 13:45-46). In Lamentations 4:15, while it echoes this ritual sense, it primarily carries a profound moral and spiritual meaning. It implies that the people, especially their leaders, had become so morally corrupt and spiritually defiled by their persistent sins that they were abhorrent in God's eyes and therefore justly cast out from their land and community. It is a declaration of their utter unworthiness and the severity of God's judgment upon their apostasy and unfaithfulness to the covenant.
What does it mean that "They shall no more sojourn [there]" among the heathen?
Answer: This phrase signifies the devastating and perceived permanent loss of the Judeans' homeland and national identity. "Sojourn" (Hebrew: gûwr) implies dwelling as a guest or temporary resident, highlighting their transient status even in their own land before the exile. The "heathen" (Hebrew: gôwyim) are the foreign nations among whom the Judeans were exiled. The statement means that even these foreign nations recognized the finality of Judah's displacement; there was no expectation or permission for them to settle or return to their land. It underscores the completeness of their exile and the profound humiliation of being a people without a home, a direct consequence of God's judgment and a fulfillment of the covenant curses found in passages like Deuteronomy 28:64-65.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 4:15, with its harrowing depiction of defilement, rejection, and homelessness, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus. While the people of Judah were declared "unclean" due to their sin and justly cast out, Jesus, the Holy One of God, willingly became "unclean" for us. He, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21), taking upon Himself the ultimate defilement of humanity's sin so that we might be made righteous in Him. He was "departed" from, rejected by His own people, and cast out of the city to suffer outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12), fulfilling the imagery of the ostracized and defiled. Unlike the wandering Judeans who found no place to "sojourn," Jesus, though having "no place to lay His head" during His earthly ministry (Matthew 8:20), ultimately established a new, eternal dwelling place for His people. Through His perfect sacrifice, He cleanses us from all defilement (1 John 1:7), making us pure and acceptable before God, enabling us to "sojourn" eternally in His presence, no longer outcasts but beloved children and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). He is the true Temple, the ultimate dwelling place, where we find our permanent home and identity.