Lamentations 1:16
What does Lamentations 1:16 mean?
A plain-English look at Lamentations 1:16 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Lamentations 1:16 means
The city weeps because every pillar of hope has fallen. “The comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me.” Children are desolate, the enemy has prevailed. The lament is not stoic; it is soaked in tears. The pain is communal and generational—loss that extends beyond the present into the future. The absence of a comforter is more than a lack of allies; it is the felt distance of divine consolation. This verse shows that true repentance and lament do not harden the heart but soften it, acknowledging both guilt and grief. Sorrow becomes prayer, a longing for the nearness that once sustained the people.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.
KJV
King James Version · 1611For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949For these things I am weeping; my eye is streaming with water; because the comforter who might give me new life is far from me: my children are made waste, because the hater is strong.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862For these I am weeping, My eye, my eye, is running down with waters, For, far from me hath been a comforter, Refreshing my soul, My sons have been desolate, For mighty hath been an enemy.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Ain. Therefore do I weep, and my eyes run down with water: because the comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me: my children are desolate because the enemy hath prevailed.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water: for the comforter that should revive my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, for the enemy hath prevailed.
Context
Following the winepress of judgment (verse 15), verse 16 pours out grief over the absence of comfort and the ruin of the next generation. This sorrow leads into verse 17’s acknowledgment that Jehovah himself has commanded that the surrounding peoples be adversaries, and that Jerusalem is treated as unclean. The flow moves from felt loss to theological explanation, and then to explicit confession of God’s righteousness in verse 18. In this way, lament becomes a school of faith—naming pain, accepting God’s hand, and still calling on him to regard the misery.
v.15The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
v.16This passage
v.17Zion spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries: Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Jeremiah 14:17
And thou shalt say this word unto them, Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.
- Jeremiah 9:21
For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
- Ecclesiastes 4:1
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
- Lamentations 1:5
Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary.
- Lamentations 2:20
See, O Jehovah, and behold to whom thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
- Psalms 119:136
Streams of water run down mine eyes, Because they observe not thy law. צ TSADHE.
Related questions readers ask
Keep reading
Want to dig deeper? Explore Lamentations 1
Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Lamentations 1.
Topics that quote it
Topic
Bible Verses About Faithfulness
Faithfulness describes a person’s loyal and steadfast devotion to God, and also God’s unchanging, unfailing character.
Topic
Bible Verses About the Faithfulness of God
God’s faithfulness is a cornerstone of our hope, revealing His unwavering character and His commitment to His promises through all generations.
Topic
Bible Verses About the Mercy of God
God’s mercy is a profound aspect of His character, showing His compassionate love and steadfast faithfulness toward humanity
What the Bible says about…
Verses for this moment
Verses for
Bible Verses for Morning Work Anxiety
Start the workday from a steadier place — verses to pray with coffee.
Verses for
Bible Verses for the Anniversary of a Loss
When the calendar remembers — verses for the day you can't forget.
Verses for
Bible Verses for When You Feel Hopeless
When the future has gone gray — verses that don't lecture, only hold.