Lamentations 2:7
What does Lamentations 2:7 mean?
A plain-English look at Lamentations 2:7 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Lamentations 2:7 means
The Lord “casts off” His altar and abhors His sanctuary, handing over palace walls to the enemy. The invaders’ shouts in the house of Jehovah replace the joyful noise of festival worship, a bitter irony: the place of praise becomes a hall of triumph for foes. This is more than loss of a building; it is the withdrawal of divine acceptance. If God rejects the altar, sacrifices bring no approach to Him. The verse underlines that sin has broken communion; sacred space is desecrated under God’s permission, showing that He is not bound to defend what His people have profaned by disobedience.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The 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 Jehovah, as in the day of a solemn assembly.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The 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.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The 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 Jehovah, as in the day of a solemn assembly.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The Lord has given up his altar and has been turned in hate from his holy place; he has given up into the hands of the attacker the walls of her great houses: their voices have been loud in the house of the Lord as in the day of a holy meeting.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath rejected His sanctuary, He hath shut up into the hand of the enemy The walls of her palaces, A noise they have made in the house of Jehovah Like a day of appointment.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Zain. The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath cursed his sanctuary: he hath delivered the walls of the towers thereof into the hand of the enemy: they have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a solemn feast.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath rejected 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 Jehovah, as on the day of a set feast.
Context
Verse 7 continues the theme of worship undone, emphasizing that God Himself has rejected altar and sanctuary. The substitution of enemy noise for sacred assembly intensifies the humiliation. This sets up verse 8, which broadens again to the destruction of the wall and rampart, as if the city’s physical boundaries lament. The flow alternates between sanctuary and city structures, showing comprehensive ruin. Seeing this pattern helps a reader understand that nothing—neither sacred nor civic—stands when the Lord purposes to judge. The lament now turns to the city’s measured dismantling and its leaders’ helplessness.
v.6And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he hath destroyed his place of assembly: Jehovah hath caused solemn assembly and sabbath to be forgotten in Zion, And hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
v.7This passage
v.8Jehovah hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; He hath stretched out the line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying; And he hath made the rampart and wall to lament; they languish together.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Isaiah 64:10
Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
- 2 Chronicles 36:19
And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
- Psalms 78:59
When God heardthis, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
- Ezekiel 24:21
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.
- Matthew 24:2
But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
- Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things, and difficult, which thou knowest not.
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