Lamentations 4:14
What does Lamentations 4:14 mean?
A plain-English look at Lamentations 4:14 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Lamentations 4:14 means
The corrupt leaders stumble like blind men, smeared with blood, their garments so defiled that people dare not touch them. Blindness signifies divine judgment—moral and spiritual incapacity to see the right way. Blood-guilt clings to them publicly; their disgrace cannot be hidden by office or robe. The community’s instinct to avoid ceremonial defilement pictures a deeper truth: those who should have been clean have become a source of contamination. Their wandering in the streets shows aimlessness and exile beginning at home. The shepherds have lost the path, and the flock is scattered and endangered as a result.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments.
KJV
King James Version · 1611They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949They are wandering like blind men in the streets, they are made unclean with blood, so that their robes may not be touched by men.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without <FI>any<Fi> being able to touch their clothing,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Nun. They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they were defiled with blood: and when they could not help walking in it, they held up their skirts.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890They wandered about blind in the streets; they were polluted with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
Context
Flowing from verse 13’s indictment of prophets and priests, verse 14 portrays their judged condition in vivid terms. This image prepares for verse 15, where the community and the nations reject and drive them away as “unclean.” The logic is consistent: leaders who defiled the land are themselves treated as defilement. Verse 16 will attribute their scattering to Jehovah’s anger, ensuring readers understand that human avoidance is secondary to divine judgment. The passage thus traces the fall from guilt to shame to dispersion, setting the stage for the people’s failed hopes of foreign help in verse 17.
v.13It isbecause of the sins of her prophets, andthe iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her.
v.14This passage
v.15Depart 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.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Jeremiah 2:34
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocent poor: thou didst not find them breaking in; but it is because of all these things.
- Isaiah 56:10
His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
- Isaiah 29:10
For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered.
- Isaiah 1:15
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
- Numbers 35:33
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it polluteth the land; and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
- Matthew 15:14
Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
Related questions readers ask
Keep reading
Want to dig deeper? Explore Lamentations 4
Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Lamentations 4.
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.