What is the meaning of Lamentations 2:21? Both young and old lie together in the dust of the streets Jeremiah pictures bodies of every age lying unburied—an image of complete collapse. • Such leveling of age distinctions underscores total judgment (Jeremiah 6:11–12). • Streets, once bustling, now hold lifeless forms, fulfilling the warning of Jeremiah 9:21, “Death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses.” • Public exposure adds shame (Psalm 79:1–3), reminding us that sin’s wage is not selective. My young men and maidens have fallen by the sword The strength and hope of the nation—its youth—are gone. • Young men, normally defenders, are powerless (2 Chronicles 36:17). • Maidens, symbols of future and joy, are cut down (Isaiah 13:16). • Psalm 78:62–64 echoes the grief: “He gave His people over to the sword… their maidens had no wedding songs.” This highlights that no earthly vigor can stand when God executes justice. You have slain them in the day of Your anger Jeremiah addresses God directly, acknowledging divine sovereignty behind Babylon’s sword. • God’s “day” is a decisive moment of reckoning (Zephaniah 2:2–3; Jeremiah 30:23). • His anger is righteous, provoked by entrenched rebellion (Deuteronomy 32:19–22). • The prophet’s frank wording models honest lament without denying God’s holiness (Habakkuk 3:2). You have slaughtered them without compassion The verse closes with the hardest reality: mercy withheld. • Repeated rejections of God’s calls (Jeremiah 25:4–7) led to a point where compassion was stayed (Jeremiah 13:14). • Moses had warned of such a day if covenant was despised (Deuteronomy 29:20). • Isaiah 27:11 reminds that those refusing their Maker find no pity when judgment falls. This severe statement magnifies the seriousness of sin and the urgency of repentance while God’s patience still invites. summary Lamentations 2:21 paints a sobering tableau of Jerusalem’s ruin. All ages lie dead, youth and vitality are gone, and the prophet recognizes God’s righteous wrath as the ultimate cause. The verse teaches that persistent rebellion leads to comprehensive judgment, that human strength cannot shield from divine anger, and that God—though compassionate—will not forever delay justice. It calls readers to humble repentance and trust in His mercy while it may be found. |
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