What is the meaning of Lamentations 4:22?

O Daughter of Zion

• “Daughter of Zion” is an affectionate title for Jerusalem and the covenant people who dwell there (Isaiah 1:8; Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 9:11).

• God addresses them personally, reminding them that—even amid devastation—He still claims them as His own.

• Their suffering has not erased the relationship; the title signals hope that restoration is coming to the very people who once bore His glory.

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your punishment is complete

• The siege, famine, and destruction described earlier in Lamentations have run their course; the disciplinary season is finished (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Isaiah 40:1-2; Micah 7:9).

• God never disciplines aimlessly. His judgment was measured, purposeful, and now fully satisfied.

• This line assures the remnant that the wrath they endured will not be endlessly repeated.

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He will not prolong your exile

• The seventy-year exile spoken of by Jeremiah had a set end (Jeremiah 29:10; Isaiah 32:18; Ezra 1:1-4).

• The Lord’s covenant promises guarantee not only punishment for sin but also a definite horizon of mercy.

• For every believer, this reveals a pattern: chastening is temporary, but God’s commitment to His people is eternal.

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But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom

• Edom (descendants of Esau) gloated over Judah’s fall and aided the invaders (Obadiah 10-14; Psalm 137:7; Ezekiel 25:12-14).

• Divine justice is impartial. Judah’s discipline is complete, but Edom’s day of reckoning is on the way (Jeremiah 49:12-13).

• The contrast underscores a core biblical principle: God may delay judgment, but He never ignores sin.

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He will expose your sins

• Hidden wrongs will be dragged into the open (Numbers 32:23; Habakkuk 2:16; Luke 12:2).

• For Edom, this means public humiliation; for God’s people, it is a sobering reminder that no nation or individual escapes divine accountability.

• Exposure is not cruelty but justice—sin brought to light so truth may triumph.

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summary

Lamentations 4:22 closes the poem on a note of resolved tension: Judah’s chastisement is finished, her exile has an expiration date, and hope glimmers for the restored city of Zion. Yet the same righteous God who forgives His people will unfailingly confront the pride and cruelty of Edom. The verse assures believers that God’s discipline is limited, His mercy certain, and His justice universal.