Ratapan 4:11

כ (Kaf)

4:11 The Lord fully vented ¹  his wrath;

he poured out his fierce anger. ² 

He started a fire in Zion;

it consumed her foundations. ³ 

Ratapan 4:17-20

The People of Jerusalem Lament:

ע (Ayin)

4:17 Our eyes continually failed us

as we looked in vain for help. ⁴ 

From our watchtowers we watched

for a nation that could not rescue us.

צ (Tsade)

4:18 Our enemies ⁵  hunted us down at every step ⁶ 

so that we could not walk about in our streets.

Our end drew near, our days were numbered, ⁷ 

for our end had come!

ק (Qof)

4:19 Those who pursued us were swifter

than eagles ⁸  in the sky. ⁹ 

They chased us over the mountains;

they ambushed us in the wilderness.

ר (Resh)

4:20 Our very life breath – the Lord’s anointed king ¹⁰  –

was caught in their traps, ¹¹ 

of whom we thought, ¹² 

“Under his protection ¹³  we will survive among the nations.”

[4:11]  ¹ tn Heb “has completed.” The verb כִּלָּה (killah), Piel perfect 3rd person masculine singular from כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete”), has a range of closely related meanings: (1) “to complete, bring to an end,” (2) “to accomplish, finish, cease,” (3) “to use up, exhaust, consume.” Used in reference to God’s wrath, it describes God unleashing his full measure of anger so that divine justice is satisfied. This is handled admirably by several English versions: “The Lord has given full vent to his wrath” (NIV), “The Lord gave full vent to his wrath” (RSV, NRSV), “The Lord vented all his fury” (NJPS), “The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury” (TEV). Others miss the mark: “The Lord has accomplished his wrath/fury” (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASB).

[4:11]  ² tn Heb “the heat of his anger.”

[4:11]  ³ tn The term יְסוֹד (yÿsod, “foundation”) refers to the ground-level and below ground-level foundation stones of a city wall (Ps 137:7; Lam 4:11; Mic 1:6).

[4:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “Our eyes failed in vain for help.”

[4:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “they”; this has been specified in the translation as “our enemies” for clarity.

[4:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “they hunted our steps.”

[4:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “our days were full.”

[4:19]  ⁸ tn The bird referred to here could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture (cf. NEB “vultures”). However, because eagles are more commonly associated with swiftness than vultures in contemporary English, “eagles” was used in the translation.

[4:19]  ⁹ tn Or “in the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[4:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the anointed one of the Lord.” The term “king” is added in the translation to clarify the referent of the phrase “the Lord’s anointed.”

[4:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “was captured in their pits.”

[4:20]  ¹² tn Heb “of whom we had said.”

[4:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “under his shadow.” The term צֵל (tsel, “shadow”) is used figuratively here to refer the source of protection from military enemies. In the same way that the shade of a tree gives physical relief and protection from the heat of the sun (e.g., Judg 9:15; Job 40:22; Ps 80:11; Song 2:3; Ezek 17:23; 31:6, 12, 17; Hos 4:13; 14:8; Jon 4:5, 6), a faithful and powerful king can provide “shade” (= protection) from enemies and military attack (Num 14:19; Ps 91:1; Isa 30:2, 3; 49:2; 51:16; Jer 48:45; Lam 4:20).