King James Version

What Does Lamentations 2:13 Mean?

Lamentations 2:13 in the King James Version says “What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equ... — study this verse from Lamentations chapter 2 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

Lamentations 2:13 · KJV


Context

11

Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city. swoon: or, faint

12

They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.

13

What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

14

Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity ; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

15

All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? by: Heb. by the way


Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
What thing shall I take to witness for thee? (מָה אֲעִידֵךְ, mah a'idekh)—The prophet searches for historical precedent or comparison to comfort Jerusalem but finds none. Thy breach is great like the sea (כִּי־גָדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ, ki-gadol kayam shivrekh)—'breach' (shever) means a fracture beyond repair. The sea metaphor suggests immeasurable, unfathomable devastation. Who can heal thee? (מִי יִרְפָּא־לָךְ, mi yirpa-lakh) is rhetorical, implying human impossibility. Yet the question anticipates divine possibility—only God who wounded can heal (Deuteronomy 32:39; Hosea 6:1).

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

Part of the chapter 2 acrostic (verse 13 begins with the letter mem). The 'virgin daughter of Zion' refers to Jerusalem's former status as unviolated by foreign conquest since David's time (400+ years prior). The Babylonian destruction was the first successful breach of Jerusalem's walls since the Jebusite era.

Reflection Questions

  1. When your spiritual condition seems beyond human remedy, do you despair or recognize that impossibility with man is the prerequisite for God's healing work?
  2. How does the rhetorical 'who can heal?' point forward to Christ as the only Physician capable of healing sin's ultimate breach?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 21 words
מָ֤ה1 of 21

for thee what thing

H4100

properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and

אֲעִידֵ֞ךְ2 of 21

What thing shall I take to witness

H5749

to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication)

מָ֤ה3 of 21

for thee what thing

H4100

properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and

אֲדַמֶּה4 of 21

shall I liken

H1819

to compare; by implication, to resemble, liken, consider

לָּ֗ךְ5 of 21
H0
בַּת6 of 21

daughter

H1323

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם7 of 21

of Jerusalem

H3389

jerushalaim or jerushalem, the capital city of palestine

מָ֤ה8 of 21

for thee what thing

H4100

properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and

אַשְׁוֶה9 of 21

what shall I equal

H7737

properly, to level, i.e., equalize; figuratively, to resemble; by implication, to adjust (i.e., counterbalance, be suitable, compose, place, yield, et

לָּךְ֙10 of 21
H0
וַאֲנַֽחֲמֵ֔ךְ11 of 21

to thee that I may comfort

H5162

properly, to sigh, i.e., breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e., (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavo

בְּתוּלַ֖ת12 of 21

thee O virgin

H1330

a virgin (from her privacy); sometimes (by continuation) a bride; also (figuratively) a city or state

בַּת13 of 21

daughter

H1323

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

צִיּ֑וֹן14 of 21

of Zion

H6726

tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of jerusalem

כִּֽי15 of 21
H3588

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

גָד֥וֹל16 of 21

is great

H1419

great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent

כַּיָּ֛ם17 of 21

like the sea

H3220

a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the mediterranean sea; sometimes a large river, or an artif

שִׁבְרֵ֖ךְ18 of 21

for thy breach

H7667

a fracture, figuratively, ruin; specifically, a solution (of a dream)

מִ֥י19 of 21
H4310

who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix

יִרְפָּא20 of 21

who can heal

H7495

properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e., (figuratively) to cure

לָֽךְ׃21 of 21
H0

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Lamentations. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Lamentations 2:13 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Lamentations 2:13 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

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