King James Version

What Does Lamentations 2:3 Mean?

Lamentations 2:3 in the King James Version says “He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and...” — study this verse from Lamentations chapter 2 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.”

Lamentations 2:3 · KJV

Context

1

How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

2

The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. brought: Heb. made to touch

3

He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

4

He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire. all: Heb. all the desirable of the eye

5

The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

Read Lamentations 2 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
One of Scripture's most terrifying images: "He hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy" (heshiv achor yemino mipnei oyev, הֵשִׁיב אָחוֹר יְמִינוֹ מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב). God's right hand symbolizes power, deliverance, and covenant protection (Exodus 15:6, 12, Psalm 20:6, 89:13). Throughout Israel's history, God's right hand fought for them. Now it's withdrawn, leaving them defenseless. The verse continues: "he hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel" (vaygadda ba-charon af kol keren Yisrael). The "horn" (keren, קֶרֶן) represents strength and dignity, like an animal's horn used for defense and attack. To cut off all horns leaves one utterly powerless. "Fierce anger" (charon af, חֲרוֹן אַף) literally means "burning of nose/nostrils"—the Hebrew idiom for intense wrath. The climax is shocking: "he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about" (vayivarcharon be-Ya'akov ke-esh lehava aklah saviv). God's presence, which once appeared as fire to guide and protect (Exodus 13:21-22), now burns as consuming judgment. The same fire that destroyed Sodom (Genesis 19:24) now falls on covenant people. This demonstrates that proximity to God without holiness brings judgment, not safety (Hebrews 12:29: "our God is a consuming fire").

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

Throughout the exodus and conquest, God's right hand delivered Israel. The Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-18) celebrates: "Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy" (verse 6). David's psalms repeatedly invoke God's right hand for salvation (Psalm 17:7, 18:35, 60:5, 108:6, 138:7). But covenant warnings predicted this reversal. Leviticus 26:17 threatens: "I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you." Deuteronomy 28:25: "The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies...and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth." What happened in 586 BC was promised consequence, not divine failure. The imagery of consuming fire recalls Mount Sinai, where God appeared in fire (Exodus 19:18, 24:17, Deuteronomy 4:11-12, 5:22-25). Hebrews 12:18-21 describes the terror Israel experienced at Sinai. God's holiness is fearsome; approaching Him wrongly brings destruction. The Nadab and Abihu incident (Leviticus 10:1-2) demonstrated this—offering "strange fire" before the LORD caused fire to devour them. Yet the same God who burns as consuming fire also refines as purifying fire. Malachi 3:2-3 promises: "he is like a refiner's fire...and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver." The exile's fire purged idolatry from Judaism; post-exilic Jews never again fell into systematic idol worship as pre-exilic Israel had.

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it mean that God 'drew back his right hand,' and how does this image help us understand what happens when divine protection is withdrawn?
  2. How should the reality that God's presence can consume (as fire) as well as comfort affect our approach to worship and holy living?
  3. In what ways does Christ restore God's right hand of salvation to believers, and how does Romans 8:31-39 assure us it will never be withdrawn?
  4. What does the cutting off of 'all the horn of Israel' teach about the comprehensive nature of judgment when God actively opposes His own people?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 17 words
גָּדַ֣ע1 of 17

“He hath cut off”

H1438

to fell a tree; generally, to destroy anything

בָּֽחֳרִי2 of 17

“in his fierce”

H2750

a burning (i.e., intense) anger

אַ֗ף3 of 17

“anger”

H639

properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire

כֹּ֚ל4 of 17
H3605

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

קֶ֣רֶן5 of 17

“all the horn”

H7161

a horn (as projecting); by implication, a flask, cornet; by resemblance. an elephant's tooth (i.e., ivory), a corner (of the altar), a peak (of a moun

יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל6 of 17

“of Israel”

H3478

he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

הֵשִׁ֥יב7 of 17

“he hath drawn”

H7725

to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);

אָח֛וֹר8 of 17

“back”

H268

the hinder part; hence (adverb) behind, backward; also (as facing north) the west

יְמִינ֖וֹ9 of 17

“his right hand”

H3225

the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally, the south

מִפְּנֵ֣י10 of 17

“from before”

H6440

the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi

אוֹיֵ֑ב11 of 17

“the enemy”

H341

hating; an adversary

וַיִּבְעַ֤ר12 of 17

“and he burned”

H1197

to be(-come) brutish

בְּיַעֲקֹב֙13 of 17

“against Jacob”

H3290

jaakob, the israelitish patriarch

כְּאֵ֣שׁ14 of 17

“fire”

H784

fire (literally or figuratively)

לֶֽהָבָ֔ה15 of 17

“like a flaming”

H3852

flame

אָכְלָ֖ה16 of 17

“which devoureth”

H398

to eat (literally or figuratively)

סָבִֽיב׃17 of 17

“round about”

H5439

(as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around

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 2:3 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 2:3 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Psalms 74:11Isaiah 42:25Psalms 75:5Psalms 75:10Psalms 89:46Psalms 79:5

Test Your Knowledge

Lamentations 2 QuizTest your knowledge of this chapterLamentations Book QuizComprehensive quiz for the entire book

Continue Your Study

Read Lamentations 2 with CommentaryAll Lamentations ChaptersComplete Lamentations QuizBible CharactersNave's Topical BibleAll Bible Quizzes