King James Version

What Does Lamentations 4:18 Mean?

Lamentations 4:18 in the King James Version says “They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.” — study this verse from Lamentations chapter 4 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.”

Lamentations 4:18 · KJV

Context

16

The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders. anger: or, face

17

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

18

They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

19

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

20

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

Read Lamentations 4 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
The siege's terror described: "They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come." The Hebrew tsadu tse'adeinu mileches birchevotenu karav kitsenu male'u yameinu ki va kitsenu depicts inescapable doom. Tsadu tse'adeinu (צָדוּ צְעָדֵינוּ, "they hunted our steps") describes enemy surveillance of every movement. Mileches birchevotenu (מִלֶּכֶת בִּרְחֹבוֹתֵינוּ, "from going in our streets") indicates inability to move freely even in one's own city.

"Our end is near" (karav kitsenu, קָרַב קִצֵּנוּ), "our days are fulfilled" (male'u yameinu, מָלְאוּ יָמֵינוּ), and "our end is come" (ki va kitsenu, כִּי בָא קִצֵּנוּ) use threefold repetition emphasizing certainty and immediacy of doom. Kets (קֵץ, "end") appears twice, and yamim (יָמִים, "days") being "fulfilled" or "completed" (male'u, מָלְאוּ) indicates the appointed time of judgment has arrived.

Theologically, this verse reflects the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:65-67: "Among these nations shalt thou find no ease...And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning!" When God's patience ends, the "end" comes swiftly and certainly.

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Historical & Cultural Context

During the final siege (588-586 BC), Babylonian forces surrounded Jerusalem completely. Anyone attempting to leave was captured or killed. 2 Kings 25:4 describes the escape attempt: "the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls...and the king went the way toward the plain." But verse 5 continues: "the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho." Even the king couldn't escape.

The phrase "cannot go in our streets" reflects conditions during the 18-month siege. Famine was so severe that venturing into streets was dangerous (Lamentations 2:11-12, 4:9-10). Babylonian snipers or raiding parties made any outdoor movement deadly. Jeremiah 37:21 notes that daily bread rations continued until "all the bread in the city were spent"—at which point starvation accelerated death.

The recognition "our end is come" reflects the moment when hope finally died. When the wall was breached on the ninth day of the fourth month (2 Kings 25:3-4), everyone knew Jerusalem's end had arrived. No more hoping for Egyptian relief, no more believing God would miraculously intervene as He had against Sennacherib. The appointed time of judgment—70 years of desolation prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11)—had come. Divine patience was exhausted; the end arrived.

Reflection Questions

  1. How does being unable to 'go in our streets' illustrate the comprehensive control judgment brings over every aspect of life?
  2. What does the threefold emphasis ('end is near,' 'days fulfilled,' 'end is come') teach about the certainty and finality of divine judgment?
  3. In what ways does this verse's urgency challenge our tendency to presume on God's patience and delay?
  4. How should the reality that appointed ends do arrive affect both Christian vigilance and evangelistic urgency?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 11 words
צָד֣וּ1 of 11

“They hunt”

H6679

to victual (for a journey)

צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ2 of 11

“our steps”

H6806

a pace or regular step

מִלֶּ֖כֶת3 of 11
H1980

to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)

בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ4 of 11

“in our streets”

H7339

a width, i.e., (concretely) avenue or area

קָרַ֥ב5 of 11

“is near”

H7126

to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purpose

קִצֵּֽנוּ׃6 of 11

“for our end”

H7093

an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after

מָלְא֥וּ7 of 11

“are fulfilled”

H4390

to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)

יָמֵ֖ינוּ8 of 11

“our days”

H3117

a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso

כִּי9 of 11
H3588

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

בָ֥א10 of 11

“is come”

H935

to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)

קִצֵּֽנוּ׃11 of 11

“for our end”

H7093

an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after

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 4:18 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 4:18 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Amos 8:2Psalms 140:11Ezekiel 7:2-12Jeremiah 16:16Lamentations 3:52Ezekiel 12:22-23

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