The Meaning of Lamentations 2:18 Explained

Lamentations 2:18

KJV: Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

YLT: Cried hath their heart unto the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, Cause to go down as a stream tears daily and nightly, Give not rest to thyself, Let not the daughter of thine eye stand still.

Darby: Their heart cried unto the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a torrent day and night: give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye rest.

ASV: Their heart cried unto the Lord: O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Their heart  cried  unto the Lord,  O wall  of the daughter  of Zion,  let tears  run down  like a river  day  and night:  give  thyself no rest;  let not the apple  of thine eye  cease. 

What does Lamentations 2:18 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

1  Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem
20  He complains thereof to God

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:18 mean?

Cried out their heart to the Lord wall of the daughter of Zion let run down like a river tears day and night no Give relief yourself no Give rest The apple your eyes -
צָעַ֥ק לִבָּ֖ם אֶל־ אֲדֹנָ֑י חוֹמַ֣ת בַּת־ צִ֠יּוֹן הוֹרִ֨ידִי כַנַּ֤חַל דִּמְעָה֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה אַֽל־ תִּתְּנִ֤י פוּגַת֙ לָ֔ךְ אַל־ תִּדֹּ֖ם בַּת־ עֵינֵֽךְ ס

צָעַ֥ק  Cried  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, cry for help.
לִבָּ֖ם  their  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אֲדֹנָ֑י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
חוֹמַ֣ת  wall 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
בַּת־  of  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִ֠יּוֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
הוֹרִ֨ידִי  let  run  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
כַנַּ֤חַל  like  a  river 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
דִּמְעָה֙  tears 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דִּמְעָה  
Sense: tears.
יוֹמָ֣ם  day 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יׄומָם  
Sense: by day, in the daytime subst.
וָלַ֔יְלָה  and  night 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
אַֽל־  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּתְּנִ֤י  Give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
פוּגַת֙  relief 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: פּוּגָה  
Sense: benumbing, cessation, rest, relief.
לָ֔ךְ  yourself 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
אַל־  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּדֹּ֖ם  Give  rest 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּמַם 
Sense: to be silent, be still, wait, be dumb, grow dumb.
בַּת־  The  apple 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
עֵינֵֽךְ  your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation