The Meaning of Lamentations 2:1 Explained

Lamentations 2:1

KJV: 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!

YLT: How doth the Lord cloud in His anger the daughter of Zion, He hath cast from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel, And hath not remembered His footstool in the day of His anger.

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

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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! 

What does Lamentations 2:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jeremiah pictured the sovereign Lord (Heb. "adonay) overshadowing Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, with a dark cloud because of His anger. The Lord had cast the city from the heights of glory to the depths of ignominy (cf. Isaiah 14:12). It had been as a footstool for His feet, but He had not given it preferential treatment in His anger. The footstool may be a reference to the ark of the covenant (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:2; Psalm 99:5) or the temple, but it probably refers to Jerusalem.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

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

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:1 mean?

How has covered with a cloud in His anger the Lord - the daughter of Zion He cast down from heaven to the earth the beauty of Israel and not did remember His footstool His footstool in the day of His anger -
אֵיכָה֩ יָעִ֨יב בְּאַפּ֤וֹ ׀ אֲדֹנָי֙ אֶת־ בַּת־ צִיּ֔וֹן הִשְׁלִ֤יךְ מִשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ אֶ֔רֶץ תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹא־ זָכַ֥ר הֲדֹם־ רַגְלָ֖יו בְּי֥וֹם ! אַפּֽוֹ ס

אֵיכָה֩  How 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֵיךְ 
Sense: how? interj.
יָעִ֨יב  has  covered  with  a  cloud 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עוּב  
Sense: (Hiphil) to becloud.
בְּאַפּ֤וֹ ׀  in  His  anger 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
אֲדֹנָי֙  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּ֔וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
הִשְׁלִ֤יךְ  He  cast  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
מִשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙  from  heaven 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
אֶ֔רֶץ  to  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת  the  beauty 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תִּפְאֶרֶת  
Sense: beauty, splendour, glory.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וְלֹא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
זָכַ֥ר  did  remember 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָכַר 
Sense: to remember, recall, call to mind.
הֲדֹם־  His  footstool 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הֲדֹם  
Sense: stool, footstool.
רַגְלָ֖יו  His  footstool 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
בְּי֥וֹם  in  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
! אַפּֽוֹ  of  His  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
ס    - 
Parse: Punctuation