The Meaning of Lamentations 2:19 Explained

Lamentations 2:19

KJV: Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

YLT: Arise, cry aloud in the night, At the beginning of the watches. Pour out as water thy heart, Over against the face of the Lord, Lift up unto Him thy hands, for the soul of thine infants, Who are feeble with hunger at the head of all out-places.

Darby: Arise, cry out in the night, in the beginning of the watches; pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, who faint from hunger at the top of all the streets.

ASV: Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; Pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord: Lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger at the head of every street.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Arise,  cry out  in the night:  in the beginning  of the watches  pour out  thine heart  like water  before  the face  of the Lord:  lift up  thy hands  toward him for the life  of thy young children,  that faint  for hunger  in the top  of every street. 

What does Lamentations 2:19 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 2:19 mean?

Arise cry out - in the night at the beginning of the watches Pour out like water your heart before the face of the Lord Lift toward Him your hands for the life of your young children who faint from hunger at the head of every street -
ק֣וּמִי ׀ רֹ֣נִּי [בליל] (בַלַּ֗יְלָה) לְרֹאשׁ֙ אַשְׁמֻר֔וֹת שִׁפְכִ֤י כַמַּ֙יִם֙ לִבֵּ֔ךְ נֹ֖כַח פְּנֵ֣י אֲדֹנָ֑י שְׂאִ֧י אֵלָ֣יו כַּפַּ֗יִךְ עַל־ נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ עֽוֹלָלַ֔יִךְ הָעֲטוּפִ֥ים בְּרָעָ֖ב בְּרֹ֥אשׁ כָּל־ חוּצֽוֹת ס

ק֣וּמִי ׀  Arise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
רֹ֣נִּי  cry  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: רוּן 
Sense: to overcome.
[בליל]  - 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
(בַלַּ֗יְלָה)  in  the  night 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
לְרֹאשׁ֙  at  the  beginning 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
אַשְׁמֻר֔וֹת  of  the  watches 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַשְׁמוּרָה  
Sense: watch (a period of time), night-watch.
שִׁפְכִ֤י  Pour  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
כַמַּ֙יִם֙  like  water 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
לִבֵּ֔ךְ  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
נֹ֖כַח  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: נׄכַח  
Sense: be in front of adv.
פְּנֵ֣י  the  face 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֲדֹנָ֑י  of  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
שְׂאִ֧י  Lift 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אֵלָ֣יו  toward  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כַּפַּ֗יִךְ  your  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, second person feminine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
נֶ֙פֶשׁ֙  the  life 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
עֽוֹלָלַ֔יִךְ  of  your  young  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֹולֵל 
Sense: child, boy.
הָעֲטוּפִ֥ים  who  faint 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עָטוּף 
Sense: to turn aside.
בְּרָעָ֖ב  from  hunger 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
בְּרֹ֥אשׁ  at  the  head 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
כָּל־  of  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חוּצֽוֹת  street 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation