Lamentations 2:8
The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Jerusalem's fortifications were extensive. Archaeological excavations reveal massive walls from various periods—Solomon's, Hezekiah's, and others. The Broad Wall (Nehemiah 3:8, 12:38) was over 20 feet thick in places. But 2 Kings 25:10 records: 'all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.' Jeremiah 52:14 confirms this. The deliberate, systematic destruction fulfilled God's stated purpose. He wasn't reacting emotionally but executing predetermined judgment (Jeremiah 25:8-11). The measuring line imagery appears in Zechariah 2:1-2 in reverse—measuring to rebuild Jerusalem. Just as God deliberately destroyed, He would deliberately restore. The theological point: nothing happens randomly. God's sovereignty extends to both judgment and restoration. Even destruction serves His ultimate purposes.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God 'purposing' and 'stretching out a line' for destruction demonstrate that judgment isn't impulsive anger but deliberate justice?
- What does it mean that even walls and ramparts 'lament,' and how does this relate to creation groaning under sin's effects (Romans 8:22)?
- How does God's deliberate destruction in judgment give confidence that He will equally deliberate in fulfilling promises of restoration?
Analysis & Commentary
God's determined judgment: "The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion" (chashav YHWH lehashkhit chomat bat-Tsiyon). The verb chashav (חָשַׁב, "purposed, planned, devised") shows deliberate divine intention, not impulsive anger. "He hath stretched out a line" (natah kav)—builders used measuring lines for construction; here God uses one for demolition, ironically reversing creation. Isaiah 34:11 and 2 Kings 21:13 use similar imagery. "He hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying" (lo-heshiv yado mi-bale)—God's hand, once stretched out to build (Psalm 127:1), now to destroy (Isaiah 5:25). "Therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they are languished together" (vaye'evel chel vechomah yachdav umlalu). Walls personified as lamenting demonstrates creation itself mourning when God's purposes are thwarted. Romans 8:22 shows creation groaning under sin's curse. The phrase "languished together" (yachdav umlalu) indicates comprehensive ruin—both outer rampart and inner wall collapse simultaneously.