Lamentations 2:18
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Lamentations 2:18
18 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.
Chapter Context
Lamentations 2 is a funeral dirge chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of worship, faith, holiness. Written during just after Jerusalem's fall (c. 586 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Written amid the devastating aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-22: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it addresses timeless questions about faith, suffering, and divine purpose. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Lamentations and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Lamentations 2:18
18 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.
Analysis
Call to lament: "Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night" (tsa'ak libam el-Adonai chomot bat-Tsiyon horidi kha-nachal dim'ah yomam va-laylah). The personified walls are called to weep—as if even inanimate stones should mourn. "Give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease" (al-titeni fugat lakh al-tidom bat-eineikh). The "apple of the eye" (bat-ayin, literally "daughter of the eye") refers to the pupil—the most precious, protected part. The command: don't let your tears cease, don't rest from mourning. This intensity of grief demonstrates appropriate response to covenant breaking and judgment. Superficial remorse isn't enough; deep, sustained repentance is required. Joel 2:12-13 similarly calls for rending hearts, not just garments. The verse shows that genuine grief over sin and its consequences honors God rather than offends Him.
Historical Context
The call for walls to cry out employs hyperbole to express comprehensive grief. Habakkuk 2:11 similarly speaks of stones and beams crying out. The command to weep day and night, giving no rest, describes intense mourning practices. 2 Samuel 12:16-17 shows David fasting and lying on the ground for seven days when his child was dying. Nehemiah 1:4 records days of fasting and prayer upon hearing Jerusalem's ruined state. Ancient mourning could last extended periods—7 days (Genesis 50:10, 1 Samuel 31:13), 30 days (Numbers 20:29, Deuteronomy 34:8), even 70 days (Genesis 50:3). The intensity matched the loss's severity. For Jerusalem's destruction—end of temple, monarchy, and national existence—prolonged, intense mourning was fitting. This contrasts with modern tendency toward brief, controlled grief. Scripture validates deep, extended expression of pain as appropriate response to genuine tragedy.
Reflection
- What does the command to 'give thyself no rest' from weeping teach about the appropriate intensity of grief over sin and judgment?
- How do we balance prolonged mourning (as Scripture validates) with inappropriate wallowing or refusing comfort?
- In what ways does our culture's discomfort with sustained grief reflect unbiblical attitudes toward sin's seriousness and consequences?
Word Studies
- Lord: יְהוָה / אֲדֹנָי (YHWH / Adonai) H136 - The LORD / Lord
Cross-References
- References Lord: Lamentations 2:8, Psalms 119:145, Jeremiah 13:17
- Parallel theme: Lamentations 1:2, 1:16, Psalms 119:136, Jeremiah 9:1, 14:17, Hosea 7:14