Lamentations 4:17

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All the while our eyes were failingas we looked in vain for help;we watched from our towersfor a nation that would not save us.

Hebrew Names Version
Our eyes do yet fail [in looking] for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

King James Version
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

English Standard Version
Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save.

New American Standard Bible
Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; At our observation point we have watched For a nation that could not save.

New Century Version
Also, our eyes grew tired, looking for help that never came. We kept watch from our towers for a nation to save us.

Amplified Bible
[And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.

World English Bible
Our eyes do yet fail [in looking] for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Whiles we waited for our vaine helpe, our eyes failed: for in our waiting we looked for a nation that could not saue vs.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet our eyes were spent,Looking for help was vanity;In our watching we have watchedFor a nation that could not save.

Contemporary English Version
Our eyes became weary, hopelessly looking for help from a nation that could not save us.

Complete Jewish Bible
As for us, our eyes are worn out from looking in vain for help; we kept on watching and watching for a nation that couldn't save us.

Darby Translation
Our eyes still failed for our vain help; in our watching, we have watched for a nation that did not save.

Easy-to-Read Version
We have worn out our eyes looking for help, but no help comes. We kept on looking for a nation to save us. We kept watch from our watchtower, but no nation came to us.

George Lamsa Translation
The presence of the LORD has divided them; he will no more regard them; they did not respect the persons of priests, they did not have compassion on the elders.

Good News Translation
For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer. We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

Lexham English Bible
Still our eyes failed, looking for our help in vain; in our watchtower, we kept watch for a nation that could not save.

Literal Translation
While here we are, our eyes fail for our vain help. In our watching, we have watched for a nation; it does not save.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore yet oure eyes fayle vs, whyle we loke for vayne helpe: seynge we be euer waitynge vpon a people, that can do vs no good,

American Standard Version
Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Bible in Basic English
Our eyes are still wasting away in looking for our false help: we have been watching for a nation unable to give salvation.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
As for us, our eyes do yet fail for our vain help; in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

King James Version (1611)
As for vs, our eyes as yet failed for our vaine helpe: in our watching we haue watched for a nation that could not saue vs.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherefore yet our eyes fayled vs, whyles we looked for our vayne helpe, seeing we euer wayted vpon a people that coulde do vs no good.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
PHE. While we yet lived our eyes failed, while we looked in vain for our help. TSADE. We looked to a nation that could not save.

English Revised Version
Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help; in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Phe. The while we stoden yit, oure iyen failiden to oure veyn help; whanne we bihelden ententif to a folc, that myyte not saue vs.

Update Bible Version
Our eyes do yet fail [in looking] for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Webster's Bible Translation
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation [that] could not save [us].

New English Translation

ע (Ayin)

Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.

New King James Version
Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.

New Living Translation
We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could not help us.

New Life Bible
Our eyes have become weak in looking for help that did not come. In our watching we have waited for a nation that was not able to save us.

New Revised Standard
Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; we were watching eagerly for a nation that could not save.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Silly shall our eyes fail, for our help that is vain: In our watchtower, have we watched - for a nation that will not save.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Ain. While we were yet standing, our eyes failed, expecting help for us in vain, when we looked attentively towards a nation that was not able to save.

Revised Standard Version
Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save.

Young's Literal Translation
While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation [that] saveth not.

THE MESSAGE
We watched and watched, wore our eyes out looking for help. And nothing. We mounted our lookouts and looked for the help that never showed up.

Contextual Overview

¹³But this was for the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst. ¹⁴They wandered blind in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments. ¹⁵"Go away! Unclean!" men shouted at them. "Away, away! Do not touch us!" So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, "They can stay here no longer." ¹⁶The LORD Himself has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor, the elders find no favor. ¹⁷All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.¹⁸They stalked our every step, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come! ¹⁹Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness. ²⁰The LORD's anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, "Under his shadow we will live among the nations."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

our eyes: Lamentations 1:19, 2 Kings 24:7, Isaiah 20:5, Isaiah 30:1-7, Isaiah 31:1-3, Jeremiah 2:18, Jeremiah 2:36, Jeremiah 8:20, Jeremiah 37:7-10, Ezekiel 29:6, Ezekiel 29:7, Ezekiel 29:16

for a: For the Egyptians, who were their pretended allies; but who were neither able nor willing to help them.

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:32 - fail 2 Kings 16:7 - and save Job 11:20 - the eyes Job 17:5 - the eyes Job 31:16 - the eyes Psalms 31:9 - mine Psalms 108:12 - for vain Psalms 119:123 - General Isaiah 38:14 - mine eyes Jeremiah 4:30 - in vain Jeremiah 13:16 - while Jeremiah 14:6 - their Jeremiah 14:19 - we Lamentations 1:13 - he hath spread Ezekiel 7:25 - and they Ezekiel 17:17 - shall

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:11
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 5:18
When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch.

Genesis 5:22
And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:4
"Come," they said, "let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth."

2 Samuel 18:18
During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King's Valley, for he had said, "I have no son to preserve the memory of my name." So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

Psalms 49:11
Their graves are their eternal homes-their dwellings for endless generations-even though their lands were their namesakes.

Daniel 4:30
the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help,.... Or, "while we were yet" h; a nation, a people, a body politic, in our own land, before the city of Jerusalem was taken, we were looking for help, as was promised us; but it proved a vain help, none was given us; for which we kept looking to the last, till our eyes failed, and we could look no longer; no help appeared, nor was there any prospect or probability of it, and therefore gave all up:

in our watching we watched for a nation [that] could not save [us]; not the Romans, as the Targum, but the Egyptians; these promised them help and relief, and therefore in their watching they watched, or vehemently watched, and wistfully looked out for it, but all in vain; for though these made an attempt to help them, they durst not proceed; were obliged to retire, not being a match for the Chaldean army, and so could not save them, or break up the siege, and relieve them.

h עודינה "quum adhuc essemus", Munster: Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A rapid sketch of the last days of the siege and the capture of the king.

Lamentations 4:17

Rather, “Still do our eyes waste away looking for our vain help.”

In our watching - Or, “on our watchtower.”

Lamentations 4:18

Or, They hunted “our steps that we could not go out into the streets. To hunt” means here to lie in ambush, and catch by snares; and the streets are literally “the wide places,” especially at the gates. Toward the end of the siege the towers erected by the enemy would command these places.

Lamentations 4:19

Our persecutors are ... - Our pursuers (Lamentations 1:3 note) “were swifter thorn the eagles of heaven.”

They pursued us - Or, they chased us.

Mountains ... wilderness - The route in going from Jerusalem to Jericho leads first over heights, beginning with the Mount of Olives, and then descends into the plain of the Ghor.

Lamentations 4:20

The breath of our nostrils - Zedekiah is not set before us as a vicious king, but rather as a man who had not strength enough of character to stem the evil current of his times. And now that the state was fallen he was as the very breath of life to the fugitives, who would have no rallying point without him.

In their pits - The words are metaphorical, suggesting that Zedekiah was hunted like a wild animal, and driven into the pitfall.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. We have watched for a nation — Viz., the Egyptians, who were their pretended allies, but were neither able nor willing to help them against the Chaldeans.