Lamentations 4:17

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.

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.

Berean Standard 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.

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.

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

¹³ This happened because the prophets of Jerusalem sinned. This happened because the priests of Jerusalem did evil things. They were shedding the blood of good people in the city of Jerusalem. ¹⁴ The prophets and priests walked around like blind men in the streets. They had become dirty with blood. No one could even touch their clothes because they were dirty. ¹⁵ People shouted, "Go away! Go away! Don't touch us." They wandered around and had no home. People in other nations said, "We don't want them to live with us." ¹⁶ The Lord himself destroyed them. He didn't look after them anymore. He didn't respect the priests. He was not friendly to the elders of Judah. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Our enemies hunted us all the time. We could not even go out into the streets. Our end came near. Our time was up. Our end came! ¹⁹ The men who chased us were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us into the mountains. They hid in the desert to catch us. ²⁰ The king was very important to us. He was like the breath we breathe, but he was trapped by them. The Lord himself chose the king, and we said this about the king, "We will live in his shadow. He protects us from 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 5:18
After Jared was 162 years old, he had a son named Enoch.

Genesis 5:22
After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:4
Then the people said, "Let's build ourselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will be famous. This will keep us together so that we will not be scattered all over the earth."

2 Samuel 18:18
While Absalom was alive he put up a memorial stone in King's Valley. He said, "I have no son to keep my name alive." So he named that monument after himself. It is called "Absalom's Monument" even today.

Psalms 49:11
The grave will be their new home forever. And how much land they owned will not make any difference.

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.