Lamentations 4:7

Easy-to-Read Version

Some of the men of Judah were dedicated to God in a special way. They were very pure. They were whiter than snow, and whiter than milk. Their bodies were red like coral and their beards like sapphire stones.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,whiter than milk;their bodies were more ruddy than coral,their appearance like lapis lazuli.

Hebrew Names Version
Her Nazirites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sappir.

King James Version
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:

English Standard Version
Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire.

New American Standard Bible
Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They shined more than milk; They were more ruddy in body than pearls of coral, Their form was like lapis lazuli.

New Century Version
Our princes were purer than snow, and whiter than milk. Their bodies were redder than rubies; they looked like sapphires.

Amplified Bible
Her princes were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk [in appearance]; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli (sapphire).

World English Bible
Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Her Nazarites were purer then the snowe, & whiter then ye milke: they were more ruddie in bodie, then the redde precious stones; they were like polished saphir.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than corals, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli.

Legacy Standard Bible
Her Nazirites were purer than snow;They were whiter than milk;They were more ruddy in body than corals,Their polishing was like lapis lazuli.

Berean Standard Bible
Her dignitaries were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires.

Contemporary English Version
The leaders of Jerusalem were purer than snow and whiter than milk; their bodies were healthy and glowed like jewels.

Complete Jewish Bible
Her princes were purer than snow; they were whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than pink pearls, as beautiful as sapphires.

Darby Translation
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their figure was as sapphire.

George Lamsa Translation
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; their cheeks were more ruddy than rubies, and their form more beautiful than sapphires.

Good News Translation
Our princes were undefiled and pure as snow, vigorous and strong, glowing with health.

Lexham English Bible
Her princes were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, sapphire their appearance.

Literal Translation
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were redder of bone than corals; their cuttings as azure-blue , as lapis lazuli.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Hir absteyners (or Nazarees) were whyter then ye snowe or mylke: their coloure was fresh read as the Corall, their beutie like the Saphyre.

American Standard Version
Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire.

Bible in Basic English
Her holy ones were cleaner than snow, they were whiter than milk, their bodies were redder than corals, their form was as the sapphire:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Her princes were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire;

King James Version (1611)
Her Nazarites were purer then snow, they were whiter then milke, they were more ruddie in body then rubies, their polishing was of Saphir.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Her abstayners were whyter then the snowe or milke, their colour was freshe, red as corall, their beautie like the Saphire.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
ZAIN. Her Nazarites were made purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were purified as with fire, their polishing was superior to sapphire stone.

English Revised Version
Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Zai. Nazareis therof weren whitere than snow, schynyngere than mylk; rodier than elde yuer, fairere than safire.

Update Bible Version
Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire.

Webster's Bible Translation
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing [was] of sapphire:

New English Translation

ז (Zayin)

Her consecrated ones were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies more ruddy than corals, their hair like lapis lazuli.

New King James Version
Her Nazirites [fn] were brighter than snowAnd whiter than milk;They were more ruddy in body than rubies,Like sapphire in their appearance.

New Living Translation
Our princes once glowed with health— brighter than snow, whiter than milk. Their faces were as ruddy as rubies, their appearance like fine jewels.

New Life Bible
Her religious leaders were more pure than snow. They were more white than milk. Their bodies were more red than coral. They were more beautiful than sapphire.

New Revised Standard
Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their hair like sapphire.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Purer were her Nazirites than snow, whiter were they than milk, - more ruddy, in body, than coral, A sapphire, was their beauty of form.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Zain. Her Nazarites were whiter than snow, purer than milk, more ruddy than the old ivory, fairer than the sapphire.

Revised Standard Version
Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire.

Young's Literal Translation
Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.

THE MESSAGE
The splendid and sacred nobles once glowed with health. Their bodies were robust and ruddy, their beards like carved stone.

Contextual Overview

¹ See how the gold has grown dark, how the pure gold has changed. There are jewels scattered all around at every street corner. ² The precious people of Zion were once worth more than gold. But now they are treated like something worthless, like the cheap clay jars a potter makes. ³ Even a wild dog feeds her babies. Even the jackal lets her pups suck at her breast. But the daughter of my people is cruel. She is like the ostrich in the desert that forgets its eggs in the sand. ⁴ Babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths. Young children ask for bread, but no one gives them any. ⁵ Those who ate rich food are now dying in the streets. Those who grew up wearing nice red clothes now pick through garbage piles. ⁶ The sin of the daughter of my people was very great. Their sin was greater than the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed suddenly. No human hand caused their destruction. ⁷ Some of the men of Judah were dedicated to God in a special way. They were very pure. They were whiter than snow, and whiter than milk. Their bodies were red like coral and their beards like sapphire stones. ⁸ But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one even recognizes them in the streets. Their skin is wrinkled over their bones. Their skin is like wood. ⁹ It was better for those who were killed by the sword than for those who died of hunger. Those starving people were sad and hurt. They died because they got no food from the field. ¹⁰ Then even nice women cooked their own children. The children were food for their mothers. This happened when my people were destroyed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Nazarites: Numbers 6:2-21, Judges 13:5, Judges 13:7, Judges 16:17, Amos 2:11, Amos 2:12, Luke 1:15

purer: 1 Samuel 16:12, Psalms 51:7, Psalms 144:12, Song of Solomon 5:10, Daniel 1:15

their polishing: Gizrathom rendered by Dr. Blayney, "their veining," from gazar to divide, intersect, as the blue veins do the surface of the body. This is approved by Dr. A. Clarke, who remarks, "Milk will most certainly well apply to the whiteness of the skin; the beautiful ruby to the ruddiness of the flesh; and the sapphire, in its clear, transcendent purple, to the veins in a fine complexion.

Reciprocal: Exodus 28:17 - a sardius Numbers 6:3 - General Numbers 6:5 - razor Job 2:12 - knew him Job 28:18 - rubies Lamentations 1:19 - my priests

Cross-References

Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant. And when you give birth to children, you will have much pain. You will want your husband very much, but he will rule over you."

Genesis 4:6
The Lord asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?

Genesis 4:8
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." So they went to the field. Then Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:9
Later, the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain answered, "I don't know. Is it my job to watch over my brother?"

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.

Genesis 4:12
Now when you work the soil, the ground will not help your plants grow. You will not have a home in this land. You will wander from place to place."

Genesis 4:13
Then Cain said to the Lord , "This punishment is more than I can bear!

Genesis 19:21
The angel said to Lot, "Very well, I'll let you do that. I will not destroy that town.

Numbers 32:23
But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord . And know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.

2 Samuel 24:23
O King, I give everything to you!" Araunah also said to the king, "May the Lord your God be pleased with you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Her Nazarites were purer than snow,.... Such who separated themselves by a vow to the Lord, and abstained from drinking wine and strong drink, and by a moderate diet, and often washing themselves, as well as taking great care of their hair, appeared very neat and comely, like snow, without any spot or blemish. Some think such as were separated from others in dignity, very honourable persons, the sons of nobles, are meant, since the word has the signification of a "crown", and interpret it, her princes; Jarchi makes mention of this sense, and rejects it; but it is received by many: and the meaning is, that her young noblemen, who were well fed, and neatly dressed, looked as pure and as beautiful as the driven snow:

they were whiter than milk; this intends the same thing, expressed by another metaphor:

they were more ruddy in body than rubies; or rather "than precious stones"; and particularly "than pearls", which Bochart q proves at large are designed by the word used, which are white, and not red; and the word should be rendered, "clearer" or "whiter than pearls", as it is by Lyra and others r; and the word in the Arabic language signifies white and clear s, as pearls are; and so the phrase is expressive of the beauty and comeliness of these persons: and Ludolphus t says, that in the Ethiopic language it signifies "beautiful"; and he translates the whole, "they were more beautiful than pearls"; denoting the clearness of their skins, and the goodness of their complexion:

their polishing [was] of sapphire; or "their cutting, sapphire" u; they were as beautiful as if they had been cut out of sapphire, and polished; which is a very precious stone, and looks very beautiful; so smooth were their skins. The Targum is,

"their face or countenance is as sapphire.''

Braunius w thinks the word used signifies the veins full of blood, which variously intersect the flesh like sapphirine rivers; and that the sense of the words is,

"their bodies were white like snow and milk, yea, shining like pearls (or red in the cheeks, lips, c. like coral x) veins full of blood running between like sapphire, of a most agreeable sky colour; which is, a true description of a most fair and beautiful body.''

See Song of Solomon 5:14. All this is to be understood of them before the famine, but, when that came upon them, then they were as follow:

q Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 6. p. 688. r אדמו עצם מפנינים "lucidiores corpore margaritis", Bochart; "candidi fuerunt [in] corpore prae margaritis", Noldius. s "[camelis tributum], candidus perquam albus", Giggeius;

"candidi coloris", Dorcas, Giggeius apud Golium, col. 49, 51. t Comment. in Ethiop. Hist. l. 1. No. 107. u ספיר גזרתם "sapphirus excisio eorum", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Calvin; "[quasi] sectio eorum esset ex sapphiro", Munster. w De Vestitu Sacerdot. Hebr. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 7. p. 676. x So Bootius, Animadv. l. 4. c. 3. sect. 8. p. 144. Lutherus & Osiander in ib.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Nazarites from their temperance were remarkable for health and personal beauty, besides being held in religious veneration.

Rubies - Or, corals.

Their polishing was of sapphire - Or, their shape was “a sapphire.” The allusion is no longer to color, but to form. Their shape was exact and faultless as the cutting of a precious stone.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 7. Her Nazarites were purer than snow — נזיר nazir does not always signify a person separated under a religious vow; it sometimes denotes what is chief or eminent. It is applied to Joseph, Genesis 49:26. Blayney therefore translates here, HER NOBLES.

"Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk;

They were ruddier on the bone than rubies; their veining was

the sapphires."

On which he remarks: - "In the first line the whiteness of their skin is described, and in the second, their flesh;" and as גזר gazar signifies to divide and intersect, as the blue veins do on the surface of the body, these are without doubt intended.

Milk will most certainly well apply to the whiteness of the skin; the beautiful ruby to the ruddiness of the flesh; and the sapphire, in its clear transcendent purple, to the veins in a fine complexion. The reverse of this state, as described in the following verse, needs no explanation. The face was a dismal dark brown, the flesh gone, the skin shrivelled, and apparently wrapped round the bones.