Lamentations 2:16

Green's Literal Translation

All your enemies have opened their mouth against you; they hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed up. Surely this is the day for which we waited; we have found; we have seen.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All your enemiesopen their mouths against you.They hiss and gnash their teeth,saying, “We have swallowed her up.This is the day we have waited for!We have lived to see it.”

Hebrew Names Version
All your enemies have opened their mouth wide against you; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

King James Version
All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

English Standard Version
All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!"

New American Standard Bible
All your enemies Have opened their mouths wide against you; They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, "We have engulfed her! This certainly is the day which we awaited; We have reached it, we have seen it!"

New Century Version
All your enemies open their mouths to speak against you. They make fun and grind their teeth in anger. They say, "We have swallowed you up. This is the day we were waiting for! We have finally seen it happen."

Amplified Bible
All your enemies Have opened their mouths wide against you; They [scornfully] hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, "We have swallowed her up! Certainly this is the day for which we waited; We have reached it, we have seen it!"

World English Bible
All your enemies have opened their mouth wide against you; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All thine enemies haue opened their mouth against thee: they hisse and gnashe the teeth, saying, Let vs deuoure it: certainely this is the day that we looked for: we haue founde and seene it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All your enemies Have opened their mouths wide against you; They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, "We have swallowed her up! Surely this is the day for which we waited; We have reached it, we have seen it."

Legacy Standard Bible
All your enemiesHave opened their mouths wide against you;They hiss and gnash their teeth.They say, "We have swallowed her up!Surely this is the day for which we have hoped;We have found it, we have seen it."

Berean Standard Bible
All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, "We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see it!"

Contemporary English Version
Zion, your enemies curse you and snarl like wild animals, while shouting, "This is the day we've waited for! At last, we've got you!"

Complete Jewish Bible
All your adversaries open their mouths to jeer at you. They hiss, they grind their teeth; they say, "We have swallowed her up! This is the day we were waiting for, and now we have lived to see it!"

Darby Translation
All thine enemies open their mouth against thee, they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed [her] up; this is forsooth the day that we looked for: we have found, we have seen [it].

Easy-to-Read Version
All your enemies laugh at you. They whistle and grind their teeth at you. They say, "We have swallowed them up! This is the day we were hoping for. We have finally seen this happen!"

George Lamsa Translation
The LORD has done that which he had devised; he has fulfilled his word as he had commanded in the days of old; he has thrown her down without pity, he has caused your enemies to rejoice over you, he has given might to your oppressors.

Good News Translation
All your enemies mock you and glare at you with hate. They curl their lips and sneer, "We have destroyed it! This is the day we have waited for!"

Lexham English Bible
They have opened their mouths against you, all your enemies. They hiss and gnash a tooth, and they say, "We have destroyed her! Surely this is the day we have hoped for; we have found it, we have seen it!"

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All thine enemies gape vpon the, whisperinge and bytinge their teth, sayenge: let vs deuoure, for the tyme that we loked for, is come: we haue founde and sene it.

American Standard Version
All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

Bible in Basic English
All your haters are opening their mouths wide against you; making hisses and whistling through their teeth, they say, We have made a meal of her: certainly this is the day we have been looking for; it has come, we have seen it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; they hiss and gnash the teeth; they say: 'We have swallowed her up; certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.'

King James Version (1611)
All thine enemies haue opened their mouth against thee: they hisse and gnash the teeth: they say, We haue swallowed her vp: certainly this is the day that we looked for: we haue found, we haue seene it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All thyne enemies gape vpon thee, whispering and grinding their teeth, saying: let vs deuour, for the tyme that we looked for is come, we haue founde and seene it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
AIN. All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they have hissed and gnashed their teeth, and said, We have swallowed her up: moreover this is the day which we looked for; we have found it, we have seen it.

English Revised Version
All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; they hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ayn. Alle thin enemyes openyden her mouth on thee; thei hissiden, and gnaistiden with her teeth, and seiden, We schulen deuoure; lo! this is the dai which we abididen, we founden, we sien.

Update Bible Version
All your enemies have opened their mouth wide against you; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed [her] up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

Webster's Bible Translation
All thy enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed [her] up: certainly this [is] the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen [it].

New English Translation

פ (Pe)

All your enemies gloated over you. They sneered and gnashed their teeth; they said, "We have destroyed her! Ha! We have waited a long time for this day. We have lived to see it!"

New King James Version
All your enemies have opened their mouth against you; They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, "We have swallowed her up! Surely this is the day we have waited for; We have found it, we have seen it!|"

New Living Translation
All your enemies mock you. They scoff and snarl and say, "We have destroyed her at last! We have long waited for this day, and it is finally here!"

New Life Bible
All who hate you have opened their mouths wide against you. They make fun of you and grind their teeth and say, "We have destroyed her! For sure this is the day we have waited for! We have lived to see it!"

New Revised Standard
All your enemies open their mouths against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have devoured her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; at last we have seen it!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All thy foes, have opened wide, over thee their mouth, They have hissed, and gnashed their teeth, They have said - We have swallowed her up! Surely, this, is the day for which we have waited, We have found! We have seen!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Phe. All thy enemies have opened their month against thee: they have hissed, and gnashed with the teeth, and have said: We will swallow her up: lo, this is the day which we looked for: we have found it, we have seen it.

Revised Standard Version
All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: "We have destroyed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!"

Young's Literal Translation
Opened against thee their mouth have all thine enemies, They have hissed, yea, they gnash the teeth, They have said: `We have swallowed [her] up, Surely this [is] the day that we looked for, We have found -- we have seen.'

THE MESSAGE
But now your enemies gape, slack-jawed. Then they rub their hands in glee: "We've got them! We've been waiting for this! Here it is!"

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ They sit on the ground; the elders of Zion's daughters are silent. They make dust go up on their heads, they gird on sack cloths. The virgins of Jerusalem let their heads go down to the ground. ¹¹ And my eyes are at an end with tears, my inward parts ferment; my liver is poured on the ground for the ruin of the daughter of my people; in the fainting of children and sucklings in the city's plazas. ¹² They say to their mothers, Where are grain and wine? In their fainting, they are like the wounded in the plazas of the city, in their pouring out their lives to their mothers' bosom. ¹³ What can I testify for you? To what will I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your crushing is great like the sea! Who can heal you? ¹⁴ Your prophets have seen false and foolish things for you; and they have not revealed your iniquity in order to turn back your captivity. Yea, they visioned for you burdens of falsehood and seductions. ¹⁵ All who pass by clap their hands at you. They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city which they called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth? ¹⁶ All your enemies have opened their mouth against you; they hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed up. Surely this is the day for which we waited; we have found; we have seen. ¹⁷ Jehovah has done what He purposed; He fulfilled His Word which He commanded from days of antiquity. He has dashed and not pitied. And He made the enemy to rejoice over you; He raised the horn of your foes. ¹⁸ Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears go down like a torrent by day and by night; do not give relief to yourself; let not the daughter of your eye rest. ¹⁹ Rise up, cry out in the night at the head of the watches; pour out your heart like waters before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your children faint with hunger at the head of every open place.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thine: Lamentations 3:46, Job 16:9, Job 16:10, Psalms 22:13, Psalms 35:21, Psalms 109:2

gnash: Psalms 35:16, Psalms 37:12, Psalms 112:10, Acts 7:54

We have swallowed: Psalms 56:2, Psalms 57:3, Psalms 124:3, Isaiah 49:19, Jeremiah 50:7, Jeremiah 50:17, Jeremiah 51:34, Ezekiel 25:3, Ezekiel 25:6, Ezekiel 25:15, Ezekiel 36:3, Hosea 8:8, Zephaniah 2:8-10

we have seen: Psalms 35:21, Psalms 41:8, Obadiah 1:12-16

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 20:19 - swallow 1 Kings 9:7 - and Israel 1 Kings 9:9 - Because 2 Chronicles 7:20 - a proverb 2 Chronicles 7:22 - Because they forsook Job 5:5 - swalloweth Job 20:18 - swallow Psalms 35:25 - We have Psalms 56:1 - swallow Psalms 74:23 - tumult Psalms 79:4 - become Psalms 137:3 - For there Proverbs 1:12 - swallow Isaiah 57:4 - draw Jeremiah 15:5 - For who Jeremiah 18:16 - a perpetual Jeremiah 19:8 - General Jeremiah 29:18 - to be a curse Jeremiah 33:24 - thus Jeremiah 44:8 - a curse Jeremiah 44:22 - your land Jeremiah 49:17 - shall hiss Jeremiah 50:11 - ye were Jeremiah 50:13 - every Jeremiah 51:37 - an hissing Lamentations 1:7 - the adversaries Lamentations 2:15 - they Ezekiel 20:48 - General Ezekiel 22:4 - have I Ezekiel 23:32 - thou shalt be Ezekiel 24:10 - spice Daniel 9:16 - Jerusalem Micah 4:11 - many Habakkuk 1:15 - therefore Zechariah 8:13 - a curse Romans 2:24 - the name

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God completed His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground Jehovah God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the middle of the garden; also the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold! Obeying is better than sacrifice; to give attention is better than the fat of rams.

1 Timothy 4:4
Because every creature of God is good, and nothing to be thrust away, but having been received with thanksgiving;

1 Timothy 6:17
Charge the rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to set hope on the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, the One offering to us richly all things for enjoyment;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee,.... Or "widened" x them; stretched them out as far as they could, to reproach, blaspheme, and insult; or, like gaping beasts, to swallow up and devour:

they hiss and gnash their teeth; hiss like serpents, and gnash their teeth in wrath and fury; all expressing their extreme hatred and abhorrence of the Jews, and the delight they took in their ruin and destruction:

they say, we have swallowed [her] up; all her wealth and riches were corns into their hands, and were all their own; as well as they thought these were all their own doings, owing to their wisdom and skill, courage and strength; not seeing and knowing the hand of God in all this. These words seem to be the words of the Chaldeans particularly:

certainly this [is] the day that we have looked for; we have found, we have seen [it]: this day of Jerusalem's destruction, which they had long looked for, and earnestly desired; and now it was come; and they had what they so much wished for; and express it with the utmost pleasure. In this verse the order of the alphabet is not observed the letter פ, "pe", being set before the letter ע, "ain", which should be first, according to the constant order of the alphabet; and which was so before the times of Jeremiah, even in David's time, as appears by the ninety ninth Psalm, and others. Grotius thinks it is after the manner of the Chaldeans; but the order of the Hebrew and Chaldee alphabets is the same Dr Lightfoot thinks y the prophet, by this charge, hints at the seventy years that Jerusalem should be desolate, which were now begun; the letter ע, "ain", in numbers, denoting seventy. So Mr. Bedford z, who observes, that the transposition of these letters seems to show the confusion in which the prophet was, when he considered that this captivity should last seventy years. Jarchi a says one is put before the other, because they spoke with their mouths what they saw not with their eyes; "pe" signifying the mouth, and "ain" an eye.

x פצו "dilatant", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. y Vol. 1. p. 129. z Scripture Chronology, p. 685. a E Talmud Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 104. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seen it - Omit “it.” The intensity of the enemy’s exultation is shown by the heaping up of unconnected words. We have found what we sought, have seen what we looked for.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. This is the day that we looked for — Jerusalem was the envy of the surrounding nations: they longed for its destruction, and rejoiced when it took place.