Lamentations 1:4
New International Version
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish.

New Living Translation
The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals. The city gates are silent, her priests groan, her young women are crying— how bitter is her fate!

English Standard Version
The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly.

Berean Standard Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.

King James Bible
The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

New King James Version
The roads to Zion mourn Because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted, And she is in bitterness.

New American Standard Bible
The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to an appointed feast. All her gates are deserted; Her priests groan, Her virgins are worried, And as for Zion herself, it is bitter for her.

NASB 1995
The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are afflicted, And she herself is bitter.

NASB 1977
The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are afflicted, And she herself is bitter.

Legacy Standard Bible
The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed times. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are sighing, Her virgins are grieving, And she herself is bitter.

Amplified Bible
The roads to Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are grieved and suffering, And she suffers bitterly.

Christian Standard Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the appointed festivals. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she herself is bitter.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the appointed festivals. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she herself is bitter.

American Standard Version
The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Daleth The ways of Zion are in mourning for lack of those coming to the feast. All her gates are deserted, and her Priests groan, and her virgins are humiliated, and she has made herself bitter

Brenton Septuagint Translation
DALETH. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the feast: all her gates are ruined: her priests groan, her virgins are led captive, and she is in bitterness in herself.

Contemporary English Version
The roads to Zion mourn because no one travels there to celebrate the festivals. The city gates are deserted; priests are weeping. Young women are raped; Zion is in sorrow!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Daleth. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast: all her gates are broken down: her priests sigh: her virgins are in affliction, and she is oppressed with bitterness.

English Revised Version
The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; all her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The roads to Zion are deserted. No one comes to the annual festivals. No one passes through any of its gates. Its priests are groaning. Its young women are made to suffer. Zion is bitter.

Good News Translation
No one comes to the Temple now to worship on the holy days. The young women who sang there suffer, and the priests can only groan. The city gates stand empty, and Zion is in agony.

International Standard Version
The roads that lead to Zion are in mourning, because no one travels to the festivals. All her gates are desolate; her priests are moaning. Her young women are grieving, and she is bitter.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The ways of Zion do mourn, Because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, Her priests sigh; Her virgins are afflicted, And she herself is in bitterness.

Literal Standard Version
The ways of Zion are mourning, | Without any coming at the appointed time, | All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, | Her virgins are afflicted—and she has bitterness.

Majority Standard Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.

New American Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, empty of pilgrims to her feasts. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, Her young women grieve; her lot is bitter.

NET Bible
The roads to Zion mourn because no one travels to the festivals. All her city gates are deserted; her priests groan. Her virgins grieve; she is in bitter anguish!

New Revised Standard Version
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter.

New Heart English Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan: her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Webster's Bible Translation
The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

World English Bible
The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly. All her gates are desolate. Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Young's Literal Translation
The ways of Zion are mourning, Without any coming at the appointed time, All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted -- and she hath bitterness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
How Lonely Lies the City
3Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. 4The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish. 5Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.…

Cross References
Isaiah 3:26
And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.

Isaiah 24:4
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.

Jeremiah 9:11
"And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

Jeremiah 10:22
Listen! The sound of a report is coming--a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals.

Lamentations 1:21
People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that You have caused it. May You bring the day You have announced, so that they may become like me.

Lamentations 2:6
He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and priest.

Lamentations 2:7
The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.


Treasury of Scripture

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

ways

Lamentations 2:6,7
And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest…

Lamentations 5:13
They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.

Isaiah 24:4-6
The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish…

all her gates

Lamentations 2:9
Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:11
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

Jeremiah 10:22
Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

her priests

Lamentations 1:11,12,18-20
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile…

Lamentations 2:10,11,19-21
The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground…

Isaiah 32:9-14
Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech…

Jump to Previous
Afflicted Anguish Appointed Assembly Bitter Bitterly Bitterness Breathing Desolate Doorways Dragged Feasts Gates Gateways Grieve Groan Groaning Herself Holy Maidens Meeting Mourn Mourning Priests Roads Sad Sigh Solemn Sorrow Suffers Time Troubled Virgins Waste Ways Zion
Jump to Next
Afflicted Anguish Appointed Assembly Bitter Bitterly Bitterness Breathing Desolate Doorways Dragged Feasts Gates Gateways Grieve Groan Groaning Herself Holy Maidens Meeting Mourn Mourning Priests Roads Sad Sigh Solemn Sorrow Suffers Time Troubled Virgins Waste Ways Zion
Lamentations 1
1. The miseries of Jerusalem and of the Jews lamented
12. The attention of beholders demanded to this unprecedented case
18. The justice of God acknowledged, and his mercy supplicated.














(4) The ways of Zion do mourn.--The words paint what we may call the religious desolation of Jerusalem. The roads leading to it, the "gates" by which it was entered, were no longer thronged with pilgrims and worshippers. "Virgins" are joined with "priests" as taking part in the hymns and rejoicing processions of the great festivals (Exodus 15:20; Psalm 68:25; Judges 21:19-21; Jeremiah 31:13).

Verse 4. - The ways of Zion do mourn. The reads leading to Jerusalem, usually so thronged with pilgrims, are desolate and "mourn" (comp. ch. 2:8 and Isaiah 3:26; Isaiah 14:31). All her gates are desolate. No one goes in or out of Jerusalem, and there is no concourse of citizens in the shady recess of the gates. The virgins are afflicted. So Zephaniah 3:18. The sorrow was on account of the cessation of the festival, in the music of which they took a leading part (comp. Psalm 68:25).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The roads
דַּרְכֵ֨י (dar·ḵê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

to Zion
צִיּ֜וֹן (ṣî·yō·wn)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6726: Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem

mourn,
אֲבֵל֗וֹת (’ă·ḇê·lō·wṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 57: Lamenting

because no one
מִבְּלִי֙ (mib·bə·lî)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 1097: Failure, nothing, destruction, without, not yet, because not, as long as

comes
בָּאֵ֣י (bā·’ê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to her appointed feasts.
מוֹעֵ֔ד (mō·w·‘êḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4150: Appointed time, place, or meeting

All
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

her gates
שְׁעָרֶ֙יהָ֙ (šə·‘ā·re·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

are deserted;
שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין (šō·w·mê·mîn)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 8074: To stun, devastate, stupefy

her priests
כֹּהֲנֶ֖יהָ (kō·hă·ne·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

groan,
נֶאֱנָחִ֑ים (ne·’ĕ·nā·ḥîm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 584: To sigh, groan

her maidens
בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥יהָ (bə·ṯū·lō·ṯe·hā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1330: A virgin, sometimes, a bride

grieve,
נּוּג֖וֹת‪‬ (nū·ḡō·wṯ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 3013: To grieve

and she herself
וְהִ֥יא (wə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is bitter with anguish.
מַר־ (mar-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4751: Bitter, bitterness, bitterly


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 1:4 The ways of Zion do mourn because (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 1:3
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