Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? New Living Translation What can I say about you? Who has ever seen such sorrow? O daughter of Jerusalem, to what can I compare your anguish? O virgin daughter of Zion, how can I comfort you? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? English Standard Version What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you? Berean Standard Bible What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? Berean Literal Bible What can I say about you; to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you that I might comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your brokenness is as great as the sea—who can bring healing to you? King James Bible What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? New King James Version How shall I console you? To what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare with you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is spread wide as the sea; Who can heal you? New American Standard Bible How shall I admonish you? What shall I compare to you, Daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I liken to you as I comfort you, Virgin daughter of Zion? For your collapse is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? NASB 1995 How shall I admonish you? To what shall I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? NASB 1977 How shall I admonish you? To what shall I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? Legacy Standard Bible What shall I testify about you? To what shall I equate you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your destruction is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? Amplified Bible How shall I console you? To what shall I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? With what shall I compare you, so that I may comfort you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea; Who can heal you? Berean Annotated Bible What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem (city of peace)? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? Christian Standard Bible What can I say on your behalf? What can I compare you to, Daughter Jerusalem? What can I liken you to, so that I may console you, Virgin Daughter Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea. Who can heal you? Holman Christian Standard Bible What can I say on your behalf? What can I compare you to, Daughter Jerusalem? What can I liken you to, so that I may console you, Virgin Daughter Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea. Who can heal you? American Standard Version What shall I testify unto thee? what shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? Contemporary English Version Zion, how can I comfort you? How great is your pain? Lovely city of Jerusalem, how can I heal your wounds, gaping as wide as the sea? English Revised Version What shall I testify unto thee? what shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? GOD'S WORD® Translation "What example can I give you? What parallel can I show you, people of Jerusalem? What comparison can I make that will comfort you, beloved people of Zion? Your wounds are as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? Good News Translation O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say? How can I comfort you? No one has ever suffered like this. Your disaster is boundless as the ocean; there is no possible hope. International Standard Version What can be said about you? To what should you be compared, fair Jerusalem? To what may I liken you, so I may comfort you, fair one of Zion? Indeed, your wound is as deep as the sea— who can heal you? NET Bible With what can I equate you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you so that I might comfort you, O Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? New Heart English Bible What shall I testify of you? What shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is great like the sea. Who can heal you? Webster's Bible Translation What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleWhat can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? World English Bible What shall I testify to you? What shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is as big as the sea. Who can heal you? Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionWhat do I testify [to] you, what do I liken to you, "" O daughter of Jerusalem? What do I equal to you, and I comfort you, "" O virgin daughter of Zion? For great as a sea [is] your breach, "" Who gives healing to you? Berean Literal Bible What can I say about you; to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you that I might comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your brokenness is as great as the sea—who can bring healing to you? Young's Literal Translation What do I testify to thee, what do I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What do I equal to thee, and I comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For great as a sea is thy breach, Who doth give healing to thee? Smith's Literal Translation What shall I testify for thee? What shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to thee, and comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for great as the sea thy breaking: who shall heal for thee? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleMem. To what shall I compare thee? or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? to what shall I equal thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? for great as the sea is thy destruction: who shall heal thee? Catholic Public Domain Version MEM. To what shall I compare you, or to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, so as to console you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your destruction is as great as the sea. Who will cure you? New American Bible To what can I compare you —to what can I liken you— O daughter Jerusalem? What example can I give in order to comfort you, virgin daughter Zion? For your breach is vast as the sea; who could heal you? New Revised Standard Version What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin; who can heal you? Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleWhat thing shall I testify for you, and to whom shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? Whom can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is great like the sea; who can stop it? Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Mem What shall I testify to you, and to whom shall I liken you, daughter of Jerusalem? With whom shall I compare you and comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion, for your breach is great as the sea? Who shall close it up? OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917What shall I take to witness for thee? What shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea; Who can heal thee? Brenton Septuagint Translation MEM. What shall I testify to thee, or what shall I compare to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? who shall save and comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? for the cup of thy destruction is enlarged: who shall heal thee? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God's Anger over Jerusalem…12They cry out to their mothers: “Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers. 13What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? 14The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.… Cross References What can I say for you? Matthew 23:37-38 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! / Look, your house is left to you desolate. Luke 19:41-44 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. … Luke 23:28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? Mark 4:30 Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? Isaiah 40:18 To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him? Ezekiel 27:32 As they wail and mourn over you, they will take up a lament for you: ‘Who was ever like Tyre, silenced in the middle of the sea? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? Isaiah 40:1-2 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. / “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song. Isaiah 61:2-3 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, / to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. For your wound is as deep as the sea. Jeremiah 15:18 Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there. Jeremiah 30:12-15 For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous. / There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you. / All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins. … Nahum 3:19 There is no healing for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news of you applaud your downfall, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? Who can ever heal you? Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. Jeremiah 46:11 Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing. Jeremiah 14:17 You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound. Treasury of Scripture What thing shall I take to witness for you? what thing shall I liken to you, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? for your breach is great like the sea: who can heal you? shall I take Lamentations 1:12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Daniel 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. for 2 Samuel 5:20 And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim. Psalm 60:2 Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. Jeremiah 14:17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow. who can Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Jeremiah 30:12-15 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous… Jeremiah 51:8,9 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed… Jump to Previous Admonish Breach Comfort Compare Comparison Daughter Destruction Equal Example Great Heal Jerusalem Liken Restore Ruin Sea Testify Vast Virgin Witness Wound ZionJump to Next Admonish Breach Comfort Compare Comparison Daughter Destruction Equal Example Great Heal Jerusalem Liken Restore Ruin Sea Testify Vast Virgin Witness Wound ZionLamentations 2 1. Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem20. He complains thereof to God What can I say for you? This phrase reflects the prophet Jeremiah's deep sorrow and empathy for Jerusalem. It indicates a moment of profound grief where words seem inadequate. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," often expressed his lament for the people of Judah, who faced the consequences of their disobedience to God. This rhetorical question underscores the depth of the city's suffering and the prophet's struggle to find words of comfort. To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? Persons / Places / Events 1. Daughter of JerusalemA poetic term referring to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, often used to personify the city itself. 2. Virgin Daughter of Zion Another term for Jerusalem, emphasizing purity and the city's special status before God. 3. Jeremiah Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, a prophet who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem. 4. Babylonian Siege The historical event leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, which is the backdrop of Lamentations. 5. The Wound Symbolic of the deep suffering and devastation experienced by Jerusalem due to the Babylonian conquest. Teaching Points The Depth of Sin's ConsequencesThe "wound as deep as the sea" illustrates the profound impact of sin and disobedience. Recognize the seriousness of sin in our lives and its potential to cause deep spiritual and emotional wounds. The Inadequacy of Human Comfort The rhetorical questions highlight the inability of human efforts to provide true comfort and healing. We must turn to God as the ultimate source of comfort and restoration. God's Compassionate Heart Despite the severity of the judgment, God's heart is still moved with compassion for His people. This encourages us to seek His mercy and grace in times of distress. Hope for Healing While the wound is deep, the question "Who can heal you?" points to God as the ultimate healer. Trust in God's power to heal and restore, no matter how deep the hurt. The Call to Repentance The devastation serves as a call to repentance and turning back to God. Reflect on areas in your life where repentance is needed and seek God's forgiveness and renewal. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Lamentations 2:13?2. How does Lamentations 2:13 illustrate the depth of Jerusalem's suffering and loss? 3. What role does divine judgment play in the context of Lamentations 2:13? 4. How can we find hope in God amidst overwhelming despair like in Lamentations? 5. How does Lamentations 2:13 connect to God's justice seen in other scriptures? 6. How can we support others experiencing deep sorrow, as seen in Lamentations 2:13? 7. How does Lamentations 2:13 reflect God's justice and mercy in times of suffering? 8. What historical events led to the lament in Lamentations 2:13? 9. How does Lamentations 2:13 challenge our understanding of divine punishment? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 2? 11. What does 'bulwark' mean in the Bible? 12. Why does Psalm 102 speak of Zion's restoration without any clear historical fulfillment during the time it was written? 13. Lamentations 5:2 depicts a Jerusalem left desolate--do archaeological findings fully align with the extent of destruction described? 14. How does the prosperity promised in Psalm 144:12-14 align with available historical and archaeological evidence about David's reign? What Does Lamentations 2:13 Mean What can I say for you?• The prophet is stunned into near silence. When the living God judges, words fail (cf. Job 2:13; Habakkuk 3:16). • His inability to speak underscores the truth that the devastation Jerusalem faces is not exaggeration; it is the literal outworking of covenant warnings like Leviticus 26:31-33. • Even heartfelt human sympathy seems small beside divine wrath. Only the Spirit can supply words in such moments (Romans 8:26). To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? • Jerusalem’s ruin is unparalleled among the nations—because her privileges were unparalleled (Amos 3:2; Deuteronomy 7:6-8). • “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?” (Lamentations 1:12) shows that no historical analogy adequately captures her fall. • When God’s chosen city is laid low, it signals how seriously He regards both sin and covenant promises (2 Chronicles 36:15-17). To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? • The title “Virgin” recalls past purity and the expectation of covenant faithfulness (Jeremiah 18:13). The contrast with present ruin heightens grief. • No ordinary comparison can soften the blow. Calamities listed in Isaiah 51:19—famine, sword, ruin—have converged, leaving no earthly comforter (Jeremiah 14:17). • True consolation will require more than kind words; it will require divine intervention (Isaiah 40:1-2). For your wound is as deep as the sea. • Depth pictures severity and unsearchable extent (Psalm 130:1; Jonah 2:3-5). • The wound is moral and physical: sin against the Lord (Jeremiah 30:12-14) and the resulting siege, starvation, and slaughter (Lamentations 2:20-21). • Like the sea, the pain seems boundless, humanly unmeasurable—an honest assessment of what rebellion costs (Isaiah 1:5-6). Who can ever heal you? • No human counselor, army, or physician can mend such a breach (Psalm 60:2). • Yet the question invites hope: the Lord Himself promises, “I will restore health to you and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30:17). • Ultimately, Christ embodies that promise: “He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted” (Luke 4:18; cf. 1 Peter 2:24). • The same God who judged will also redeem, proving both His justice and His steadfast love (Hosea 6:1-2). summary Lamentations 2:13 layers five vivid statements to convey Jerusalem’s utter desolation: speechless sorrow, incomparable loss, inconsolable grief, unfathomable wounds, and apparent hopelessness. Yet each line also hints at the only true remedy—God Himself. When sin’s depth is faced honestly, the way is cleared to seek the only Physician able to heal wounds “as deep as the sea,” the Lord who judges and then restores. (13) What thing shall I take to witness . . .--Practically the question is the same as that which follows, and implies that there was no parallel to the sufferings of Zion in the history of the past. Had there been, and had it been surmounted, it might have been cited in evidence, and some consolation might have been derived from it. As it was there was no such parallel, no such witness. Her "breach," i.e., her ruin, was illimitable as the ocean, and therefore irremediable.Verse 13. - What thing shall I take to witness for thee? rather, What shall I testify unto thee? The nature, of the testifying may be gathered from the following words. It would be a comfort to Zion to know that her misfortune was not unparalleled: solamen miseris socios habuisse malorum. The expression is odd, however, and, comparing Isaiah 40:18, A. Krochmal has suggested, What shall I compare? The correction is easy. Equal; i.e. compare (comp. Isaiah 46:5)Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Whatמָֽה־ (māh-) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what can I say for you? אֲעִידֵ֞ךְ (’ă·‘î·ḏêḵ) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular Strong's 5749: To duplicate, repeat, to protest, testify, to encompass, restore To לָּ֗ךְ (lāḵ) Preposition | second person feminine singular Strong's Hebrew what מָ֣ה (māh) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what can I compare you, אֲדַמֶּה־ (’ă·ḏam·meh-) Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 1819: To compare, to resemble, liken, consider O daughter הַבַּת֙ (hab·baṯ) Article | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1323: A daughter of Jerusalem? יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (yə·rū·šā·lim) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel To לָּךְ֙ (lāḵ) Preposition | second person feminine singular Strong's Hebrew what מָ֤ה (māh) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what can I liken you, אַשְׁוֶה־ (’aš·weh-) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 7737: To level, equalize, to resemble, to adjust that I may console you, וַאֲנַֽחֲמֵ֔ךְ (wa·’ă·na·ḥă·mêḵ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular | second person feminine singular Strong's 5162: To sigh, breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, console, rue, to avenge O virgin בְּתוּלַ֖ת (bə·ṯū·laṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1330: A virgin, sometimes, a bride Daughter בַּת־ (baṯ-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1323: A daughter of Zion? צִיּ֑וֹן (ṣî·yō·wn) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 6726: Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem For כִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction your wound שִׁבְרֵ֖ךְ (šiḇ·rêḵ) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 7667: A breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash is as deep גָד֥וֹל (ḡā·ḏō·wl) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent as the sea. כַּיָּ֛ם (kay·yām) Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin Who מִ֥י (mî) Interrogative Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix can ever heal you? יִרְפָּא־ (yir·pā-) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7495: To mend, to cure Links Lamentations 2:13 NIVLamentations 2:13 NLT Lamentations 2:13 ESV Lamentations 2:13 NASB Lamentations 2:13 KJV Lamentations 2:13 BibleApps.com Lamentations 2:13 Biblia Paralela Lamentations 2:13 Chinese Bible Lamentations 2:13 French Bible Lamentations 2:13 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:13 What shall I testify to you? What (Lam. La Lm) |
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