Lamentations 4:17

¹⁵ They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

¹⁶ The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

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.

¹⁸ They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

¹⁹ Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: 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.
KJV: 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.
WEB: Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
ASV: Our eyes do yet fail [in looking] for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
DARBY: Our eyes still failed for our vain help; in our watching, we have watched for a nation that did not save.
BLB: Again our eyes came to an end, for our helper in vain; in our keeping watch we watched for a nation [that] could not save [us].

ÅB: Da det[^2] enda sto, stirret våre matte øyne forgjeves etter hjelp; på vårt vakttårn speidet vi etter et folk som ikke kunne frelse oss[^3].
OTB: Våre øyne sviktet, forgjeves lette vi etter hjelp; fra vårt vakttårn så vi etter en nasjon som ikke kunne frelse oss.
B1930: Da det ennu stod, stirret våre matte øine forgjeves efter hjelp; på vårt vakttårn speidet vi efter et folk som ikke kunde frelse oss. / < d.e. Jerusalem.> / < d.e. egypterne. JES 30, 5. 7. JER 37, 5-8.>

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Ezekiel 29:16
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Read in context
Isaiah 20:5
And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
Read in context
2 Kings 24:7
And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
Read in context
Jeremiah 2:36
Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
Read in context
Lamentations 1:7
Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
Read in context
Ezekiel 29:6–7
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
Read in context
Lamentations 1:19
I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.
Read in context
Jeremiah 8:20
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
Read in context