Lamentations 4:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Lamentations 4:1-12

The elegy in this chapter begins with a lamentation of the very sad and doleful change which the judgments of God had made in Jerusalem. The city that was formerly as gold, as the most fine gold, so rich and splendid, the perfection of beauty and the joy of the whole earth, has become dim, and is changed, has lost its lustre, lost its value, is not what it was; it has become dross. Alas! what an alteration is here! I. The temple was laid waste, which was the glory of Jerusalem and its... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Lamentations 4:1

How is the gold become dim !.... Or "covered" F2 יועם "rubigine obducetur", Montanus; "obtectum vel absconditum", Vatablus. So Ben Melech. ; or hid with rust, dust, or dirt; so that it can scarcely be discerned: how is the most fine gold changed ! this may be literally true of the gold of the temple; and so the Targum calls it "the gold of the house of the sanctuary;' with which that was overlaid, and many things in it, 1 Kings 6:21 ; and was sadly sullied and tarnished... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Lamentations 4:1

How is the gold become dim - The prophet contrasts, in various affecting instances, the wretched circumstances of the Jewish nation, with the flourishing state of their affairs in former times. Here they are compared to gold, זהב zahab , native gold from the mine, which, contrary to its nature, is become dim, is tarnished; and even the fine, the sterling gold, כתם kethem , that which was stamped to make it current, is changed or adulterated, so as to be no longer passable. This might... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Lamentations 4:1

Verse 1 Here Jeremiah, following the order of the alphabet the fourth time, (206) deplores the ruin of the city, and the destruction of the priesthood and of the kingdom. For they are mistaken who think that the death of Josiah is here lamented; for there are here many things, which we shall see as we proceed, which do not suit that event. There is no doubt but that this mournful song refers to the destruction of the Temple and city; but when Josiah was killed, the enemy had not come to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Lamentations 4:1

THE SUFFERINGS OF JERUSALEM ; NO CLASS IS EXEMPT . EDOM 'S TRIUMPHING . How is the gold become dim!… the stones of the sanctuary, etc. "Alas for the sad sights of the capture of Jerusalem! The most fine gold has lost its brilliance now that the fire of Nebuzar-adan ( 2 Kings 25:9 ) has passed over it, and the precious stones, consecrated to Jehovah, have been cast out into the open street!" Not that the latter part of this description can have corresponded to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Lamentations 4:1

The gold dimmed. Present adversity brings to mind, by force of contrast, the prosperity of bygone days. The Hebrew prophet of sorrow might well recall the golden days of old. "A poet's crown of sorrow is remembering happier things." His touching and poetic language affords— I. A LESSON OF HUMAN MUTABILITY . The exclamation reminds us of those oft-quoted words, Ilium fuit! Troy was, but is no more! The proudest cities have crumbled into ruins, the most splendid palaces... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Lamentations 4:1-2

Fine gold dimmed. Gold is a precious metal, partly because it is less liable to corrode than other metals. It will not rust like iron nor even tarnish like silver. For fine gold to be dimmed is for it to undergo exceptionally severe treatment. Such was the treatment of the gold of the temple after the Chaldean siege of Jerusalem. Josephus describes how the gold glittered on the temple walls in his day; and doubtless the effect of the earlier temple's splendour must have been similarly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Lamentations 4:1-2

Fallen reputation. I. THE WEIGHT OF THIS REPUTATION . The position of the people was comparable to gold in its glitter and attraction. Gold has its use and iron has its use, and we may be glad we have both; but if one of these two had to be given up, it would certainly be the gold. Iron means immensely more in modern civilization than gold. But if frequency of mention is to count for anything, gold was much more valued among the Israelites than iron, and being so, it had a large... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Lamentations 4:1

The stones of the sanctuary - Or, the hallowed stones, literally stones of holiness, a metaphor for the people themselves. The actual stones of the temple would not be thus widely thrown about as to be seen everywhere, but the prophet has already affirmed this of the young children dying of hunger (compare Lamentations 2:19). read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Lamentations 4:1-2

Lamentations 4:1-2. How is the gold become dim “How is the glory of the temple obscured! The sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold, (2 Chronicles 3:8,) now lies in ruins; and the stones of it are not distinguished from common rubbish. It is probable that the prophet, in these words, alluded to the priests, princes, and chief persons of the country, who, though they might have been compared to the pillars, or corner-stones of that sacred building, yet were now involved in the same common... read more

Group of Brands