Lamentations 2:9
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
It’s easy to read "the law is no more" as simply the law being gone. But it also points to the end of the entire system built around it – no more sacrifices, no more festivals, and ultimately, a complete disruption of the nation’s spiritual life and identity as God’s chosen people. This highlights how deeply intertwined civil, religious, and national life were, and how devastating their collapse was.
Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse plunges us into the heart of Jerusalem's utter devastation, following its conquest. The physical defenses are gone, and the city's leaders, including the king, are now captives among foreign nations, stripped of their power and homeland. This catastrophic loss extends to the spiritual realm: the established Law is effectively silenced, and even the prophets, who were God's direct messengers, can no longer receive divine visions.
Imagine your city's defenses crumbling, not just broken, but swallowed by the earth. This isn't just physical destruction; it's a sign of something deeper.
Lamentations paints a picture of absolute devastation, going beyond visible damage to the very heart of a nation's identity.
The verse opens with a stark image: 'Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars.' This isn't just about a fallen city; it’s about the complete dismantling of its security and access.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar
What happens when the flow of God's communication dries up? The prophets, God's chosen messengers, can no longer hear Him. This verse reveals a terrifying spiritual drought.
Ask a follow-up
This silence isn't just a lack of news; it's a sign of profound brokenness between God and His people.
The phrase 'her prophets find no vision from the LORD' is a profound lament. It speaks to a cessation of divine communication at a critical time.
Why the Silence?
This silence is not necessarily permanent, but it is a devastating indicator of the depth of sin and the severity of God's judgment.
Understand the original words
torah · Hebrew Noun
The revealed will and instructions of God for His people, serving as the foundation of their covenant relationship and moral life.
chazon · Hebrew Noun
A supernatural revelation from God given to a prophet, communicating divine instruction, warning, or comfort.
This verse paints a stark picture of a nation at its lowest ebb, vividly describing the physical destruction of Jerusalem and the profound spiritual and political collapse that followed the Babylonian conquest. The absence of a king, the scattering of leaders, the cessation of the Law's public observance, and the silence of God's prophets all underscore the depth of the catastrophe. It highlights a time when divine communication seemed to cease, leaving a people adrift in their suffering.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, leading to the exile of its people and the disruption of its religious and political structures.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins deporting Judean elites, including young nobles like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the start of a series of exiles.
597 BC— this verse
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and many priests and craftsmen, to Babylon. This event directly impacts the king and princes mentioned in the verse.
587/586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, dismantling the city's defenses and removing its remaining population to Babylon. This is the culmination of the devastation described.
c. 593 BC onwards
Ezekiel's Prophecies in Exile
The prophet Ezekiel, already in Babylon, begins to deliver his prophecies to the exiles, lamenting Jerusalem's sin and predicting its destruction.
After 538 BC
Return from Exile (Partial)
Cyrus the Great allows some Judeans to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, but the prophetic voice in Jerusalem itself remains silent for a time.
This passage echoes Lamentations' theme of divine judgment, lamenting that there are no longer prophets with signs or visions from God to guide them.
Jeremiah 18:18This verse highlights the breakdown of divine communication and guidance, mirroring the situation where priests, prophets, and even the king's counsel failed to provide God's wisdom.
Ezekiel 7:26This prophetic declaration of doom explicitly states that the law will be withdrawn, prophets will be silenced, and the people will be left without divine counsel, much like the lament in this verse.
1 Samuel 3:1This passage contrasts the scarcity of prophetic messages in later times, described as a famine of the word of the Lord, with the more frequent communication experienced earlier, highlighting the severity of the silence described in Lamentations.
barnesLamentations 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."
Her gates are sunk into the ground - So completely destroyed, that one might suppose they had been swallowed up in an abyss. Her king - The prophet's lamentation, occupied before chiefly with the buildings of the city and temple, now turns to the people, beginning with their temporal ru…
pooleLamentations 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."
Her gates are sunk into the ground; that is, the gates of Jerusalem are destroyed and covered over with rubbish. He hath destroyed and broken her bars; the bolts of the gates are broken. Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles; Zedekiah and the nobles of Judah that were not slai…
It’s easy to read "the law is no more" as simply the law being gone. But it also points to the end of the entire system built around it – no more sacrifices, no more festivals, and ultimately, a complete disruption of the nation’s spiritual life and identity as God’s chosen people. This highlights how deeply intertwined civil, religious, and national life were, and how devastating their collapse was.
This verse plunges us into the heart of Jerusalem's utter devastation, following its conquest. The physical defenses are gone, and the city's leaders, including the king, are now captives among foreign nations, stripped of their power and homeland. This catastrophic loss extends to the spiritual realm: the established Law is effectively silenced, and even the prophets, who were God's direct messengers, can no longer receive divine visions.
This verse plunges us into the heart of Jerusalem's utter devastation, following its conquest. The physical defenses are gone, and the city's leaders, including the king, are now captives among foreign nations, stripped of their power and homeland. This catastrophic loss extends to the spiritual realm: the established Law is effectively silenced, and even the prophets, who were God's direct messengers, can no longer receive divine visions.
"Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the LORD." — It’s easy to read "the law is no more" as simply the law being gone. But it also points to the end of the entire system built around it – no more sacrifices, no more festivals, and ultimately, a comp…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
