Lamentations 4:15
“Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The shocking detail here is that the cry directed at these offenders, "Unclean! Unclean!" is the very same cry lepers were commanded to shout to warn others away. These people, perhaps priests and prophets themselves, who should have been sources of purity, are now treated as carriers of a deadly contagion, utterly shunned by their own people and rejected even in exile.
As Jerusalem faces utter devastation, those who were once powerful religious leaders and persecutors are now fleeing the city, covered in the blood of their victims. Even as they desperately try to escape, the very people they encounter recoil from them, shouting "Unclean!" and warning them to keep their distance, echoing the ancient cry of lepers. When these disgraced figures try to find refuge among foreign nations, they are met with the same rejection, with people declaring they will never be allowed to settle there.
Imagine hearing a shout that instantly makes everyone recoil from you. This wasn't just disgust; it was a profound declaration of impurity.
The people of Jerusalem, witnessing the horrific deeds of their leaders (priests and prophets, implied from context), cry out an alarming warning: “Away! Unclean!” This cry echoes the ancient instruction given to lepers, who were forced to live outside the camp and announce their own uncleanness to prevent others from contracting their disease (Leviticus 13:45).
Here, however, the cry isn't from the afflicted, but to the afflicted. The leaders of Judah, stained with the blood of the innocent, are now seen as morally leprous. Their sin has rendered them so impure that they are to be shunned completely. The repeated “Away! Away! Do not touch!” highlights the intense revulsion and utter rejection they faced, even from their own people.
They fled their city, seeking refuge, only to find that rejection followed them like a shadow.
The repeated warnings to 'depart' force the corrupt leaders of Judah into exile. They become 'fugitives and wanderers,' a description that powerfully conveys their homeless and unsettled state. Their flight wasn't a journey to safety, but a desperate attempt to escape the consequences of their actions.
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Tragically, their exile offers no solace. The nations they flee to also cast them out, saying, “They shall stay with us no longer.” This is a stark picture of complete alienation. Their sins have not only alienated them from God and their own people but have also made them unwelcome everywhere else. They are pariahs, finding no permanent home, a direct fulfillment of the curses for disobedience where exile and lack of rest were foretold.
Understand the original words
tame' · Hebrew Adjective
A formal declaration of ritual impurity, separating one from the holy assembly of God's people to protect the sanctity of the community.
This verse poignantly captures the utter devastation and shame following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The priests and prophets, once revered leaders, are now seen as utterly corrupt and defiled, shunned even by the surrounding nations.
c. 626 BC
Nebuchadnezzar begins reign
Nebuchadnezzar II ascends to the throne of Babylon, marking the beginning of Neo-Babylonian expansion and a period of significant geopolitical upheaval in the ancient Near East.
605 BC
First deportation to Babylon
Following a victory over Egypt at Carchemish, Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar deport a significant number of Judean nobles and skilled workers, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second deportation to Babylon
After King Jehoiachin of Judah rebels against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem, deports the king, royal family, and many more citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple after a prolonged siege. This devastating event leads to the final, widespread exile of the remaining Judean population to Babylon, shattering the Davidic monarchy and the religious center of the nation.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah's ministry concludes
The prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and was later taken to Egypt, likely concludes his prophetic ministry around this time, having delivered God's warnings about the impending judgment.
c. 570 BC
Ezekiel's prophecies conclude
The prophet Ezekiel, living among the exiles in Babylon, likely concludes his prophetic ministry, offering messages of hope and future restoration to the devastated Jewish community.
This passage describes the cry of a leper, 'Unclean! Unclean!' which directly mirrors the desperate warning given to those in Lamentations 4:15, highlighting the sense of utter defilement and social ostracization.
Deuteronomy 28:65This verse describes the curse of restlessness and lack of peace among the nations, a fate that mirrors the wandering and rejection experienced by the people in Lamentations 4:15, who are told they will 'find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot.'
Jeremiah 22:30This prophecy against Jehoiachin pronounces that no descendant will ever sit on the throne of David again, which resonates with the idea of being permanently exiled and finding no place to sojourn, as seen in Lamentations 4:15.
Ezekiel 14:11This passage speaks of judgment where Israel would no longer be scattered among the nations, indicating a definitive separation. Lamentations 4:15 echoes this by showing the rejected finding no acceptance even among foreign nations.
barnesLamentations 4:15: "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."
Men cried to these priests, "Away! Unclean! Away! Away! Touch not." "Unclean" was the cry of the leper whenever he appeared in public: here it is the warning shout of those who meet the murderers. When they fled away and wandered - These priests fled away from the city, but with uncertain steps, not knowi…
clarkeLamentations 4:15: "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."
Of the metrical distribution of these lines, see the Prelim. Dissert., p. 58 note. Lamentations 4:15When they fled away - These priests and prophets were so bad, that the very heathen did not like to permit them to sojourn among them. The prophet now resumes the history of the siege.
The shocking detail here is that the cry directed at these offenders, "Unclean! Unclean!" is the very same cry lepers were commanded to shout to warn others away. These people, perhaps priests and prophets themselves, who should have been sources of purity, are now treated as carriers of a deadly contagion, utterly shunned by their own people and rejected even in exile.
As Jerusalem faces utter devastation, those who were once powerful religious leaders and persecutors are now fleeing the city, covered in the blood of their victims. Even as they desperately try to escape, the very people they encounter recoil from them, shouting "Unclean!" and warning them to keep their distance, echoing the ancient cry of lepers. When these disgraced figures try to find refuge among foreign nations, they are met with the same rejection, with people declaring they will never be allowed to settle there.
As Jerusalem faces utter devastation, those who were once powerful religious leaders and persecutors are now fleeing the city, covered in the blood of their victims. Even as they desperately try to escape, the very people they encounter recoil from them, shouting "Unclean!" and warning them to keep their distance, echoing the ancient cry of lepers. When these disgraced figures try to find refuge among foreign nations, they are met with the same rejection, with people declaring they will never be allowed to settle there.
"“Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.”" — The shocking detail here is that the cry directed at these offenders, "Unclean! Unclean!" is the very same cry lepers were commanded to shout to warn others away. These people, perhaps priests and pr…
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