Lamentations 4:5
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The verse highlights the stark contrast between former luxury and present destitution, suggesting that "those who were brought up in scarlet" weren't necessarily children, but people accustomed to being carried on or reclining on luxurious scarlet-dyed cloths. This emphasizes that even the most pampered and wealthy faced the same grim reality of hunger and ruin as everyone else in the devastated city.
Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse plunges us into the horrific aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction, directly following the lament over the once-precious temple stones now scattered. The poet is vividly contrasting the extreme luxury and privilege of the city's elite with their current, abject state of starvation and ruin in the streets. The preceding verses detail the plundered holy things, but here the focus shifts to the people themselves, showing how the judgment spared no one, reducing the highest to the lowest.
Imagine your life flipping upside down overnight. One day, you're enjoying the finest things life has to offer. The next, you're surrounded by ruin.
Lamentations 4:5 paints a brutal picture of the complete reversal of fortune that befell Jerusalem. Those who once lived in luxury – feasting on delicious food and wrapped in rich, scarlet-dyed garments – are now reduced to scavenging in the streets and finding solace on heaps of refuse.
A Life of Ease vs. A Life of Desperation
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When God’s judgment falls, it doesn’t just take away a few things. It strips everything away, leaving nothing familiar behind.
The imagery in Lamentations 4:5 isn't just about poverty; it's about the totality of God's judgment. When a society turns its back on God, the consequences are devastating and affect every aspect of life, especially for those who were once privileged.
The Consequences of Sin
This wasn't random misfortune; it was the direct result of the people's (and their leaders') sin and rebellion against God. The luxury they enjoyed was often built on injustice or a disregard for God's ways, and now they face the stark reality of that sin.
Understand the original words
aphar · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the basic substance from which humanity was formed by God, signifying human frailty, mortality, and the temporary nature of earthly life.
Lamentations 4:5 paints a stark picture of the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction. The prophet emphasizes the total reversal of fortune, showing how even those accustomed to the highest levels of luxury and comfort faced utter destitution and death in the streets after the Babylonian conquest.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar, prince of Babylon, lays siege to Jerusalem and deports thousands of Jews, including members of the royal family and skilled laborers, to Babylon. This event marks the beginning of Judah's exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple treasures are also looted.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard, destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, ending the Davidic dynasty and scattering the remaining population.
c. 586 BC
Third Babylonian Deportation
The final wave of deportations to Babylon occurs after Jerusalem's fall, leaving only the poorest of the land behind. This event completes the devastation described in Lamentations.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, marking the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and paving the way for the return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This marks the beginning of the return from exile.
This passage describes a queen who will be exiled and forced to give birth in the wilderness, highlighting a fall from luxury to hardship that echoes the drastic reversal seen in Lamentations.
Isaiah 5:11-12These verses condemn those who live in luxury and self-indulgence, prophesying their downfall and eventual ruin, mirroring the judgment that befell those described in Lamentations 4:5.
Luke 16:19-25The parable of the rich man and Lazarus starkly contrasts a life of feasting and fine clothing with abject poverty and suffering, illustrating the extreme reversals of fortune that can occur between this life and the next, similar to the judgment described.
Amos 6:1-7This prophetic passage denounces the complacency and luxury of the wealthy, predicting their eventual exile and suffering, which aligns with the devastating consequences of societal sin depicted in Lamentations.
barnesLamentations 4:5: "They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills."
They that were brought up in scarlet - literally, "those that were carried upon scarlet;" young children in arms and of the highest birth now lie on the dirt-heaps of the city.
pulpitLamentations 4:5: "They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills."
Verse 5. - They that did feed delicately, etc. i.e. luxuriously. The rendering has been disputed, but without sufficient ground. "They that did eat at dainties," i.e. pink at their dainty food, is forced. The Aramaic mark of the accusative need not surprise us in Lamentations (comp. Jeremiah 40:2). Brought up in scarlet; rather, borne upon scarlet; i.e. resting…
The verse highlights the stark contrast between former luxury and present destitution, suggesting that "those who were brought up in scarlet" weren't necessarily children, but people accustomed to being carried on or reclining on luxurious scarlet-dyed cloths. This emphasizes that even the most pampered and wealthy faced the same grim reality of hunger and ruin as everyone else in the devastated city.
This verse plunges us into the horrific aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction, directly following the lament over the once-precious temple stones now scattered. The poet is vividly contrasting the extreme luxury and privilege of the city's elite with their current, abject state of starvation and ruin in the streets. The preceding verses detail the plundered holy things, but here the focus shifts to the people themselves, showing how the judgment spared no one, reducing the highest to the lowest.
This verse plunges us into the horrific aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction, directly following the lament over the once-precious temple stones now scattered. The poet is vividly contrasting the extreme luxury and privilege of the city's elite with their current, abject state of starvation and ruin in the streets. The preceding verses detail the plundered holy things, but here the focus shifts to the people themselves, showing how the judgment spared no one, reducing the highest to the lowest.
"Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps." — The verse highlights the stark contrast between former luxury and present destitution, suggesting that "those who were brought up in scarlet" weren't necessarily children, but people accustomed to be…
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Last reviewed October 2026
