Lamentations 4:6
For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights that Sodom's destruction was quick and final, a "momentary" event. In contrast, Jerusalem's suffering was prolonged and agonizing, involving a slow decline through famine and siege, which the prophet emphasizes as a far more severe form of punishment. This stark difference in the experience of destruction makes Judah's punishment seem worse than Sodom's swift end.
The prophet is vividly describing the utter devastation and prolonged suffering of Jerusalem, comparing it to the swift destruction of Sodom. He emphasizes that while Sodom was obliterated in an instant by God's direct judgment, Jerusalem's ruin was a slow, agonizing process of siege, famine, and violence carried out by human hands. This contrast highlights the extreme severity of God's discipline upon his own people, suggesting their sin was either more grievous or their punishment more drawn out than that of Sodom.
Is God's judgment about the severity of sin or the suffering of punishment? This verse holds a key to understanding how we weigh both.
The prophet uses a stark comparison to make a point about Jerusalem's plight. While the original Hebrew words can mean both 'sin' and 'punishment,' the context here strongly emphasizes the punishment that befell Jerusalem.
God's Judgment on Sin
When we experience God's discipline, it's easy to focus solely on the pain. But this verse reminds us that the way God deals with sin, and the of His judgment, can reveal the depth of the problem, whether it's the sin itself or the prolonged suffering it causes.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Lamentations 4:6 is available in the Sola app.
Sodom vanished in an instant. But Jerusalem’s downfall was a slow, agonizing process. What does this difference reveal about God's judgment?
The most striking contrast drawn here is the manner of destruction. Sodom was 'overthrown in a moment.' A swift, decisive act of divine judgment.
Jerusalem's Prolonged Suffering
This prolonged suffering is presented as a heavier burden than the quick end Sodom met. It speaks to a deeper, more pervasive ruin, where the torment isn't a single event but a lingering reality.
Understand the original words
‘āwōn · Hebrew Noun
The act of correcting, disciplining, or training, often used by God to bring about repentance or to judge disobedience. It serves as a pedagogical tool in divine administration.
bat-‘ammî · Hebrew Noun phrase
A collective term used in the prophets to refer to the people of Israel or Jerusalem, personified as a woman who is the object of God's covenantal relationship and judgment.
Sədōm · Hebrew Proper Noun
A city in Genesis known for its extreme wickedness and subsequent destruction by God; it serves as a biblical archetype for total, sudden divine judgment.
This verse highlights the prolonged and agonizing suffering of Jerusalem during its siege and fall, contrasting it with the swift destruction of Sodom. The 'lingering torment' inflicted by famine, pestilence, and warfare during the Babylonian conquest made Judah's punishment far more devastating than the sudden divine judgment on Sodom.
c. 1800s-1600s BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God judges the extreme wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them with fire and brimstone in a swift, catastrophic event. This serves as a stark biblical example of divine judgment.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them. This event serves as a warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah
The Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, conquers Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, and exiles most of Judah's population. This is the primary context for the book of Lamentations.
c. 586-538 BC
The Babylonian Exile
The people of Judah live in exile in Babylon. This period is marked by profound suffering, loss, and reflection on God's judgment, as expressed in Lamentations.
This passage describes the sudden, catastrophic destruction of Sodom by fire and brimstone from the Lord, directly paralleling the 'overthrown in a moment' aspect of Lamentations 4:6.
Matthew 11:23-24Jesus directly compares the fate of Capernaum to that of Sodom, stating it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment, highlighting the severity of judgment for those who reject God's messengers, which resonates with the idea of greater punishment in Lamentations.
Ezekiel 16:46-48This passage explicitly states that Samaria and Sodom committed abominations, but Judah exceeded them in wickedness, setting the stage for why Judah's punishment might be considered greater or at least equally severe despite Sodom's immediate destruction.
Jeremiah 30:11This verse echoes a similar sentiment to Lamentations, with God stating that although He will discipline His people, He will not make a full end of them, implying that even their chastisement, while severe, is tempered by His covenant faithfulness, in contrast to the complete destruction of others like Sodom.
Luke 13:4-5Jesus uses the example of the Galileans whose blood Pilate shed and the eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell to warn against assuming that suffering always indicates greater sin, which offers a nuanced perspective on divine judgment compared to the direct comparison in Lamentations.
barnesLamentations 4:6: "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her."
Rather, "For" the iniquity "of the daughter of my people was greater than" the sin "of Sodom." The prophet deduces this conclusion from the greatness of Judah's misery (compare Jeremiah 30:11 ; see also Luke 13:1-5 ). No hands stayed on her - Or, "no hands were round about her." Sodom's sufferings…
calvinLamentations 4:6: "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her."
- Et major fuit poena filiae populi mei poena Sodomae (ad verbum est, iniquitas filiae populi mei peccato vel scelere Sodomae; sed statim, dicam cur de poena exponam potius quam de ipso scelere,) quae eversa fuit tanquam momento; non manserunt in ea plagae (alii vertunt, et non castrametatae sunt…
The verse highlights that Sodom's destruction was quick and final, a "momentary" event. In contrast, Jerusalem's suffering was prolonged and agonizing, involving a slow decline through famine and siege, which the prophet emphasizes as a far more severe form of punishment. This stark difference in the experience of destruction makes Judah's punishment seem worse than Sodom's swift end.
The prophet is vividly describing the utter devastation and prolonged suffering of Jerusalem, comparing it to the swift destruction of Sodom. He emphasizes that while Sodom was obliterated in an instant by God's direct judgment, Jerusalem's ruin was a slow, agonizing process of siege, famine, and violence carried out by human hands. This contrast highlights the extreme severity of God's discipline upon his own people, suggesting their sin was either more grievous or their punishment more drawn out than that of Sodom.
The prophet is vividly describing the utter devastation and prolonged suffering of Jerusalem, comparing it to the swift destruction of Sodom. He emphasizes that while Sodom was obliterated in an instant by God's direct judgment, Jerusalem's ruin was a slow, agonizing process of siege, famine, and violence carried out by human hands. This contrast highlights the extreme severity of God's discipline upon his own people, suggesting their sin was either more grievous or their punishment more drawn out than that of Sodom.
"For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her." — The verse highlights that Sodom's destruction was quick and final, a "momentary" event. In contrast, Jerusalem's suffering was prolonged and agonizing, involving a slow decline through famine and sie…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
