Lamentations 5:18
for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Lamentations 5:18
for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse doesn't just state Zion is desolate; it uses "jackals" to show that enough time has passed since the destruction for wild animals, who shun human presence, to roam freely where God's glory once resided. This imagery highlights the profound emptiness and the chilling passage of time, making the devastation feel even more complete and irreversible.
The speaker in Lamentations 5 is reeling from the devastation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. This verse comes after a series of lamenting prayers, expressing the deep sorrow and humiliation of the people. The mention of jackals (or foxes) prowling Mount Zion powerfully illustrates the complete abandonment and ruin of God's holy city, emphasizing how long the desolation has persisted.
Imagine the heart-wrenching sight: a place once thrumming with life and worship, now silent and surrendered to the wild. This verse paints a stark picture of a nation's deepest pain.
The Weight of Wildness
The imagery of jackals (often translated as foxes) roaming Mount Zion isn't just poetic; it's a profound statement about the consequences of sin and divine judgment. These animals are depicted as creatures of ruin, shunning human presence and thriving in abandoned spaces.
When the prophet describes jackals on Zion, he's not just observing wildlife. He's conveying that the once sacred ground, the very heart of Israel's worship and national identity, has become so utterly devastated and deserted by God's judgment that it's now a habitat for wild beasts. This underscores the depth of the calamity that has befallen Jerusalem and its temple.
What hurts more: losing your home, or losing the place where you connect with the divine? For the writer of Lamentations, the answer is clear.
The Pain of Empty Altars
While the physical destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was catastrophic, this verse points to a deeper spiritual loss. Mount Zion, the location of God's dwelling place, was the focal point of Israel's worship and national life. Its desolation meant not just empty buildings, but the cessation of public worship, the silencing of praise, and the interruption of the people's connection with God.
The presence of jackals signifies a complete reversal of order. Where once stood the glorious Temple, a symbol of God's presence and power, now there is emptiness and wildness. This transformation serves as a painful reminder of the people's disobedience and the resulting withdrawal of God's favor, a loss far more devastating than any physical ruin.
Understand the original words
Tsiyyon · Hebrew Proper Noun
The prominent mountain in Jerusalem where the Temple of the LORD was located. Symbolically, it represents the dwelling place of God, the site of His covenant presence, and the spiritual center of Israel.
shamem · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A state of being uninhabited, ruined, or laid waste. It often describes the judgment of God upon land or cities that have abandoned His covenant.
The image of jackals roaming the desolate Mount Zion powerfully conveys the utter ruin of Jerusalem and its Temple after the Babylonian destruction, a scene of profound loss and abandonment that took generations to recover from.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Hezekiah of Judah successfully defended Jerusalem against the Assyrian army led by Sennacherib, avoiding destruction and exile for the city.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captures Jerusalem, deporting some of the royal family and educated elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
After another rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Jerusalem's population and treasures, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel.
587/586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces conquer Jerusalem, destroy the city and Solomon's Temple, and exile the majority of the remaining population to Babylon.
This Psalm vividly describes the destruction of the Temple, echoing Lamentations' imagery of desecration and ruin by mentioning enemies setting fire to God's sanctuary, a desolate scene where wild animals would indeed roam.
Isaiah 13:22This prophecy about Babylon's downfall paints a picture of utter desolation, explicitly stating that wild animals, including jackals, will inhabit its palaces, mirroring the fate of Zion described in Lamentations.
Jeremiah 9:11Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem and predicts it will become a desolate place where jackals roam freely, directly connecting the consequence of sin and judgment with the specific imagery found in Lamentations 5:18.
Matthew 12:43In this parable, Jesus describes an unclean spirit returning to find a house swept clean but empty, where it then brings other spirits to dwell, using the idea of a desolate place being taken over by unwelcome inhabitants.
barnesLamentations 5:18: "Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it."
The foxes - Or, jackals. As these animals live among ruins, and shun the presence of man, it shows that Zion is laid waste and deserted.
ellicottLamentations 5:18: "Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it."
(18) Foxes. —Better, jackals, who are thought of as haunting the ruins of Jerusalem. (Comp. Psalm 63:10 .)
The verse doesn't just state Zion is desolate; it uses "jackals" to show that enough time has passed since the destruction for wild animals, who shun human presence, to roam freely where God's glory once resided. This imagery highlights the profound emptiness and the chilling passage of time, making the devastation feel even more complete and irreversible.
The speaker in Lamentations 5 is reeling from the devastation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. This verse comes after a series of lamenting prayers, expressing the deep sorrow and humiliation of the people. The mention of jackals (or foxes) prowling Mount Zion powerfully illustrates the complete abandonment and ruin of God's holy city, emphasizing how long the desolation has persisted.
The speaker in Lamentations 5 is reeling from the devastation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. This verse comes after a series of lamenting prayers, expressing the deep sorrow and humiliation of the people. The mention of jackals (or foxes) prowling Mount Zion powerfully illustrates the complete abandonment and ruin of God's holy city, emphasizing how long the desolation has persisted.
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c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
The Persian King Cyrus the Great issues a decree allowing exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
c. 167-164 BC
Maccabean Revolt
A rebellion erupts against the Seleucid Empire after Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempts to suppress Jewish religious practices and desecrates the Second Temple.
"for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it." — The verse doesn't just state Zion is desolate; it uses "jackals" to show that enough time has passed since the destruction for wild animals, who shun human presence, to roam freely where God's glory…