a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Zion
צִיּוֹן֙tzi.yOn
H6726
Tsijon (as a permanent capital) · proper noun, a place name
comparable
הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖יםham.su.la.'Im
H5537
to suspend in a balance · definite article + verb, pual passive participle, masculine plural absolute
gold
בַּפָּ֑זba.Paz
H6337
pure (gold) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
esteemed
נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙nech.she.Vu
H2803
properly · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person common plural
earthen
חֶ֔רֶשׂChe.res
H2789
a piece of pottery · noun, common masculine singular absolute
pitchers
לְנִבְלֵיle.niv.lei-
H5035
a skin-bag for liquids (from collapsing when empty) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
work
מַעֲשֵׂ֖הma.'a.Seh
H4639
an action (good or bad) · noun, common masculine singular construct
hands
יְדֵ֥יye.Dei
H3027
a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual construct
potter
יוֹצֵֽרyo.Tzer
H3335
to mould into a form · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Isaiah 30:14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found…
Jeremiah 19:11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, th…
Romans 9:21-23 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishon…
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Isaiah 51:18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons…
Lamentations 5:12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.
Zechariah 9:13 When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Lamentations 4:1-12
The elegy in this chapter begins with a lamentation of the very sad and doleful change which the judgments of God had made in Jerusalem. The city that was formerly as gold, as the most fine gold, so rich and splendid, the perfection of beauty and the joy of the whole earth, has become dim, and is changed, has lost its lustre, lost its value, is not what it was; it has become dross. Alas! what an alteration is here!
I. The temple was laid waste, which was the glory of Jerusalem and its protection. it is given up into the hands of the enemy. And some understand the gold spoken of (Lam 4:1) to be the gold of the temple, the fine gold with which it was overlaid (Kg1 6:22); when the temple was bu…
comparable to . . . gold-- (Job 28:16, Job 28:19).
earthen pitchers-- (Isa 30:14; Jer 19:11).
Adam Clarke on Lamentations 4:2
The precious sons of Zion - The Jewish priests and Jewish believers.
Comparable to fine gold - Who were of the pure standard of holiness; holy, because God who called them is holy; but now esteemed no better than earthen pitchers - vessels of dishonor in comparison of what they once were.
John Gill on Lamentations 4:2
The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,.... This explains what is meant in Lamentations 4:1; by gold, fine gold, and stones of the sanctuary; not Josiah and his sons, as some Jewish interpreters; but all the sons of Zion, or children of God; not the inhabitants of Zion literally, but spiritually; see Zechariah 9:13. Zion is the church; her sons are her spiritual seed and offspring that are born of her, she being the mother of them all, and born in her, by means of the word; and brought up by her, through the ordinances, and so are regenerate persons; and these the sons of God: and who are "precious", not in themselves, being of the fallen race of Adam; of the earth, earthly, as h…
Let us implore the tears of Jeremiah; let him consider our death, and lamenting say: "How is the gold become dim, the most fine color is changed, the stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street." For the gold has become dim, because the life of priests, once bright through the glory of virtues, is now shown to be reprobate through the basest actions. The most fine color is changed, because that habit of holiness has come to the disgrace of contempt through earthly and abject works. But the stones of the sanctuary were kept within, nor were they placed on the body of the high priest except when, entering the holy of holies, he appeared in the secret place of his Creator. We therefore, dearest brothers, we are the stones of the sanctuary who ought always to appear in the secret place of God; whom it is never necessary to be seen outside, that is, never to be seen in external affairs. But the stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street, because those who through their life and prayer ought always to have been within, through their reprobate life are occupied outside. Behold, now there is almost no worldly business which priests do not administer. Therefore, while established in the holy habit, they perform external things, and like stones of the sanctuary they lie outside. For since in the Greek tongue "platea" is named from breadth, the stones of the sanctuary are in the streets when religious persons follow the broad ways of the world. Nor are they scattered only in the streets, but also at the head of the streets, because they both carry out works through desire for this world, and yet seek the height of honor from their religious habit. Therefore they are scattered at the head of the streets, because they both lie prostrate through the service of worldly work, and wish to be honored for the appearance of holiness.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Pottery — The art of, was early practised among all nations. Various materials seem to have been employed by the potter. Earthenware is mentioned in connection with the history of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), of…
Art · .Of the potter — .Of the potter
Arts Of The · Potter — Potter
Pitcher · Earthen — Earthen
Righteous · .Gold — .Gold
Saints, Compared To · Gold — Gold
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Lamentations 4:2
Lamentations 4:2
2. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
2. Filii Sion pretiosi (alii vertunt, inclytos) comparatiauro (alii vertunt, amicti auro, quod mihi magis placet,) quomodo reputati sunt in lagenas testaceas (testae, ad verbum) opus manuum figuli?
The Prophet comes now to the people, though he does not include the whole people, but brings forward those who were renowned, and excelled in honor and dignity. He then says, that they were become like earthen vessels and the work of the potter's hands, which is very fitly added. Then by the sons of Sion, whom he calls precious or glorious, he m…
The misery that has come on the inhabitants of Jerusalem is a punishment for their deep guilt. The description given of this misery is divided into two strophes: for, first (Lam 4:1-6), the sad lot of the several classes of the population is set forth; then (Lam 4:7-11) a conclusion is drawn therefrom regarding the greatness of their sin.
Lam 4:1-6
The first strophe. Lam 4:1. The lamentation begins with a figurative account of the destruction of all that is precious and glorious in Israel: this is next established by the bringing forth of instances.
Lam 4:1-2
Lam 4:1, Lam 4:2 contain, not a complaint regarding the desolation of the sanctuary and of Zion, as Maurer, Kalkschmidt, and Thenius,…
Although God’s people still experience his judgment, they will soon experience restoration.
Rashi on Lamentations 4:2
Who were evaluated in golden currency. Who were praised and valued like gold. Whoever saw them would say, “Look, the complexion of these is like the appearance of gold,” and similarly, “it cannot be praised תְסֻלֶּה with the gold jewelry of Ophir,”4Iyov 28:16. [and as in,] “with jewelry of fine gold, it cannot be praised תְסֻלֶּה”5Ibid. 28:19. [and as in,] “praise סֹלּוּ Him Who rides the heavens.”6Tehilim 68:5. These are expressions of praise and value.
Like flasks of clay. Earthen pitchers in which they pour wine, e.g., wine flasks, [as in,] “And they will smash their jars וְנִבְלֵיהֶם.”7Yirmiyahu 48:12. The scraps of broken metal utensils have some value, but the shards of broken earthen…
