Lamentations 4:19

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

קַלִּ֤ים הָיוּ֙ רֹדְפֵ֔ינוּ מִנִּשְׁרֵ֖י שָׁמָ֑יִם עַל־הֶהָרִ֣ים דְּלָקֻ֔נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר אָ֥רְבוּ לָֽנוּ׃

Transliteration

Qallîm were our rōḏp̄ênû more than nišrê šāmāyim; on the hehārîm they dəlāqunû, in the miḏbār they ʾārḇû for us

Grammar Details

*qallîm*: masculine plural adjective - swift
*hāyû*: Qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they were
*rōḏp̄ênû*: masculine plural Qal participle with 1st common plural suffix - our pursuers
*mi-nnišrê*: preposition comparative + masculine plural construct - than eagles of
*šāmāyim*: masculine plural noun - heavens
*ʿal-he-hārîm*: preposition + definite masculine plural noun - on the mountains
*dəlāqunû*: Qal perfect, 3rd common plural + 1st common plural suffix - they pursued us hotly
*ba-mmiḏbār*: preposition + definite masculine singular noun - in the wilderness
*ʾārḇû*: Qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they lay in wait
*lānû*: preposition + 1st common plural suffix - for us

Word Meanings

*qallîm*: swift/fast/quick
*rōḏp̄ênû*: our pursuers/those who chase us
*nišrê*: eagles/vultures/large birds of prey
*dəlāqunû*: pursued us hotly/chased us eagerly/hunted us ardently
*ʾārḇû*: lay in wait/ambushed/lurked

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Jer 4:13 : 13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots [shall be] as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are ruined.
Isa 5:26-28 : 26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly. 27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: 28 whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind:
Hab 1:8 : 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on: yea, their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
Isa 30:16-17 : 16 but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. 17 One thousand [shall flee] at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.
Deut 28:49 : 49 Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Matt 24:27-28 : 27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Hos 8:1 : 1 [Set] the trumpet to thy mouth. As an eagle [he cometh] against the house of Jehovah, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
Amos 2:14 : 14 And flight shall perish from the swift; and the strong shall not strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
Amos 9:1-3 : 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar: and he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape. 2 Though they dig into Sheol, thence shall my hand take them; and though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. 3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and it shall bite them.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Lam 4:17-18
2 verses
85%
17Our eyes do yet fail [in looking] for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
18They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
Lam 4:20
78%
20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.
Ps 17:11-12
2 verses
76%
11They have now compassed us in our steps; They set their eyes to cast [us] down to the earth.
12He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, And as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Lam 5:5
75%
5Our pursuers are upon our necks: We are weary, and have no rest.
Ps 44:19
75%
19That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.
Ps 124:7
75%
7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: The snare is broken, and we are escaped.
Job 9:25-26
2 verses
74%
25Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good,
26They are passed away as the swift ships; As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.
Lam 5:9
74%
9We get our bread at the peril of our lives, Because of the sword of the wilderness.
Ps 124:3-4
2 verses
74%
3Then they had swallowed us up alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
4Then the waters had overwhelmed us, The stream had gone over our soul;
Lam 3:52
73%
52They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.
Hab 1:8
73%
8Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on: yea, their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
Ps 56:6
73%
6They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps, Even as they have waited for my soul.
Isa 59:11
73%
11We roar all like bears, and moan sore like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
Jer 12:4
73%
4How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end.
Jer 4:13
72%
13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots [shall be] as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are ruined.
Lam 3:43
72%
43Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Ps 35:6
72%
6Let their way be dark and slippery, And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
Isa 30:16
72%
16but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
Ps 17:9
72%
9From the wicked that oppress me, My deadly enemies, that compass me about.
Lam 5:17-18
2 verses
71%
17For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim;
18For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it.
Joel 2:3
71%
3A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and none hath escaped them.
2 Chr 20:11
71%
11behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
Isa 17:14
71%
14At eventide, behold, terror; [and] before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.
Jer 18:22
71%
22Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
Jer 12:9
71%
9Is my heritage unto me as a speckled bird of prey? are the birds of prey against her round about? go ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour.
Prov 1:12
71%
12Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit;
2 Cor 4:9
71%
9pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed;
Ps 69:26
71%
26For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.
Job 38:40
71%
40When they couch in their dens, [And] abide in the covert to lie in wait?
Job 30:5
71%
5They are driven forth from the midst [of men]; They cry after them as after a thief;
Ps 71:11
71%
11Saying, God hath forsaken him: Pursue and take him; For there is none to deliver.
Lam 1:13
71%
13From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: He hath made me desolate and faint all the day.
Ps 83:15
70%
15So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm.
Ps 143:3
70%
3For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
Josh 8:6
70%
6and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: so we will flee before them;
Ps 59:3
70%
3For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; The mighty gather themselves together against me: Not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Jehovah.
Job 30:3
70%
3They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.
Ps 64:4
70%
4That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Prov 1:17
70%
17For in vain is the net spread In the sight of any bird:
Lam 3:46-47
2 verses
70%
46All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.
47Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction.
Job 24:5
70%
5Behold, as wild asses in the desert They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness [yieldeth] them bread for their children.
Lam 3:11
70%
11He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.
Ps 7:5
70%
5Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. {H5542}