Lamentations 4:17

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

ע(Ayin)The People of Jerusalem Lament: Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Ezek 29:16 : 16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.’”
  • Ezek 29:6-7 : 6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the LORD because they were a reed staff for the house of Israel; 7 when they grasped you with their hand, you broke and tore their shoulders, and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady.
  • 2 Kgs 24:7 : 7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Stream of Egypt and the Euphrates River.
  • Isa 20:5 : 5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed.
  • Isa 30:1-7 : 1 Egypt Will Prove Unreliable“The rebellious children are as good as dead,” says the LORD,“those who make plans without consulting me, who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, and thereby compound their sin. 2 They travel down to Egypt without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh’s protection, and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame, and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation. 4 Though his officials are in Zoan and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 5 all will be put to shame because of a nation that cannot help them, who cannot give them aid or help, but only shame and disgrace.” 6 This is an oracle about the animals in the Negev: Through a land of distress and danger, inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, by snakes and darting adders, they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys, their riches on the humps of camels, to a nation that cannot help them. 7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. For this reason I call her‘Proud one who is silenced.’”
  • Isa 31:1-3 : 1 Egypt Will Disappoint Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, those who rely on war horses, and trust in Egypt’s many chariots and in their many, many horsemen. But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel and do not seek help from the LORD. 2 Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster; he does not retract his decree. He will attack the wicked nation, and the nation that helps those who commit sin. 3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God; their horses are made of flesh, not spirit. The LORD will strike with his hand; the one who helps will stumble and the one being helped will fall. Together they will perish.
  • Jer 2:18 : 18 What good will it do you then to go down to Egypt to seek help from the Egyptians? What good will it do you to go over to Assyria to seek help from the Assyrians?
  • Jer 2:36 : 36 Why do you constantly go about changing your political allegiances? You will get no help from Egypt just as you got no help from Assyria.
  • Jer 8:20 : 20 “They cry,‘Harvest time has come and gone, and the summer is over, and still we have not been delivered.’
  • Jer 37:7-9 : 7 “This is what the LORD God of Israel has said,‘This is what you must say to the king of Judah who sent you to seek my help.“Beware, Pharaoh’s army that was on its way to help you is about to go back home to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down. 9 Moreover, I, the LORD, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces will go away and leave you alone. For they will not go away. 10 For even if you were to defeat all the Babylonian forces fighting against you so badly that only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn this city down.”’”
  • Lam 1:7 : 7 ז(Zayin) Jerusalem remembers, when she became a poor homeless person, all her treasures that she owned in days of old. When her people fell into an enemy’s grip, none of her allies came to her rescue. Her enemies gloated over her; they sneered at her downfall.
  • Lam 1:19 : 19 ק(Qof) I called for my lovers, but they had deceived me. My priests and my elders perished in the city. Truly they had searched for food to keep themselves alive.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Lam 4:18-19
    2 verses
    82%

    18צ(Tsade) Our enemies hunted us down at every step so that we could not walk about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, for our end had come!

    19ק(Qof) Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles in the sky. They chased us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.

  • Lam 5:16-17
    2 verses
    77%

    16The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!

    17Because of this, our hearts are sick; because of these things, we can hardly see through our tears.

  • Ps 123:1-3
    3 verses
    75%

    1A song of ascents. I look up toward you, the one enthroned in heaven.

    2Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes will look to the LORD, our God, until he shows us favor.

    3Show us favor, O LORD, show us favor! For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some.

  • Jer 3:23-24
    2 verses
    75%

    23We know our noisy worship of false gods on the hills and mountains did not help us. We know that the LORD our God is the only one who can deliver Israel.

    24From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal, has taken away all that our ancestors worked for. It has taken away our flocks and our herds, and even our sons and daughters.

  • Ps 108:12
    75%

    12Give us help against the enemy, for any help men might offer is futile.

  • 2 Chr 20:12
    75%

    12Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”

  • Ps 60:11
    75%

    11Give us help against the enemy, for any help men might offer is futile.

  • Isa 59:9-11
    3 verses
    74%

    9Israel Confesses its Sin For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.

    10We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those who cannot see; we stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are like dead men.

    11We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

  • Jer 8:15
    74%

    15We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it. We hoped for a time of relief, but instead we experience terror.

  • Isa 33:2
    74%

    2LORD, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning! Deliver us when distress comes.

  • Ps 44:17-18
    2 verses
    73%

    17All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated your covenant with us.

    18We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands.

  • Lam 5:8
    73%

    8Slaves rule over us; there is no one to rescue us from their power.

  • Ps 119:123
    73%

    123My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.

  • Jer 14:19-20
    2 verses
    73%

    19Then I said,“LORD, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you despise the city of Zion? Why have you struck us with such force that we are beyond recovery? We hope for peace, but nothing good has come of it. We hope for a time of relief from our troubles, but experience terror.

    20LORD, we confess that we have been wicked. We confess that our ancestors have done wrong. We have indeed sinned against you.

  • Ps 33:20
    72%

    20We wait for the LORD; he is our deliverer and shield.

  • Ps 74:9
    72%

    9We do not see any signs of God’s presence; there are no longer any prophets and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.

  • 2 Sam 22:42
    72%

    42They cry out, but there is no one to help them; they cry out to the LORD, but he does not answer them.

  • Lam 5:4-5
    2 verses
    72%

    4We must pay money for our own water; we must buy our own wood at a steep price.

    5We are pursued– they are breathing down our necks; we are weary and have no rest.

  • Ps 119:82
    72%

    82My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. I say,“When will you comfort me?”

  • Jer 8:20
    72%

    20“They cry,‘Harvest time has come and gone, and the summer is over, and still we have not been delivered.’

  • Dan 9:14
    72%

    14The LORD was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the LORD our God is just in all he has done, and we have not obeyed him.

  • Jer 9:18-19
    2 verses
    71%

    18I said,“Indeed, let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us. Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyes and our eyelids overflow with water.

    19For the sound of wailing is soon to be heard in Zion,‘We are utterly ruined! We are completely disgraced! For we have left our land! For our houses have been torn down!’”

  • 2 Chr 29:9
    71%

    9Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off because of this.

  • Ps 79:4
    71%

    4We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.

  • Ps 17:11
    71%

    11They attack me, now they surround me; they intend to throw me to the ground.

  • Ps 141:8
    71%

    8Surely I am looking to you, O Sovereign LORD. In you I take shelter. Do not expose me to danger!

  • Ezra 9:15
    71%

    15O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt no one can really stand before you.”

  • Lam 4:16
    71%

    16פ(Pe) The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. They did not honor the priests; they did not show favor to the elders.

  • Jer 14:8
    71%

    8You have been the object of Israel’s hopes. You have saved them when they were in trouble. Why have you become like a resident foreigner in the land? Why have you become like a traveler who only stops in to spend the night?

  • Lam 5:1
    71%

    1The People of Jerusalem Pray: O LORD, reflect on what has happened to us; consider and look at our disgrace.

  • Ezra 9:7
    70%

    7From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment– right up to the present time.

  • Ps 142:4
    70%

    4Look to the right and see! No one cares about me. I have nowhere to run; no one is concerned about my life.

  • Isa 20:6
    70%

    6At that time those who live on this coast will say,‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

  • Jer 6:24
    70%

    24The people cry out,“We have heard reports about them! We have become helpless with fear! Anguish grips us, agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!

  • Ps 44:23-24
    2 verses
    70%

    23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever!

    24Why do you look the other way, and ignore the way we are oppressed and mistreated?

  • Neh 4:9
    70%

    9So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them both day and night.

  • Lam 5:20
    70%

    20Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?

  • Lam 3:50
    70%

    50until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees what has happened.