Lamentations 1:15 (DRB)

Passage

Samech. The Lord hath taken away all my mighty men out of the midst of me: he hath called against me the time, to destroy my chosen men: the Lord hath trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Juda.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 1:13 Mem. From above he hath sent fire into my bones, and hath chastised me: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate, wasted with sorrow all the day long.

Lamentations 1:14 Nun. The yoke of my iniquities hath watched: they are folded together in his hand, and put upon my neck: my strength is weakened: the Lord hath delivered me into a hand, out of which I am not able to rise.

Lamentations 1:15 Samech. The Lord hath taken away all my mighty men out of the midst of me: he hath called against me the time, to destroy my chosen men: the Lord hath trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Juda.

Lamentations 1:16 Ain. Therefore do I weep, and my eyes run down with water: because the comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me: my children are desolate because the enemy hath prevailed.

Lamentations 1:17 Phe. Sion hath spread forth her hands, there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath commanded against Jacob, his enemies are round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "samech", "lord", "hath", "taken", "away", "mighty", and "midst". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "samech", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Nun The yoke of my iniquities hath..." into verse 16's "Ain Therefore do I weep and my...", so "called" and "samech" belong inside that flow. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "samech" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.