Lamentations 1:4 (DRB)

Passage

Daleth. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast: all her gates are broken down; her priests sigh; her virgins are in affliction; and she is oppressed with bitterness.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 1:2 Beth. Weeping, she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: there is none to comfort her among all them that were dear to her: all her friends have despised her, and are become her enemies.

Lamentations 1:3 Ghimel. Juda hath removed her dwelling place, because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage; she hath dwelt among the nations, and she hath found no rest; all her persecutors have taken her in the midst of straits.

Lamentations 1:4 Daleth. The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast: all her gates are broken down; her priests sigh; her virgins are in affliction; and she is oppressed with bitterness.

Lamentations 1:5 He. Her adversaries are become her lords; her enemies are enriched; because the Lord hath spoken against her for the multitude of her iniquities; her children are led into captivity, before the face of the oppressor.

Lamentations 1:6 Vau. And from the daughter of Sion, all her beauty is departed; her princes are become like rams that find no pastures; and they are gone away without strength before the face of the pursuer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "daleth", "ways", "sion", "mourn", "none", "come", "solemn", and "feast". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "daleth" and "ways", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Ghimel Juda hath removed her dwelling place..." into verse 5's "He Her adversaries are become her lords...", so "daleth" and "ways" 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 "daleth" and "ways" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.