Lamentations 5:13 (DRB)

Passage

They abused the young men indecently: and the children fell under the wood.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:11 They oppressed the women in Sion, and the virgins in the cities of Juda.

Lamentations 5:12 The princes were hanged up by their hand: they did not respect the persons of the ancients.

Lamentations 5:13 They abused the young men indecently: and the children fell under the wood.

Lamentations 5:14 The ancients have ceased from the gates: the young men from the choir of the singers.

Lamentations 5:15 The joy of our heart is ceased, our dancing is turned into mourning.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "abused", "young", "indecently", "children", "fell", "under", and "wood". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "abused" and "young", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "The princes were hanged up by their..." into verse 14's "The ancients have ceased from the gates...", so "abused" and "young" 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 "abused" and "young" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.