Lamentations 1:17 (KJV)

Passage

Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 1:15 The LORD hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the LORD hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

Lamentations 1:16 For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

Lamentations 1:17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

Lamentations 1:18 The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

Lamentations 1:19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "zion", "spreadeth", "forth", "hands", "none", "comfort", "lord", and "hath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "zion" and "spreadeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For these things I weep mine eye..." into verse 18's "The LORD is righteous for I have...", so "zion" and "spreadeth" 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 "zion" and "spreadeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.