Lamentations 5:11 (LSB)

Passage

They violated the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives Because of the sword in the wilderness.

Lamentations 5:10 Our skin has become as hot as an oven Because of the burning heat of famine.

Lamentations 5:11 They violated the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah.

Lamentations 5:12 Princes were hung by their hands; Elders were not respected.

Lamentations 5:13 Young men lifted up the stone at the grinding mill, And youths stumbled down under loads of wood.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "violated", "women", "zion", "virgins", "cities", and "judah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "violated" and "women", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Our skin has become as hot as..." into verse 12's "Princes were hung by their hands Elders...", so "violated" and "women" 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 "violated" and "women" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.