Lamentations 5:12 (LSB)

Passage

Princes were hung by their hands; Elders were not respected.

Nearby Context

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.

Lamentations 5:14 Elders have ceased from being at the gate, Young men from their music.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "hung", "hands", "elders", and "respected". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "hung", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "They violated the women in Zion The..." into verse 13's "Young men lifted up the stone at...", so "princes" and "hung" 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 "princes" and "hung" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.