Lamentations 1:16 (YLT)

Passage

For these I am weeping, My eye, my eye, is running down with waters, For, far from me hath been a comforter, Refreshing my soul, My sons have been desolate, For mighty hath been an enemy.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 1:14 Bound hath been the yoke of my transgressions by His hand, They are wrapped together, They have gone up on my neck, He hath caused my power to stumble, The Lord hath given me into hands, I am not able to rise.

Lamentations 1:15 Trodden down all my mighty ones hath the Lord in my midst, He proclaimed against me an appointed time, To destroy my young men, A wine-press hath the Lord trodden, To the virgin daughter of Judah.

Lamentations 1:16 For these I am weeping, My eye, my eye, is running down with waters, For, far from me hath been a comforter, Refreshing my soul, My sons have been desolate, For mighty hath been an enemy.

Lamentations 1:17 Spread forth hath Zion her hands, There is no comforter for her, Jehovah hath charged concerning Jacob, His neighbours <FI>are<Fi> his adversaries, Jerusalem hath become impure among them.

Lamentations 1:18 Righteous is Jehovah, For His mouth I have provoked. Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and see my pain, My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "weeping", "running", "down", "waters", "hath", "been", "comforter", and "refreshing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "weeping" and "running", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Trodden down all my mighty ones hath..." into verse 17's "Spread forth hath Zion her hands There...", so "weeping" and "running" 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 "weeping" and "running" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.