Lamentations 1:19 (YLT)

Passage

I called for my lovers, they--they have deceived me, My priests and my elders in the city have expired; When they have sought food for themselves, Then they give back their soul.

Nearby Context

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.

Lamentations 1:19 I called for my lovers, they--they have deceived me, My priests and my elders in the city have expired; When they have sought food for themselves, Then they give back their soul.

Lamentations 1:20 See, O Jehovah, for distress <FI>is<Fi> to me, My bowels have been troubled, Turned hath been my heart in my midst, For I have greatly provoked, From without bereaved hath the sword, In the house <FI>it is<Fi> as death.

Lamentations 1:21 They have heard that I have sighed, There is no comforter for me, All my enemies have heard of my calamity, They have rejoiced that Thou hast done <FI>it<Fi> , Thou hast brought in the day Thou hast called, And they are like to me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "lovers", "they--they", "deceived", "priests", "elders", "city", and "expired". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "lovers", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Righteous is Jehovah For His mouth I..." into verse 20's "See O Jehovah for distress FI is...", so "called" and "lovers" 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 "called" and "lovers" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.