Lamentations 4:6 · Bible study
Lamentations 4:6 Commentary: Sin and Suffering in the Shadow of Sodom
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Is Jerusalem’s sin or punishment greater than Sodom’s? A lexical and theological study of Lamentations 4:6 with pastoral applications.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The suffering of Jerusalem is greater than Sodom’s, pointing to either greater sin or greater punishment, or both.
- Key words: ʿāwōn (iniquity/punishment), ḥaṭṭāʾt (sin/punishment), khemo ragaʿ (like a moment), yadayim (hands).
- Main debate: whether the verse compares sin or punishment (or both) and how to translate the ambiguous Hebrew nouns.
- Theological theme: Greater privilege brings greater accountability; the connection between sin and suffering is real but not always directly proportional in this life.
- Best use: A sobering reminder to those who know God that our sins are not trivial, and that judgment may come in forms we do not expect.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instant without a hand turned to help her.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment. No hands were laid on her.
KJV King James Version 1769
For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as in a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the reward of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were violently laid upon her.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Vau. And the iniquity of the daughter of my people is made greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and hands took nothing in her.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y aumentóse la iniquidad de la hija de mi pueblo más que el pecado de Sodoma, que fué trastornada en un momento, y no asentaron sobre ella compañías|strong="H3027, H2342".
Pois maior é o castigo da filha de meu povo do que o do pecado de Sodoma, Que foi transtornada em um momento, e não assentaram sobre ela companhias.
Le châtiment de la fille de mon peuple est plus grand
Die Missetat der Tochter meines Volks ist größer denn die Sünde Sodoms, die plötzlich umgekehrt ward, und kam keine Hand dazu.
Vau. En de ongerechtigheid der dochter mijns volks is groter dan de zonden van Sodom, dat als in een ogenblik omgekeerd werd, en geen handen hadden arbeid over haar.
Il castigo dell’iniquità della figliuola del mio popolo e maggiore di quello del peccato di Sodoma, che fu distrutta in un attimo, senza che mano d’uomo la colpisse.
Większe jest karanie córki ludu mojego, niżeli pomsta Sodomy, która jest podwrócona w jednem okamgnieniu, i nie zostały na niej ręce.
Наказание нечестия дщери народа моего превышает казнь за грехи Содома: тот низринут мгновенно, и руки человеческие не касались его.
都因我眾民 的罪孽 比所多瑪 的罪 還大；所多瑪雖然無人 加 手 於她，還是轉眼之間 被傾覆。
For the punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overturned suddenly without any hand falling on her.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Lamentations 4:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The verse draws an unmistakable comparison between Jerusalem and Sodom, but commentators split on whether the Hebrew nouns ʿāwōn and ḥaṭṭāʾt mean iniquity/sin or punishment. Calvin, Clarke, Wesley and Gill read them as punishment: Jerusalem’s drawn-out agony surpasses Sodom’s instantaneous destruction. Barnes and the Cambridge Bible read them as iniquity/sin: the prophet infers greater guilt from greater suffering. Both sides agree that the relationship between sin and punishment is direct, God’s severity reveals the depth of human rebellion. The final clause, ‘no hands were laid on her,’ drives the point home: Sodom perished by divine fire alone, while Jerusalem was slowly broken by human armies. The debate matters because it asks whether the verse is a cry of lament over disproportionate suffering or a prophetic indictment of privileged people who sinned worse than notorious sinners.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Greater iniquity (sin view): Lexical range of both nouns can include sin; supported by prophetic comparisons (Ezekiel 16:48, Isaiah 1:10) and Matthew 11:23.
- Greater punishment (punishment view): Lexical range includes punishment; the following clause describes Sodom's destruction, not its sin, making punishment the immediate context.
What is clear: The verse uses Sodom as a benchmark to show the extraordinary severity of Jerusalem's fate, and it affirms that the severity is directly connected to the guilt of God's people.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'greater' | The verse presents a comparison between Jerusalem and Sodom, with Jerusalem's situation being worse in some clear way. | Some (Calvin, Clarke, Wesley) read it as punishment being greater; others (Cambridge Bible, Hunnius) read it as iniquity being greater. Both sides admit the Hebrew supports either reading. |
| Interpretation of 'no hands laid on her' | Sodom was destroyed without prolonged human involvement, while Jerusalem suffered at the hands of Babylon. | The phrase 'hands' is variously understood: as human armies (Gill), as the hands of mourners (Ewald), or as a metaphor for violent action (Cambridge Bible). The verb ḥālû (twisted/raged) is rare, adding uncertainty. |
| Relationship between sin and suffering in the verse | The verse links sin and suffering, the degree of suffering reflects the seriousness of the situation before God. | Does it teach direct proportionality (greater sin → greater punishment) or does it simply use the comparison as a rhetorical lament without establishing a precise ratio? |
| Application to Christian readers | The verse warns that those who have received more revelation (prophets, covenant, Christ) are more accountable before God. | How much of the physical suffering of Jerusalem should be spiritualized for the church? Some see a direct warning for national judgment; others apply it to personal holiness and the danger of backsliding. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Lamentations 4 was composed in the ashes of Jerusalem after the Babylonian destruction in 587/586 BC. The city fell after a siege that lasted eighteen to thirty months, a slow strangulation by famine, disease and sword. The poet catalogues horrors: nobles starved, children parched with thirst, mothers boiling their own children (Lam 4:10). Into this scene, he summons the memory of Sodom, the biblical archetype of sudden, divine judgment. Genesis 19:24, 25 records that the Lord rained fire from heaven; the city was ‘overthrown in a moment.’ No human army camped against its walls. No protracted famine. No cannibalism. The contrast is brutal and deliberate. The phrase ‘daughter of my people’ personifies Jerusalem as a vulnerable woman, heightening the pathos. Prophets before Jeremiah had already compared Israel to Sodom (Isaiah 1:9, 10, Ezekiel 16:48, 50), but they did so to condemn sin, not to measure punishment. Here in the rubble, the poet uses Sodom as a benchmark of suffering. If Sodom’s fate was swift and clean, Jerusalem’s is prolonged and filthy. The point is not that Jerusalem was more evil than Sodom in every sense, but that her suffering, and thus her guilt, is so great that it outstrips even that of history’s most infamous city of judgment.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Lamentations 4:6. The main differences in English translations stem from the semantic range of the Hebrew nouns ʿāwōn (H5771, iniquity/punishment) and ḥaṭṭāʾt (H2403, sin/punishment). The Septuagint renders both with words for iniquity and sin, not punishment, which has influenced some later versions. The Masoretic Text is stable here.
Reception History
Early Jewish and Christian exegetes typically read the verse as a statement about sin, not just punishment. The Targum paraphrases it to highlight the absence of prophets in Sodom, implying that Jerusalem’s sin was worse because she rejected repeated prophetic calls to repentance. In the Reformation, Calvin and Luther took the punishment interpretation, stressing that God’s severity measures human guilt. Anglican commentators (Cambridge Bible) later argued for the sin reading, linking the verse to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:23. More recently, the verse has been used in pastoral contexts to reassure those who suffer prolonged trials that their pain is seen, while also challenging complacent believers to take sin seriously. The consensus across traditions is that the verse compares two acts of divine judgment, but the precise point of comparison remains a matter of emphasis.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The severity of sin among God’s people: Judah’s sin surpasses Sodom’s because they sinned against greater light (Jeremiah’s warnings, the covenant).
- The shape of judgment: Sodom’s judgment was instant; Jerusalem’s was prolonged. Longer suffering does not mean less guilt, it can mean more.
- The silence of human hands: Sodom was destroyed by God alone; Jerusalem fell by Babylon. God can use human agents to extend judgment.
Five-point outline
- Context: the city in ruins, the poet speaks.
- Comparison: Sodom vs. Jerusalem, one quick, one slow.
- Clarity: the link between sin and suffering is not simple, but here it is explicit.
- Call: readers with greater revelation face greater accountability (Matthew 11:23).
- Comfort: God sees the whole picture; lament is honest, not faithless.
Illustration hooks
- A short illness that ends quickly versus a chronic disease that drags on for years, wearing down the whole family. Both are hard, but the long one feels more severe.
- Two children break the same rule; one is corrected gently, the other receives a longer consequence. The difference is not merely the act but the relationship and previous warnings.
- A community that has been given multiple warnings about a flood and ignores them, their eventual loss is greater than that of a town that had no warning at all.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really punish His own people more harshly than unrepentant sinners?
- Is it fair to compare our struggles with the suffering of others? Doesn’t that minimize their pain?
- How can I know if my current hardship is discipline or just life in a fallen world?
Leading a Discussion
The verse forces us to sit with the uncomfortable idea that those closest to God can fall furthest. It also shows that suffering is not random, it has a moral dimension. Read Lamentations 4:6 together, then work through the questions below.
Discussion questions
- What does the comparison to Sodom suggest about the situation in Jerusalem? (Read Genesis 19:24, 25 for context.)
- The Hebrew word ʿāwōn can mean iniquity or punishment. How does your translation handle this, and how does it affect the meaning?
- Why does the poet mention that “no hands were laid on her”? What difference does the manner of destruction make?
- How does this verse connect to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:23 about Capernaum?
- In what ways do people today equate suffering directly with sin? Is that always accurate?
- What does this verse teach about God’s justice toward those who know Him versus those who don’t?
- How can we hold together lament (sadness over suffering) with confession (acknowledging our own sin)?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 19:25 | He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground. |
| Isaiah 1:9 | Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah. |
| Isaiah 1:10 | Hear Yahweh’s word, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! |
| Lamentations 4:9 | Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through, for lack of the fruits of the field. |
| Ezekiel 16:48 | As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. |
| Ezekiel 16:50 | They were arrogant and committed abomination before me. Therefore I took them away when I saw it. |
| Daniel 9:12 | He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the whole sky, such has not been done as has been done to Jerusalem. |
| Matthew 11:23 | You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that Jerusalem's punishment outweighed Sodom's because Sodom was destroyed instantly by God's own hand, while Jerusalem endured prolonged suffering through sword and famine. The destruction of Sodom required no human effort, but Jerusalem's calamities came through lingering human means.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the prophet's point is very specific: Jerusalem's sin was worse than Sodom's because her punishment was far more terrible. Sodom suffered a quick death, but Jerusalem endured a slow, agonizing collapse with starving children and mothers reduced to cannibalism. Greater misery proves greater guilt.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the Hebrew words for sin can also mean punishment, and in this verse he believes they refer to the punishment itself. He points to the context: the prophet dwells on the severity of judgment, not the wickedness, since Sodom was overthrown in a moment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues that the verse speaks of iniquity or sin itself, not punishment. Because Jerusalem’s suffering exceeded Sodom’s sudden destruction, her sin must have been proportionally greater. The phrase about hands being laid upon her likely suggests a storm-like calamity, not human action.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws a striking contrast: Sodom’s sin was punished instantly, yet Judah’s iniquity is judged even worse. This comparison magnifies the severity of God’s own people’s rebellion, since their punishment was longer and more severe than the swift destruction of a notoriously wicked city.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a double comparison between Jerusalem and Sodom. Either the punishment was greater because Jerusalem’s destruction dragged on through siege and famine, while Sodom was obliterated instantly, or the sin itself was greater since Jerusalem had prophets calling them to repent and refused. Both readings reinforce the same point: Jerusalem’s fate was worse.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws three contrasts that make Jerusalem's punishment heavier than Sodom's: Sodom had no prophets, whereas Judea did; Sodom was overthrown in an instant, while Jerusalem endured a long siege; and no enemy forces pressed against Sodom beforehand. These factors show Jerusalem's greater severity.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch insists the gold and holy stones in this passage are figurative for Jerusalem's people, not the temple building. The lament is over citizens who were once precious as gold but are now treated as worthless clay pots. They also contrast nursing jackals with Jerusalem's mothers, whose cruelty surpasses even ostriches that abandon their young.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists that the gold and precious stones in this passage are not literal Temple treasures but metaphors for the people of Zion, especially the "precious sons" who were once valued like gold. Their degradation into worthlessness, like earthen pots discarded in the streets, is the poet's focus. This interpretation shifts the lament from material loss to the humiliating fall of the people themselves.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the punishment described here is more severe than Sodom's because it is drawn out and gradual, not a sudden overthrow. The lingering torment makes it worse, since Sodom was destroyed in an instant by no human hand that remained to cause ongoing suffering.