Lamentations 1:16For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water; Because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.
The setting
Jerusalem, 586 BC. Jeremiah stands in the smoking ruins of the temple, bodies scattered in streets. Modern-day Old City of Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: witnessing unspeakable horrors, heart shattered beyond repair
The original word
naham (נָחַם) — comfort that restores, the kind a mother gives a wounded child
Why it matters
Jeremiah witnessed children being cannibalized during the 30-month siege
Read with care
What most readers miss in Lamentations 1:16
The repeated 'my eye, my eye' shows uncontrollable sobbing — the Hebrew emphasizes convulsive weeping
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about personal sadness, but Jeremiah is describing mothers watching their children starve to death during siege warfare.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Lamentations 1:16
Bible Genome reading
Lamentations 1:16 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Lamentations 1:16 comes from the book of Lamentations, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include weeping, abandonment, comfort absent. Notable phrases: For these things I weep; my eye runs down with water; comforter is far from me.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Lamentations 1:16 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "grieving"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.