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id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/lamentations/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/lamentations/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter&#8217s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/lamentations/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />See how the precious children of Jerusalem, worth their weight in fine gold, are now treated like pots of clay made by a common potter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/lamentations/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/lamentations/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/lamentations/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/lamentations/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against pure gold, How they are regarded as earthenware jars, The work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/lamentations/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter&#8217s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/lamentations/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/lamentations/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/lamentations/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />The [noble and] precious sons of Zion, [Once] worth their weight in fine gold, How they are regarded [merely] as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/lamentations/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Zion’s precious children — once worth their weight in pure gold — how they are regarded as clay jars, the work of a potter’s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/lamentations/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Zion&#8217s precious people— once worth their weight in pure gold— how they are regarded as clay jars, the work of a potter&#8217s hands! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/lamentations/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/lamentations/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />These are Zion's people, worth more than purest gold; yet they are counted worthless like dishes of clay. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/lamentations/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/lamentations/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"Zion's precious children, who are worth their weight in fine gold, are now treated like clay pots, like those made by a potter's hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/lamentations/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold, but now they are treated like common clay pots. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/lamentations/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Though the precious people of Zion were like fine gold, how they are valued like clay vessels, the handiwork of a potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/lamentations/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of clay, the work of a potter?s hands!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/lamentations/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in gold--Alas!--but now they are treated like broken clay pots, made by a potter. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/lamentations/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How they are regarded as clay jars, the work of the hands of the potter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/lamentations/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/lamentations/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how they are esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/lamentations/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, "" Who are comparable with fine gold, "" How they have been reckoned earthen bottles, "" Work of the hands of a potter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/lamentations/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/lamentations/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion being lifted up with fine gold, how they were reckoned for earthen vessels, the work of the hands of the potter.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/lamentations/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Beth. The noble sons of Sion, and they that were clothed with the best gold: how are they esteemed as earthen vessels, the work of the potter's hands? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/lamentations/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />BETH. The famous sons of Zion, and those clothed with the foremost gold: how they have become like earthen vessels, the work of the hands of a potter.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/lamentations/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />And Zion’s precious children, worth their weight in gold— How they are treated like clay jugs, the work of any potter! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/lamentations/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold— how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/lamentations/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, who were better than precious stones, how are they esteemed as earthen pots, the work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/lamentations/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Beth The precious children of Zion who are better than costly stones have been considered just as vessels of earthen work from the hands of a potter!<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/lamentations/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />The precious sons of Zion, Comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, The work of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/lamentations/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />BETH. The precious sons of Zion, who were equalled in value with gold, how are they counted as earthen vessels, the works of the hands of the potter!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/lamentations/4-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKrWuOkEqzQ?start=1075" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/4.htm">The Distress of Zion</a></span><br><span class="reftext">1</span>How the gold has become tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple lie scattered on every street corner. <span class="reftext">2</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/349.htm" title="349: ’ê·ḵāh (Interjection) -- How?. Also eykah; and teykakah; prolonged from 'ay; how? Or how!; also where.">How</a> <a href="/hebrew/3368.htm" title="3368: hay·qā·rîm (Art:: Adj-mp) -- Precious, rare, splendid, weighty. From yaqar; valuable.">the precious</a> <a href="/hebrew/1121.htm" title="1121: bə·nê (N-mpc) -- Son. From banah; a son, in the widest sense (like 'ab, 'ach, etc.).">sons</a> <a href="/hebrew/6726.htm" title="6726: ṣî·yō·wn (N-proper-fs) -- A mountain in Jer., also a name for Jer. The same as tsiyuwn; Tsijon, a mountain of Jerusalem.">of Zion,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5537.htm" title="5537: ham·sul·lā·’îm (Art:: V-Pual-Prtcpl-mp) -- To weigh. A primitive root; to suspend in a balance, i.e. Weigh.">once worth their weight</a> <a href="/hebrew/6337.htm" title="6337: bap·pāz (Prep-b, Art:: N-ms) -- Refined, pure gold. From pazaz; pure; hence, gold itself.">in pure gold,</a> <a href="/hebrew/2803.htm" title="2803: neḥ·šə·ḇū (V-Nifal-Perf-3cp) -- To think, account. ">are now esteemed</a> <a href="/hebrew/5035.htm" title="5035: lə·niḇ·lê- (Prep-l:: N-mpc) -- A skin-bag for, liquids, a vase, a lyre. Or nebel; from nabel; a skin-bag for liquids; hence, a vase; also a lyre.">as jars</a> <a href="/hebrew/2789.htm" title="2789: ḥe·reś (N-ms) -- Earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd. A collateral form mediating between cherec and cheresh; a piece of pottery.">of clay,</a> <a href="/hebrew/4639.htm" title="4639: ma·‘ă·śêh (N-msc) -- A deed, work. From asah; an action; generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product or property.">the work</a> <a href="/hebrew/3335.htm" title="3335: yō·w·ṣêr (V-Qal-Prtcpl-ms) -- Probably identical with yatsar;); to mould into a form; especially as a potter; figuratively, to determine (i.e. Form a resolution).">of a potter’s</a> <a href="/hebrew/3027.htm" title="3027: yə·ḏê (N-fdc) -- Hand (indicating power, means, direction, etc.)">hands!</a> </span><span class="reftext">3</span>Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-22.htm">Isaiah 1:22</a></span><br />Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/19-11.htm">Jeremiah 19:11</a></span><br />and you are to proclaim to them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/25-7.htm">2 Kings 25:7</a></span><br />And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/52-11.htm">Jeremiah 52:11</a></span><br />Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/64-8.htm">Isaiah 64:8</a></span><br />But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/4-7.htm">2 Corinthians 4:7</a></span><br />Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_peter/2-9.htm">1 Peter 2:9</a></span><br />But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/30-14.htm">Isaiah 30:14</a></span><br />It will break in pieces like a potter’s jar, shattered so that no fragment can be found. Not a shard will be found in the dust large enough to scoop the coals from a hearth or to skim the water from a cistern.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/18-4.htm">Jeremiah 18:4</a></span><br />But the vessel that he was shaping from the clay became flawed in his hand; so he formed it into another vessel, as it seemed best for him to do.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_timothy/2-20.htm">2 Timothy 2:20-21</a></span><br />A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. / So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/43-1.htm">Isaiah 43:1</a></span><br />But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/9-21.htm">Romans 9:21</a></span><br />Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-2.htm">Isaiah 5:2</a></span><br />He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/22-28.htm">Jeremiah 22:28</a></span><br />Is this man Coniah a despised and shattered pot, a jar that no one wants? Why are he and his descendants hurled out and cast into a land they do not know?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/1-28.htm">1 Corinthians 1:28</a></span><br />He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!</p><p class="hdg">sons</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/51-18.htm">Isaiah 51:18</a></b></br> <i>There is</i> none to guide her among all the sons <i>whom</i> she hath brought forth; neither <i>is there any</i> that taketh her by the hand of all the sons <i>that</i> she hath brought up.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/zechariah/9-13.htm">Zechariah 9:13</a></b></br> When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.</p><p class="hdg">how</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/lamentations/2-21.htm">Lamentations 2:21</a></b></br> The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain <i>them</i> in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, <i>and</i> not pitied.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/lamentations/5-12.htm">Lamentations 5:12</a></b></br> Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/30-14.htm">Isaiah 30:14</a></b></br> And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water <i>withal</i> out of the pit.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Best</a> <a href="/jeremiah/48-12.htm">Bottles</a> <a href="/jeremiah/43-9.htm">Clay</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-11.htm">Comparable</a> <a href="/isaiah/53-8.htm">Considered</a> <a href="/jeremiah/32-14.htm">Earthen</a> <a href="/isaiah/53-4.htm">Esteemed</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Fine</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Gold</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-64.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/jeremiah/48-12.htm">Jars</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-1.htm">Once</a> <a href="/jeremiah/35-5.htm">Pitchers</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-19.htm">Pots</a> <a href="/jeremiah/19-1.htm">Potter</a> <a href="/jeremiah/19-11.htm">Potter's</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-11.htm">Precious</a> <a href="/jeremiah/32-9.htm">Price</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-17.htm">Reckoned</a> <a href="/jeremiah/23-18.htm">Regarded</a> <a href="/isaiah/7-23.htm">Valued</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-7.htm">Weighed</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-7.htm">Weight</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-64.htm">Work</a> <a href="/isaiah/7-23.htm">Worth</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-18.htm">Zion</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/17-21.htm">Best</a> <a href="/hosea/7-5.htm">Bottles</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-1.htm">Clay</a> <a href="/matthew/25-1.htm">Comparable</a> <a href="/ezekiel/18-28.htm">Considered</a> <a href="/habakkuk/1-10.htm">Earthen</a> <a href="/daniel/9-23.htm">Esteemed</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-10.htm">Fine</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-19.htm">Gold</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-6.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/matthew/25-4.htm">Jars</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-5.htm">Once</a> <a href="/mark/7-4.htm">Pitchers</a> <a href="/zechariah/14-20.htm">Pots</a> <a href="/zechariah/11-13.htm">Potter</a> <a href="/daniel/2-33.htm">Potter's</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-22.htm">Precious</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-4.htm">Price</a> <a href="/daniel/4-35.htm">Reckoned</a> <a href="/daniel/3-12.htm">Regarded</a> <a href="/ezekiel/22-25.htm">Valued</a> <a href="/daniel/5-25.htm">Weighed</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-7.htm">Weight</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-16.htm">Work</a> <a href="/ezekiel/30-2.htm">Worth</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-11.htm">Zion</a><div class="vheading2">Lamentations 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Zion bewails her pitiful estate</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-13.htm">She confesses her sins</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-21.htm">Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/4.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/lamentations/4.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>How the precious sons of Zion</b><br>The "precious sons of Zion" refers to the people of Jerusalem, particularly those of noble or royal lineage. Zion is often used as a synonym for Jerusalem, the city of David, and represents the spiritual and political heart of Israel. The term "precious" indicates their high value and esteemed status in society. In biblical context, Zion is frequently associated with God's chosen people and His dwelling place (<a href="/psalms/132-13.htm">Psalm 132:13</a>). The lament here reflects the deep sorrow over the fall from grace and honor of these individuals.<p><b>once worth their weight in pure gold</b><br>This phrase emphasizes the former glory and value of the people of Jerusalem. Gold, being a precious metal, symbolizes purity, wealth, and divine favor. In ancient times, gold was used in the construction of the Temple (<a href="/1_kings/6-20.htm">1 Kings 6:20-22</a>) and was a symbol of God's presence and blessing. The comparison to gold highlights the drastic change in their status and the loss of divine favor due to their disobedience and sin.<p><b>are now esteemed as jars of clay</b><br>Jars of clay were common, everyday items in ancient times, used for storage and easily broken. This imagery contrasts sharply with the previous comparison to gold, underscoring the degradation and humiliation of the people. In <a href="/2_corinthians/4-7.htm">2 Corinthians 4:7</a>, Paul uses the metaphor of "treasures in jars of clay" to describe the fragility of human life and the power of God within believers. Here, the lamentation reflects the loss of honor and the vulnerability of the people after the Babylonian conquest.<p><b>the work of a potter’s hands!</b><br>The potter's hands symbolize creation and craftsmanship, but also the power to shape and reshape. In <a href="/jeremiah/18.htm">Jeremiah 18:1-6</a>, God is likened to a potter who can mold the nation of Israel as He wills. This imagery suggests that the people, once shaped for honor, have now been reshaped for dishonor due to their rebellion against God. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the consequences of turning away from His commandments. The lamentation captures the profound transformation from a state of divine favor to one of judgment and loss.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/s/sons_of_zion.htm">Sons of Zion</a></b><br>Refers to the people of Jerusalem, particularly the young men who were once considered valuable and noble.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/z/zion.htm">Zion</a></b><br>A term often used to refer to Jerusalem, the city of God, and by extension, the people of Israel.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/c/clay_jars.htm">Clay Jars</a></b><br>Symbolizes something common and fragile, contrasting with the previous value of gold.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/p/potter's_hands.htm">Potter’s Hands</a></b><br>Represents God as the creator and shaper of His people, emphasizing His sovereignty and the transformation of their status.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/v/value_in_god's_eyes.htm">Value in God's Eyes</a></b><br>The sons of Zion were once esteemed as precious as gold. This reminds us that our true worth is found in how God sees us, not in worldly status or wealth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/transformation_and_humility.htm">Transformation and Humility</a></b><br>The shift from gold to clay jars signifies a humbling process. We must recognize our dependence on God and remain humble, acknowledging that our value comes from Him.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty.htm">God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>As the potter, God has the authority to shape and reshape our lives. We should trust His process, even when it involves trials or humbling experiences.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_restoration.htm">Repentance and Restoration</a></b><br>The lament over the sons of Zion serves as a call to repentance. When we stray from God, we may lose our luster, but through repentance, we can be restored.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/endurance_in_trials.htm">Endurance in Trials</a></b><br>The imagery of clay jars suggests fragility, yet also resilience. In times of hardship, we must rely on God's strength to endure and remain faithful.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_lamentations_4.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 4</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_did_israel_get_temple_gold.htm">How did Israel acquire and maintain the gold for temple items (2 Chronicles 4:19-22) without external historical records?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_'jars_of_clay'_just_a_metaphor.htm">In 2 Corinthians 4:7, isn't comparing human frailty to 'jars of clay' just a metaphorical stretch with no scientific or historical basis?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/do_findings_match_lamentations_5_2's_ruin.htm">Lamentations 5:2 depicts a Jerusalem left desolate--do archaeological findings fully align with the extent of destruction described?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_zion's_biblical_significance.htm">What is Zion and its biblical significance?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/lamentations/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) <span class= "bld">The precious sons of Zion . . .</span>--The adjective is applied not to a special class, priests, nobles, or the like, but to all the <span class= "ital">"</span>sons of Zion" in their ideal character as a "kingdom of priests" (<a href="/exodus/19-6.htm" title="And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.">Exodus 19:6</a>). They had been "comparable to" (literally, <span class= "ital">weighed with</span>)<span class= "ital">, i.e., </span>equal to their weight in, fine gold, the work of God. Now they had became as "earthen pitchers," the work of the potter. We note the comparison as characteristic of the writer (<a href="/context/jeremiah/18-1.htm" title="The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,">Jeremiah 18:1-6</a>; <a href="/context/jeremiah/19-1.htm" title="Thus said the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;">Jeremiah 19:1-10</a>).<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/lamentations/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The precious sons of Zion;</span> <span class="accented">i.e.</span> not merely the nobility, but the people of Judah in general. It is needless (as the literal interpreters of ver. 1 are compelled to do) to alter <span class="accented">b'ne</span> (sons) into <span class="accented">batte</span> (houses) or <span class="accented">abne</span> (stones). The comparison of men to potters' vessels is familiar to the Hebrew writers (comp. <a href="/isaiah/22-24.htm">Isaiah 22:24</a>; <a href="/isaiah/45-9.htm">Isaiah 45:9</a>). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/lamentations/4-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">How</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵיכָ֤ה</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·ḵāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interjection<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_349.htm">Strong's 349: </a> </span><span class="str2">How?, how!, where</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the precious</span><br /><span class="heb">הַיְקָרִ֔ים</span> <span class="translit">(hay·qā·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Adjective - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3368.htm">Strong's 3368: </a> </span><span class="str2">Precious, rare, splendid, weighty</span><br /><br /><span class="word">sons</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּנֵ֤י</span> <span class="translit">(bə·nê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1121.htm">Strong's 1121: </a> </span><span class="str2">A son</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of Zion,</span><br /><span class="heb">צִיּוֹן֙</span> <span class="translit">(ṣî·yō·wn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6726.htm">Strong's 6726: </a> </span><span class="str2">Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem</span><br /><br /><span class="word">once worth their weight</span><br /><span class="heb">הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖ים</span> <span class="translit">(ham·sul·lā·’îm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5537.htm">Strong's 5537: </a> </span><span class="str2">To suspend, weigh</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in pure gold,</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּפָּ֑ז</span> <span class="translit">(bap·pāz)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6337.htm">Strong's 6337: </a> </span><span class="str2">Refined, pure gold</span><br /><br /><span class="word">are now esteemed</span><br /><span class="heb">נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙</span> <span class="translit">(neḥ·šə·ḇū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2803.htm">Strong's 2803: </a> </span><span class="str2">To think, account</span><br /><br /><span class="word">as clay</span><br /><span class="heb">חֶ֔רֶשׂ</span> <span class="translit">(ḥe·reś)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2789.htm">Strong's 2789: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd</span><br /><br /><span class="word">jars,</span><br /><span class="heb">לְנִבְלֵי־</span> <span class="translit">(lə·niḇ·lê-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5035.htm">Strong's 5035: </a> </span><span class="str2">A skin-bag for, liquids, a vase, a lyre</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the work</span><br /><span class="heb">מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה</span> <span class="translit">(ma·‘ă·śêh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4639.htm">Strong's 4639: </a> </span><span class="str2">An action, a transaction, activity, a product, property</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of a potter’s</span><br /><span class="heb">יוֹצֵֽר׃</span> <span class="translit">(yō·w·ṣêr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3335.htm">Strong's 3335: </a> </span><span class="str2">To mould into a, form, as a, potter, to determine</span><br /><br /><span class="word">hands!</span><br /><span class="heb">יְדֵ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(yə·ḏê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - fdc<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3027.htm">Strong's 3027: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hand</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/lamentations/4-2.htm">Lamentations 4:2 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm">OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:2 The precious sons of Zion comparable (Lam. La Lm) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Lamentations 4:1"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Lamentations 4:1" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/lamentations/4-3.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Lamentations 4:3"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Lamentations 4:3" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>