King James Version

Lamentations 4:19

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

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Hebrew

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קַלִּ֤יםqalimlightקַלadjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “light”, the ordinary formH7031light; (by implication) rapid (also adverbial)light, swift(-ly).הָיוּ֙hayvbeהָיָהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “be”, a completed actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.רֹדְפֵ֔ינוּrodefeynvchaseרָדַףverb, qal, participle, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “chase”, a verb used as a describing wordH7291to run after (usually with hostile intent; figuratively (of time) gone by)chase, put to flight, follow (after, on), hunt, (be under) persecute(-ion, -or), pursue(-r).מִנִּשְׁרֵ֖יminishrefrom eagleנֶשֶׁרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “from eagle”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5404the eagle (or other large bird of prey)eagle.שָׁמָ֑יִםshamayimheavenשָׁמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “heaven”, the ordinary formH8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…הֶהָרִ֣יםheharimthe hillהַרdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the hill”, the ordinary formH2022a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion.דְּלָקֻ֔נוּdelaqunvburningדָּלַקverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “burning”, a completed actionH1814to flame (literally or figuratively)burning, chase, inflame, kindle, persecute(-or), pursue hotly.בַּמִּדְבָּ֖רbamidbarin desertמִדְבָּרpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in desert”, the ordinary formH4057a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs)desert, south, speech, wilderness.אָ֥רְבוּarevvambushאָרַבverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “ambush”, a completed actionH693to lurk(lie in) ambush(-ment), lay (lie in) wait.לָֽנוּlanvtoלָֽנוּpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “to”to

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heaven; they chased us upon the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

Young’s Literal Translation

Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned [after] us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.

World English Bible

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky. They chased us on the mountains. They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.

Darby Translation

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens; they chased us hotly upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

Douay-Rheims

Coph. Our persecutors were swifter than the eagles of the air: they pursued us upon the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heaven; they chased us upon the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky, they flew on the mountains, in the wilderness they laid wait for us.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ΚΩΦ. Ἤγγικεν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν, ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν, πάρεστιν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν. Κοῦφοι ἐγένοντο οἱ διώκοντες ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ ἀετοὺς οὐρανοῦ, ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἐξέπτησαν, ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐνήδρευσαν ἡμᾶς.