King James Version

Lamentations 4:8

Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

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Hebrew

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חָשַׁ֤ךְchashakhbe blackחָשַׁךְverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be black”, a completed actionH2821to be dark (as withholding light); transitively, to darkenbe black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide.מִשְּׁחוֹר֙mishchorfrom coalשְׁחוֹרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “from coal”, the ordinary formH7815dinginess, i.e. perhaps sootcoal.תָּֽאֳרָ֔םtaoramcountenanceתֹּאַרnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “countenance”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH8389outline, i.e. figure or appearance[phrase] beautiful, [idiom] comely, countenance, [phrase] fair, [idiom] favoured, form, [idiom] goodly, [idiom] resemble, visage.לֹ֥אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…נִכְּר֖וּnikrvacknowledgeנָכַרverb, niphal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “acknowledge”, a completed actionH5234properly, to scrutinize, i.e. look intently at; hence (with recognition implied), to acknowledge, be acquainted with, care for, respect, revere, or (with suspicion implied), to disregard, ignore, be strange toward, reject, resign, dissimulate (as if ignorant or disowning)acknowledge, [idiom] could, deliver, discern, dissemble, estrange, feign self to be another, know, take knowledge (notice), perceive, regard, (have) respect, behave (make) self strange(-ly).בַּחוּצ֑וֹתbachutsotin abroadחוּץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “in abroad”, the ordinary formH2351properly, separate by awall, i.e. outside, outdoorsabroad, field, forth, highway, more, out(-side, -ward), street, without.צָפַ֤דtsafadcleaveצָפַדverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “cleave”, a completed actionH6821to adherecleave.עוֹרָם֙oramhideעוֹרnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “hide”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5785skin (as naked); by implication, hide, leatherhide, leather, skin.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,…עַצְמָ֔םatsmambodyעֶצֶםnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “body”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6106a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsamebody, bone, [idiom] life, (self-) same, strength, [idiom] very.יָבֵ֖שׁyaveshbe ashamedיָבֵשׁverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be ashamed”, a completed actionH3001to be ashamed, confused or disappointed; also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as herbage)be ashamed, clean, be confounded, (make) dry (up), (do) shame(-fully), [idiom] utterly, wither (away).הָיָ֥הhayahbeהָיָהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “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.כָעֵֽץkhaetsas treeעֵץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “as tree”, the ordinary formH6086a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)[phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Their visage is blacker than coal; they are not known in the streets; their skin is shrivelled upon their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: Their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

Young’s Literal Translation

Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered — it hath been as wood.

World English Bible

Their appearance is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like wood.

Darby Translation

Their visage is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones, it is withered, it is become like a stick.

Douay-Rheims

Heth. Their face is now made blacker than coals, and they are not known in the streets: their skin hath stuck to their bones, it is withered, and is become like wood.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Their visage is blacker than coal; they are not known in the streets; their skin is shrivelled upon their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Heth. Their countenance is become blacker than smoke; they are not known in the streets: their skin has cleaved to their bones; they are withered, they are become as a stick.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ΗΘ. Ἐσκότασεν ὑπὲρ ἀσβόλην τὸ εἶδος αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἐπεγνώσθησαν ἐν ταῖς ἐξόδοις· ἐπάγη δέρμα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ὀστέα αὐτῶν, ἐξηράνθησαν, ἐγενήθησαν ὥσπερ ξύλον.