Lamentations 4 · Grade 5
The Punishment Is Accomplished
Read and Think
The fourth poem is a shorter acrostic, with two lines per verse. It returns to the narrator's voice and uses sharp contrasts. How the gold has become dim! The most pure gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street. Nobles once healthy and radiant had become unrecognizable in the streets.
The siege brought desperate hunger, described in some of the hardest lines in the Bible. The poem compares Jerusalem's suffering to Sodom's sudden overthrow and judges it worse because it lasted longer. The cause is traced to leadership: It is because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.
Verses 17 to 20 shift to the community's voice, describing false hope in a foreign nation and the capture of Zedekiah, called the anointed of Yahweh. Verses 21 and 22 end with a reversal. Edom, which rejoiced over Jerusalem's fall, would face judgment, while Zion's punishment had reached its end. The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion. The promise looks forward to restoration beyond exile.
Show What You Know
How many lines does each verse of chapter 4 have?
Why does the poem judge Jerusalem's suffering as worse than Sodom's?
Who is called the anointed of Yahweh?
Which nation rejoiced over Jerusalem's fall?
Crossword
Across
- How the ____ has become dim.
- They wander as blind men in the ____.
Down
- The work of the hands of the ____.
- They were ____ ruddy in body than rubies.
Think About It
Why might the poem place blame on prophets and priests in particular?
How does the promise in verse 22 change the way the whole poem feels?
Memory Verse
“The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion. He will no more carry you away into captivity. He will visit your iniquity, daughter of Edom. He will uncover your sins.”
Lamentations 4:22 (WEB)
Copy It
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for thinking I am precious. Help me . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- How can we trust God, not others?
- How does God's promise give hope?
- What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.