Lamentations 4:17
New International Version
Moreover, our eyes failed, looking in vain for help; from our towers we watched for a nation that could not save us.

New Living Translation
We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could not help us.

English Standard Version
Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save.

Berean Standard Bible
All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.

King James Bible
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

New King James Version
Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.

New American Standard Bible
Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; At our observation point we have watched For a nation that could not save.

NASB 1995
Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

NASB 1977
Yet our eyes failed; Looking for help was useless. In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet our eyes were spent, Looking for help was vanity; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

Amplified Bible
[And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.

Christian Standard Bible
All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help; we watched from our towers for a nation that would not save us.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for assistance; we watched from our towers for a nation that refused to help.

American Standard Version
Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Contemporary English Version
Our eyes became weary, hopelessly looking for help from a nation that could not save us.

English Revised Version
Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help; in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"We are still straining our eyes, trying in vain to find help. We waited and waited for a nation that didn't save us.

Good News Translation
For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer. We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

International Standard Version
Our eyes failed, searching in vain for hope; we kept watching and looking for a nation that would not help.

Majority Standard Bible
All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.

NET Bible
Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.

New Heart English Bible
Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

Webster's Bible Translation
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

World English Bible
Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
While we exist—consumed are our eyes for our vain help, "" In our watchtower we have watched for a nation [that] does not save.

Young's Literal Translation
While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation that saveth not.

Smith's Literal Translation
Continuing, yet our eyes will fail, for our help in vain: in our watching we watched for a nation it will not save us.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Ain. While we were yet standing, our eyes failed, expecting help for us in vain, when we looked attentively towards a nation that was not able to save.

Catholic Public Domain Version
AIN. While we were still standing, our eyes failed, expecting help for us in vain, when we looked attentively toward a nation that was not able to save.

New American Bible
Even now our eyes are worn out, searching in vain for help; From our watchtower we have watched for a nation unable to save.

New Revised Standard Version
Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; we were watching eagerly for a nation that could not save.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The presence of the LORD has divided them; he will no more regard them; they did not respect the persons of priests, they did not have compassion on the elders.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Pe The Person of LORD JEHOVAH divided them, and he will not continue to gaze at them. Do not accept the persons of the Priests, and to the Elders do not show affection
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
As for us, our eyes do yet fail For our vain help; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
PHE. While we yet lived our eyes failed, while we looked in vain for our help. TSADE. We looked to a nation that could not save.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Distress of Zion
16The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor. 17All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us. 18They stalked our every step, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come!…

Cross References
Jeremiah 37:7-10
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt. / Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down. / This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not! ...

Isaiah 30:1-3
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. / They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. / But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

Ezekiel 29:6-7
Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. / When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.

Psalm 33:16-17
No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. / A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.

Isaiah 31:1-3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD. / Yet He too is wise and brings disaster; He does not call back His words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers. / But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.

Jeremiah 2:36-37
How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria. / Moreover, you will leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust; you will not prosper by their help.”

Hosea 14:3
Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”

Isaiah 20:5-6
Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed. / And on that day the dwellers of this coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”

Jeremiah 42:19-22
The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today! / For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’ / For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you. ...

2 Kings 18:21
Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Psalm 146:3-4
Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save. / When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.

Isaiah 36:6
Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Jeremiah 3:23
Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.

Ezekiel 17:15-18
But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’ / ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. / Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. ...

Isaiah 31:8-9
“Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will be put to forced labor. / Their rock will pass away for fear, and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.


Treasury of Scripture

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

our eyes

Lamentations 1:19
I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

2 Kings 24:7
And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

Isaiah 20:5
And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

for a.

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Lamentations 4
1. Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13. She confesses her sins
21. Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.














Moreover, our eyes failed
The phrase "our eyes failed" conveys a deep sense of exhaustion and despair. In the Hebrew text, the word for "failed" is "כָּלָה" (kalah), which can mean to be at an end or to be consumed. This reflects the utter depletion of hope and strength among the people of Jerusalem. Historically, this period was marked by the Babylonian siege, where the inhabitants were physically and emotionally drained. Spiritually, this can be seen as a metaphor for the futility of relying on human strength and wisdom instead of God.

looking in vain for help
The Hebrew word for "vain" is "שָׁוְא" (shav), which implies emptiness or falsehood. The people of Jerusalem were seeking assistance that was ultimately futile. This highlights the theme of misplaced trust, as they were looking for salvation from sources other than God. In a broader scriptural context, this serves as a reminder of the importance of placing our trust in God alone, as human solutions often fall short.

we watched from our towers
The imagery of "towers" suggests a place of vigilance and defense. In ancient cities, watchtowers were strategic points for observing approaching threats. The Hebrew word "מִגְדָּל" (migdal) is used here, emphasizing the proactive stance of the people. However, despite their watchfulness, their efforts were in vain. This can be seen as a call to spiritual vigilance, reminding believers to remain watchful in prayer and reliance on God, rather than solely on human defenses.

for a nation that could not save us
The phrase "a nation that could not save us" underscores the futility of relying on political alliances and foreign powers. Historically, Judah sought alliances with Egypt and other nations to counter Babylonian aggression, but these alliances proved ineffective. The Hebrew word for "save" is "יָשַׁע" (yasha), which means to deliver or rescue. This highlights the central biblical theme that true salvation comes only from the Lord. It serves as a poignant reminder that while nations and leaders may promise security, ultimate deliverance is found in God alone.

(17) As for us . . .--Better, Still do our eyes waste away, looking for our vain help.

In our watching.--Better, upon our watch-tower. (Comp. Habakkuk 2:1.) The people of Judah are represented as looking out for the approach of an ally, probably Egypt (Jeremiah 37:7), and looking in vain.

Verse 17. - As for us, our eyes, etc.; rather (correcting the reading of the first word), Our eyes were still wasting away (as we looked) for our help in vain. To the very last the Jews leaned on "that broken reed," Egypt (Isaiah 36:6); how vain that hope would be Jeremiah had already told them (Jeremiah 37:7, 8). In our watching; i.e. earnestly and continually; or, on our watchtower.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
All the while
עוֹדֵ֙ינוּ֙ (‘ō·w·ḏê·nū)
Adverb | first person common plural
Strong's 5751: Iteration, continuance, again, repeatedly, still, more

our eyes
עֵינֵ֔ינוּ (‘ê·nê·nū)
Noun - cdc | first person common plural
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

were failing
תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה (tiḵ·le·nāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent

as we looked in vain
הָ֑בֶל (hā·ḇel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1892: Emptiness, vanity, transitory, unsatisfactory

for
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

help.
עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ (‘ez·rā·ṯê·nū)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 5833: Help, helper, assistance

We watched
בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ (bə·ṣip·pî·yā·ṯê·nū)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 6822: To lean forward, to peer into the distance, to observe, await

from our towers
צִפִּ֔ינוּ (ṣip·pî·nū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 6822: To lean forward, to peer into the distance, to observe, await

for
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

a nation
גּ֖וֹי (gō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

[that] could not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

save us.
יוֹשִֽׁעַ׃ (yō·wō·ši·a‘)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3467: To be open, wide, free, to be safe, to free, succor


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:17 Our eyes do yet fail in looking (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 4:16
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