because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, patrolled by foxes.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk on it.
- KJV Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.
- NKJV Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, With foxes walking about on it.
- NASB Because of Mount Zion which lies desolate, Jackals prowl in it.
- NLT For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Mount Zion, once holy and full of worship, now lies desolate with wild foxes roaming it. The ruin of God's dwelling place is the deepest wound.
Overview
Zion, the site of the temple and the place of God's presence, is so abandoned that jackals or foxes prowl its rubble—a picture of utter devastation. The loss of the sanctuary represents the loss of access to God's worship, the heart of Israel's life. This desolation deepens the longing for a temple that cannot be destroyed, fulfilled in Christ and His people, the living temple of God (John 2:19-21).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mic 3:12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
- Jer 9:11“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
- Jer 26:9How dare you prophesy in the name of the LORD that this house will become like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted!” And all the people assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kgs 9:7–8then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
- Isa 32:13–14and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.
- Lam 2:8–9The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.
- Jer 17:3O My mountain in the countryside, I will give over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder, because of the sin of your high places, within all your borders.
- Ps 74:2–3Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell.
- Jer 52:13He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The weeping over a ruined city and the steadfast mercies that are new every morning point to the man of sorrows who wept over Jerusalem and whose mercy rises new from the grave.
How Lamentations 5:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.