“Thus says Yahweh of hosts.
‘Old men,
Old women,
Shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem.
Each of them
Will have a staff
In hand,
Because of their great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be full
Of boys,
Of girls,
Playing in its streets.’”
Yahweh said that both the old men and the old women would again sit in the streets of Jerusalem with their walking canes due to their old age. Meanwhile, the young boys and the young girls would fill the city by playing in the streets.
Shin
“The young
With the old
Are lying
On the ground
In the streets.
My young women
With my young men
Have fallen
By the sword.
In the day
Of your anger,
You have killed them,
Slaughtering
Without mercy.”
Suddenly, the author switches to the first person singular as Jerusalem itself laments the death of its people. Both the young and the old people were lying in the streets dead. Both the young men and the young women were killed by the sword. Now this author, speaking as Jerusalem, blames all of this on Yahweh. He claimed with a very strong accusation that on the day of his anger, Yahweh killed and slaughtered the people of Jerusalem without mercy. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Shin. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.
“‘Pour it out
On the children in the street!
Pour it out also
On the gatherings of young men!
Both husband with wife shall be taken.
The old folk shall be taken.
The very aged shall be taken.
Their houses shall be turned over to others.
Their fields shall be turned over to others.
Their wives also shall be turned over to others.
I will stretch out my hand
Against the inhabitants of the land.’
Says Yahweh.”
Yahweh, via Jeremiah, says that this information should be spread to the children in the streets and the young men. However, both husbands and wives will be taken away, as well as the old and very old people. Their houses, wives, and fields will be turned over to others. Yahweh was going to stretch out his hand against the inhabitants of this land.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 