“Our Inheritance Has Been Turned Over to Strangers”: A Cry of Loss in Biblical Hebrew

נַחֲלָתֵ֨נוּ֙ נֶֽהֶפְכָ֣ה לְזָרִ֔ים בָּתֵּ֖ינוּ לְנָכְרִֽים׃
(Lamentations 5:2)

Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.

Word-by-Word Explanation

1. נַחֲלָתֵנוּ – “our inheritance” Noun from נַחֲלָה meaning “inheritance,” “land,” or “heritage.”
   – The suffix ֵנוּ = “our”
   This refers to the ancestral land of Yisraʾel—something sacred and identity-defining.
2. נֶהֶפְכָה – “has been turned over” Verb, 3rd person feminine singular niphal perfect of הָפַךְ, “to turn, overturn.”
   – Passive/reflexive form: “has been turned over”
   – Feminine singular to agree with נַחֲלָה
   This shows involuntary reversal—a tragic change of condition.
3. לְזָרִים – “to strangers” Preposition + plural noun.
   – לְ = “to”
   – זָרִים = “strangers,” outsiders, non-Israelites
   Indicates dispossession—the land has passed to those with no rightful claim.
4. בָּתֵּינוּ – “our houses” Noun from בַּיִת, “house.”
   – בָּתִּים = plural
   – ֵנוּ suffix = “our”
   The speaker now moves from national land to personal dwellings—also lost.
5. לְנָכְרִים – “to foreigners” Preposition + plural noun.
   – לְ = “to”
   – נָכְרִים = “foreigners” or “aliens”
   Often paired with זָרִים, but נָכְרִים emphasizes alienation or unfamiliarity.
   The verse ends with a tragic parallel—both land and home have been taken.

Word Order and Sentence Flow

Hebrew poetic style uses parallelism:

→ נַחֲלָתֵנוּ נֶהֶפְכָה לְזָרִים
→ בָּתֵּינוּ לְנָכְרִים

Each line features:

• A possessive noun (“our inheritance,” “our houses”)
• A verb or implied action
• A recipient (“strangers,” “foreigners”)

This parallel amplifies the grief—loss of nationhood and home.

Visual Breakdown: A Double Loss

Brick by Brick: Building Hebrew Understanding

“You just read a line of lamentation that holds both structure and sorrow—layer by layer in Hebrew.”

This verse taught you:

• How possessive forms like נַחֲלָתֵנוּ and בָּתֵּינוּ express identity
• How niphal verbs like נֶהֶפְכָה show passive tragedy
• How poetic parallelism delivers emotional power in balanced phrasing

It’s poetry. It’s prophecy. It’s grief in grammar.

And you’re learning to read it all—line by sacred line.