עוֹדִינָה תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ הָ֑בֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ צִפִּ֔ינוּ אֶל־גֹּ֖וי לֹ֥א יֹושִֽׁיעַ׃
Lamentations 4:17 is a piercing lament about misplaced hope and the agony of waiting. The verse portrays the eyes of the people fading from looking for help that never arrives—עוֹדִינָה תִּכְלֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵנוּ—as they long for salvation from a nation that cannot save. The poetic power is shaped through repetition, parallelism, and the emphatic use of verbs like צִפִּינוּ (“we waited”) and תִּכְלֶינָה (“they are consumed”). This verse is a model of how Hebrew poetry weaves morphology and theology into grief.
Literal Translation
“Still our eyes are consumed in looking for our help—vainly; in our looking we looked to a nation that cannot save.”
Word-by-Word Morphology
- עוֹדִינָה (ʿōdīnāh) –
Root: עוֹד;
Form: adverb + 1cp suffix + emphatic -nāh ending;
Translation: “still / yet we…”;
Notes: Indicates continuation or persistence of action. - תִּכְלֶינָה (tikhlēnāh) –
Root: כ־ל־ה;
Form: Qal imperfect 3fp;
Translation: “are being consumed”;
Notes: Feminine plural agrees with עֵינֵינוּ (our eyes). - עֵינֵינוּ (ʿênênū) –
Root: ע־י־ן;
Form: dual noun with 1cp suffix;
Translation: “our eyes” - אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵנוּ (ʾel-ʿezratênū) –
Root: ע־ז־ר;
Form: preposition + feminine noun with 1cp suffix;
Translation: “toward our help” - הָבֶל (hāvel) –
Root: ה־ב־ל;
Form: masculine singular noun;
Translation: “in vain / futility / vapor”;
Notes: Ecclesiastical term indicating transience or meaninglessness. - בְּצִפִּיָּתֵנוּ (bəṣippiyyātênū) –
Root: צ־פ־ה;
Form: preposition + noun with 1cp suffix;
Translation: “in our expectation / in our watching” - צִפִּינוּ (ṣippīnū) –
Root: צ־פ־ה;
Form: Piel perfect 1cp;
Translation: “we watched / we waited” - אֶל־גּוֹי (ʾel-gôy) –
Root: ג־ו־י;
Form: preposition + masculine singular noun;
Translation: “to a nation” - לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ (lōʾ yôshīaʿ) –
Root: י־שׁ־ע;
Form: negative particle + Hifil imperfect 3ms;
Translation: “that will not save / cannot deliver”
Poetic Parallelism: Synonymous and Emphatic
The verse is structured in two parallel lines:
- עוֹדִינָה תִּכְלֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵנוּ
- הָבֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵנוּ צִפִּינוּ אֶל־גּוֹי לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ
The first line expresses continued hope; the second exposes its futility. Both צִפִּינוּ and תִּכְלֶינָה evoke the exhaustion of waiting, and the noun הָבֶל serves as a turning point—marking the dashed hopes of the people. The repetition of צ־פ־ה in noun and verb forms adds emphasis through poetic intensification.
Theology of False Hope
The final clause—אֶל־גּוֹי לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ—lays bare the core theological indictment: Israel placed its trust in foreign powers rather than YHWH. The verb יוֹשִׁיעַ (Hifil: “to save”) is negated here, underscoring the futility of such alliances. This reflects a larger theme in prophetic literature, especially Jeremiah and Isaiah, warning against trusting Egypt or Assyria for salvation.
Eyes That Fade, Hopes That Fail
In Lamentations 4:17, grammar becomes lament. Imperfect verbs express ongoing pain. Repetition marks the cycle of hope and disappointment. The poetic structure leads to a sobering conclusion: the nation we waited for did not save. And so, our eyes continue to fail in vain—searching for help that will not come.
