Lamentations 4:20

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

Cross-reference

Lamentations 2:9 also laments the king and princes exiled among the nations, reinforcing the capture described here.

1 Samuel 24:6 shows David sparing Saul as the LORD's anointed; here that anointed king is captured by enemies.

1 Samuel 26:9 Related theme

In 1 Samuel 26:9, David refuses to harm the LORD's anointed, contrasting with Lamentations where the anointed is captured despite his sacred status.

2 Samuel 1:14 Related theme

2 Samuel 1:14 condemns harming the LORD's anointed, highlighting the tragedy that Zedekiah was taken despite that reverence.

Ezekiel 19:4-8 uses lion imagery for Judah's kings being trapped and taken captive, mirroring Zedekiah's capture in Lamentations 4:20.

Ezekiel 12:13 Prophetic fulfillment

Ezekiel 12:13 prophesied Zedekiah's capture, which Lamentations describes as fulfilled — the anointed taken in a net.

Jeremiah 52:8 Historical context

Jeremiah 52:8 records the same capture of Zedekiah, confirming the event mourned in Lamentations.

Jeremiah 39:5 Historical context

Jeremiah 39:5 gives the historical account of Zedekiah's capture, which Lamentations laments poetically.

Micah 4:9 Parallel

Micah 4:9 asks 'is there no king?' after loss—directly parallels the capture of Judah's anointed king here.

Deuteronomy 28:36 Prophetic fulfillment

Deuteronomy 28:36 prophesies the king being taken away; Lamentations 4:20 records its fulfillment with Zedekiah's capture.

In Ezekiel 19:8, the lion cub is taken in their pit — identical imagery to the king taken in pits here.

Jeremiah 34:21 Prophetic fulfillment

In Jeremiah 34:21, God declares He will give Zedekiah into enemy hands — this verse describes that exact event.

Psalm 89:38 Parallel

Psalm 89:38 laments God's rejection of His anointed, paralleling Lamentations 4:20's sorrow over the capture of the LORD's anointed.

2 Kings 25:6 Historical context

2 Kings 25:6 gives the historical account of Zedekiah being captured and judged, the same event lamented in Lamentations 4:20.

Psalm 89:20 Allusion

Psalm 89:20 records God anointing David as king, the same title 'LORD's anointed' now applied to captured Zedekiah.

2 Samuel 18:3 shows David's men valuing him as worth ten thousand; here the king is the 'breath of our nostrils' — the people's life depends on him.

In Isaiah 43:28, God profanes princes and gives Israel to reproach — here the anointed king's capture exemplifies that judgment.

Isaiah 30:2 Parallel

In Isaiah 30:2, trusting in Egypt's shadow parallels trusting in the king's shadow here — both are false refuges.

Ezekiel 31:17 describes those under Assyria's shadow going down to the pit—echoing the captured king under whose shadow Israel hoped to live.

Daniel 4:12 Parallel

Daniel 4:12 uses the same 'shadow' imagery for Nebuchadnezzar's tree providing shade—a parallel to the king as a sheltering figure.