For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
I have heard a voice like a woman in labor, crying out in pain like someone giving birth to her first child. It's the voice of Jerusalem, weeping and reaching out her hands, saying, 'Oh no! I am exhausted because of all these killers around me.'
God is describing how He hears Jerusalem crying out in agony and terror, like a woman in childbirth, because the city is surrounded by violent enemies.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet is warning the people of Judah about the impending Babylonian invasion as a consequence of their idolatry and social injustices. This verse uses the metaphor of a woman in labor to vividly portray the intense suffering and desperation of Jerusalem, personified as the daughter of Zion, amid the violence and chaos brought by enemies. Such imagery was common in ancient prophetic literature to emphasize the severity of divine judgment and the pain of national distress.
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