Lam 2:15-16 | NET2full | STEP | All who passed by on the road clapped their hands to mock you. They sneered and shook their heads at Daughter Jerusalem . “Ha! Is this the city they called ‘the perfection of beauty , the source of joy of the whole earth !’?”

‏ Lamentations 2:15-16

ס (Samek)

15 All who passed by on the road
clapped their hands to mock you. ^{▼▼tn Heb “clap their hands at you.” Clapping hands at someone was an expression of malicious glee, derision, and mockery (Num 24:10; Job 27:23; Lam 2:15).}
They sneered and shook their heads
at Daughter Jerusalem.
“Ha! Is this the city they called ^{▼▼tn Heb “of which they said.”}
‘the perfection of beauty, ^{▼▼tn Heb “perfection of beauty.” The noun יֹפִי (yofi, “beauty”) functions as a genitive of respect in relation to the preceding construct noun: Jerusalem was perfect in respect to its physical beauty.}
the source of joy of the whole earth!’?” ^{▼▼tn Heb “the joy of all the earth.” This is similar to statements found in Pss 48:2 and 50:2.}

פ (Pe)

16 All your enemies
gloated over you. ^{▼▼tn Heb “they have opened wide their mouth against you.”}
They sneered and gnashed their teeth;
they said, “We have destroyed ^{▼▼tn Heb “We have swallowed!”} her!
Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.
We have lived to see it!” ^{▼▼tn Heb “We have attained; we have seen!” The verbs מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ (matsaʾnu raʾinu) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first retains its full verbal sense and the second functions as an object complement. It forms a Hebrew idiom that means something like, “We have lived to see it!” The three asyndetic first person common plural statements in 2:16 (“We waited; we destroyed; we saw!”) are spoken in an impassioned, staccato style reflecting the delight of the conquerors.}