All your enemies have opened their mouth against you: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
thine
Lamentations 3:46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
Job 16:9,10 He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me…
Psalm 22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
gnash
Psalm 35:16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
Psalm 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
Psalm 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
we have swallowed
Psalm 56:2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
Psalm 57:3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
Psalm 124:3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
we have seen
Psalm 35:21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
Psalm 41:8 An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
Obadiah 1:12-16 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress…
They hiss and gnash their teeth,
Hissing was a common expression of scorn and derision in ancient cultures, akin to booing today. Gnashing of teeth indicates intense anger or frustration, often used in the Bible to describe the reaction of the wicked (Psalm 37:12). This phrase underscores the deep-seated animosity and satisfaction of Jerusalem's enemies at her downfall. It also reflects the fulfillment of divine judgment, as God allowed these nations to act as instruments of His wrath due to Israel's unfaithfulness.
saying, “We have swallowed her up.
The imagery of swallowing suggests complete destruction and consumption, indicating that Jerusalem's enemies believed they had utterly defeated her. This echoes the language of Psalm 124:3, where the psalmist speaks of being swallowed alive by enemies. The phrase highlights the perceived finality of Jerusalem's fall, yet it also sets the stage for God's eventual restoration, as seen in the broader narrative of Scripture.
This is the day for which we have waited.
The enemies' anticipation of Jerusalem's downfall suggests a long-standing enmity and desire for revenge. Historically, nations like Babylon and Edom harbored animosity towards Israel, and their actions during the siege of Jerusalem were seen as the culmination of these hostilities. This phrase also serves as a reminder of the prophetic warnings given to Israel, as seen in Deuteronomy 28:49-57, where God warned of a day of reckoning if His people turned away from Him.
We have lived to see it!”
The exclamation of having lived to witness Jerusalem's destruction indicates the fulfillment of long-held desires and prophecies. For the enemies, it was a moment of triumph, but for Israel, it was a moment of profound loss and reflection. This phrase underscores the reality of God's judgment but also points to the hope of future redemption, as God promises to restore His people and city in passages like Isaiah 40:1-2. The lamentation serves as a call to repentance and trust in God's ultimate plan for salvation.
• Jeremiah pictures Judah’s foes standing over the ruined city with mouths wide open—an image of both mockery and menace (Psalm 22:13; Lamentations 3:46).
• Literally, the surrounding nations—Babylon first among them—express their contempt aloud.
• Spiritually, it underscores how sin left the covenant people defenseless; they forfeited the protection promised in passages such as Deuteronomy 28:7.
• For believers today, it reminds us that unrepentant disobedience removes the hedge of divine favor (Proverbs 5:22).
• “Hiss” conveys scorn, as if Judah were now a byword (1 Kings 9:7–8). “Gnash their teeth” pictures violent hatred (Psalm 35:16, 19; 37:12).
• The combination shows enemies delighting in suffering—a dark mirror of the righteous who “gnash their teeth” at God’s judgment (Matthew 13:42).
• God allows the hostility, not because He is weak, but because His justice demands that sin reap its harvest (Galatians 6:7).
• The boast echoes Psalm 124:3, where the psalmist feared, “they would have swallowed us alive.” Judah’s foes now claim total consumption—city, temple, people.
• The imagery fits Babylon’s imperial appetite (Jeremiah 51:34).
• Yet even this devouring has limits; God preserves a remnant (Lamentations 3:22–23).
• Ancient neighbors—Edom, Moab, Ammon—harbored long-standing grudges (Psalm 137:7; Ezekiel 25:3). Their patience was fueled by hatred.
• God had repeatedly warned Judah that rebellion would embolden rivals (Jeremiah 2:16; 4:17).
• The line exposes the perversity of hearts that celebrate another’s downfall—condemned in Proverbs 24:17–18.
• The enemies relish their moment, fulfilling Obadiah 12: “Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune.”
• Their glee is short-lived; God will later judge each taunting nation (Jeremiah 46–51; Obadiah 15).
• The verse ultimately foreshadows how the world exults over the apparent defeat of God’s people, yet Revelation 11:10–11 shows the Lord reversing that scene.
Lamentations 2:16 captures the crescendo of enemy gloating after Jerusalem’s fall: open mouths of mockery, hissing contempt, teeth-gnashing rage, triumphant boasting, and satisfied glee. The verse testifies to God’s justice—He permits hostile nations to celebrate only because Judah’s persistent sin demanded judgment. Yet even at this low point, Scripture assures that such triumph is temporary; the Lord remains faithful to His covenant and will ultimately vindicate His people while bringing every taunt under righteous judgment.
(16) All thine enemies.--The exultation of the enemies is expressed by every feature in the physiognomy of malignant hate, the wide mouth, the hissing, the gnashing of the teeth. They exult, as in half-broken utterances, in the thought that they have brought about the misery at which they mock. It is what they had long looked for; they had at last seen it.Verses 16, 17. - On the transposition of the initial letters in these verses, see Introduction. Verse 16. - Have opened their mouth against thee. As against the innocent sufferer of Psalm 22. (ver. 13). Gnash the teeth. In token of rage, as Psalm 35:16; Psalm 37:12. We have seen it (comp. Psalm 35:21).