Lamentations 2:16-17

All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: 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. For the transposition of Hebrew letters (Pe and `Ayin) in the order of verses, see Introduction.

All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee - as ravening, roaring wild beasts (Job 16:9; ). Herein Jerusalem was a type of Messiah.

They ... gnash the teeth - in vindictive malice. We have seen it - (, "Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha! our eye hath seen at").

[`Ayin (')]

Verse 17. The Lord hath done that which he had devised. Let not the foe exult, as if it was their doing. It was "the Lord" who thus fulfilled the threats uttered by His prophets for the guilt of Judea (; ; ; Jeremiah 19:8).

[Tsaddiy (ts)]