Lamentations 4:13 — Bible Verse (KJV)

Lamentations 4:13 in Context — Lamentations 4

¹¹ The Lord hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

¹² The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

¹⁴ They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

¹⁵ They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

Read the full chapter: Lamentations 4 — The Peace of God Which Surpasses All Understanding →

What Does Lamentations 4:13 Mean?

Philippians 4:13 — 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' — is the most misquoted verse in sports culture. Football players write it on their eye black; motivational speakers use it to promise unlimited human potential. But Paul did not write this verse after winning a championship. He wrote it from prison, and its context completely transforms its meaning. The verse appears at the end of Paul's testimony about contentment (4:10-12): 'I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound... both to be full and to be hungry.' The 'all things' Paul can do through Christ is not 'win every game' or 'achieve every goal' — it is endure every circumstance, whether abundance or need, freedom or imprisonment, plenty or hunger. The strength Christ gives is the strength to be content in any situation, not the power to escape all difficult situations. This verse is a promise for the suffering believer, not the ambitious one. It is about supernatural peace in the worst conditions, not supernatural success in all competitions.

Lamentations 4:13 is from the Book of Lamentations (Old Testament), chapter 4. Available translations: King James Version (1611), World English Bible (2000), American Standard Version (1901), Young's Literal Translation (1862), Darby Translation (1890), Geneva Bible (1599). Read Lamentations 4 in full context →