The Rape of Jesus and of John the Baptist

Extracted from the free Bible Commentary available for download at

http://sites.google.com/sites/freecommentary
(Copy this and paste it into the address bar)

One of the implications is that Jesus knows what some of you have gone through.

The Bible has a long list of those who were sexually abused.

To ignore the following incidents of rape and pretend they are not there, is to
'clean up the Bible'.

The Bible is not a book about perfect behaviour. It does not even take the obvious
opportunity from the following incidents to preach morality.

These incidents seem to be prophetic of things far deeper -- i.e. the line of the
anti-Christ, the suffering and death of Christ, the sacrifice of Israel for the
nations, the loss of Jerusalem; the resurrection of Jesus, Jerusalem, Israel and
the nations. [With more on this, there is a second extract, below].

Strange and wonderful 'Bible-stories', otherwise easily criticised as 'racist',

'violent', 'misogynist', 'fanciful', 'superstitious nonsense', 'repugnant', 'moralistic',
fall into place when allowed to teach the coherent predictive themes which
outlast the temporary criticisms.

~ Noah was abused when drunk, by his son Ham... The implication seems to be
that it was a homosexual act ('done'). Sodom was a descendant of Ham, along
with Egypt and Canaan -- all known for their sexually immoral practices, and
anti-S(h)emitism.

Gen 9:23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their
shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. And
their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And
Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto
him.

~ The angels at Sodom, were the target of gang-rape, but escaped. This takes
on significance in end-times prophecy of fire and brimstone upon all that is anti-
Christ.

Gen 19:5 and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that
came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

~ Lot's daughters
Lot's unmarried daughters just escape being raped by the Sodomites.
Lot offered his two daughters to save the angels-in-disguise from being raped, but
the angels saved them all:

Gen_19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let
me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your
eyes: only unto these men do nothing,

~ After 'sacrificing' his daughters, to rape by drunkards, Lot was himself abused
when drunk, by his daughters. They bore Moab and Ammon, two of the
persistent enemies of Israel:

Gen_19:33-34 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the
first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay
down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the
first-born said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let
us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that
we may preserve seed of our father.

~ Dinah, Jacob's unmarried daughter, was raped by a Shechemite:

Gen_34:2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land,
saw her; And he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.

Much revenge was taken, perhaps prophetic of the return of Christ.

~ Joseph was stripped (like Christ) by his brothers, of his 'virgin's robe':

Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was
the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

Compare with:

2Sa 13:18-19 And she had a garment of divers colors upon her; for with such
robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant
brought her out, and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar put ashes on
her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her; and she laid
her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.

Gen 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren,
that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
Gen 37:31-32 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped
the coat in the blood; 32 and they sent the coat of many colors, and they
brought it to their father, and said, This have we found: know now whether it
is thy son's coat or not. 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat: an
evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. 34 And
Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for
his son many days.
Alternatively, Joseph's cloak may have been a 'shepherd's cloak' i.e. quite
recognisable to the sheep;
or a sign of the favourite son, heir of the blessing, 1Ch_5:2, Jer_31:9.
The latter was its interpretation by the brothers:

Gen 37:18 And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them,
they conspired against him to slay him.
Gen 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of
the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see
what will become of his dreams [of ruling his brothers].
Gen 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren,
that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
Gen 37:31-32 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped
the coat in the blood; 32 and they sent the coat of many colors, and they
brought it to their father, and said, This have we found: know now whether it
is thy son's coat or not. 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat: an
evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. 34 And
Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for
his son many days.

This is prophetic of the Pharisees recognising the son & heir (Christ) from afar
and plotting to kill him and seize the inheritance.

Mat 21:38 But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among
themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.

Whatever the interpretive details of Joseph's coat, this incident against Joseph
amounts to much the same implication, in prophesying Christ's betrayal and
abuse by his treacherous Jewish brethren.

The importance of this early incident is that the sexually immoral practices of the
line of Ham were now entrenched in Israel, as subsequent history proved, and
Israel would suffer the same fate as Sodom. The rest of the list is about Israel
against Israel!

~ The Levite's concubine and the Ephraimite's virgin daughter were offered
to, and the concubine was abused by, a crowd of drunken Benjaminites (a tribe
within Israel):

Jdg_19:25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on
his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and
abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring,
they let her go.

~ Tamar, virgin daughter of King David, was raped by her half-brother, Amnon:

2Sa_13:14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice; but being stronger
 than she, he forced her, and lay with her.

~ Compare the woman in Song of Songs.

Son_5:7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they
wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me.

~ Though she was not raped, Jephthah's virgin daughter was sacrificed
for the sake of the country, in a similar way to the raping of virgin daughters:

Jdg_11:34-39 And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house; and, behold, his
daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was
his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came
to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my
daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that
trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back.
36 And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto
Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy
mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine
enemies, even on the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father,
Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and
go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.
38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed,
she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her
father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she
knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel,

~ Jeremiah in the public stocks overnight, Jer_20:2

'Terror on every side' Jer_20:10, was how he described it, 'everyone mocketh me'
Jer_20:7; and his persecutor earned a vicious denunciation, Jer_20:3-4. It's only
a guess, but would you like to be shackled in a bent over position all night
amongst your enemies? That chapter talks of being put to shame and
dishonoured, Jer_20:18, and alludes to sodomy, and to being 'plundered'.

Jer 20:1-18 Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer
in the house of Jehovah, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then
Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in
the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah. 3 And it
came to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the
stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, Jehovah hath not called thy name
Pashhur, but Magor-missabib ['Terror on every side']. 4 For thus saith
Jehovah, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends;
and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold
it; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall
carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 5
 Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all the gains thereof, and all
the precious things thereof, yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I
give into the hand of their enemies; and they shall make them a prey
['plunder' -- a word with sexual implications of rape], and take them, and
carry them to Babylon. 6 And thou, Pashhur, and all that dwell in thy house
shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt
die [i.e. in humiliating exile], and there shalt thou be buried, thou, and all thy
friends, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely. 7 O Jehovah, thou hast
persuaded me, and I was persuaded; thou art stronger than I, and hast
prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock all the day, every one mocketh me. 8
For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, Violence and destruction! because the
word of Jehovah is made a reproach unto me, and a derision, all the day. 9
And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name,
then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I
am weary with forbearing, and I cannot contain. 10 For I have heard the
defaming of many, terror on every side. Denounce, and we will denounce him,
say all my familiar friends, they that watch for my fall; peradventure he will
be persuaded, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge
on him. 11 But Jehovah is with me as a mighty one and a terrible: therefore
my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be utterly
put to shame, because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting
dishonor which shall never be forgotten. 12 But, O Jehovah of hosts, that
triest the righteous, that seest the heart and the mind, let me see thy
vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause. 13 Sing unto
Jehovah, praise ye Jehovah; for he hath delivered the soul of the needy from
the hand of evil-doers. 14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the
day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. 15 Cursed be the man who
brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born unto thee; making
him very glad. 16 And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew
[Sodom and Gomorrah, because of homosexual violent gang-rape], and
repented not: and let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at
noontime; 17 because he slew me not from the womb; and so my mother
would have been my grave, and her womb always great. 18 Wherefore came I
forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be
consumed with shame?

~ Others kept in prison were Joseph, Jeremiah, Micaiah, Peter, James, Paul,
John and Jesus.

~ John the Baptist in Herod's prison did not escape. The clues add up to a
sexually loaded picture of being buggerised ('by Herod and his soldiers', Luk
23:11 about Jesus).

In the parallel passage in Matthew 11 (quoted below), this indicates homosexual

rape:

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the
 gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently
into it.

..followed by John's accusation against Herod...

Luk 16:18 Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another,
committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a
husband committeth adultery.

..followed by a description of Herod feasting at his birthday celebration (when

John was beheaded) while John was in Herod's dungeon outside, in a parable
targetted against the Herodians (who reject the resurrection)...

19 Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine
linen, faring sumptuously every day: 20 and a certain beggar named Lazarus
was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs
that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his
sores.

Herod's dogs go to him and do what 'dogs' (Sodomites) do. The line of Herod,
although ruling Israel and intermarried with Israelites, and claiming publicly to
be Jewish, was Edomite ('Idumean') -- from the area of Sodom.

Herod, according to the historians, was reputedly 'soft', meaning a 'catamite' or a

boy for the sexual pleasure (of Roman rulers)

Mat 11:2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent
by his disciples
Mat 11:7-8 And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the
multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold?
a reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out to see? a man clothed
in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in king's houses.
Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.

['take it by force': in Greek, harpazo 'ravish away; snatch; plunder' -- harpago

from this word is 'rape' -- Liddell and Scott dictionary]

Jesus spoke in sexually loaded language about John:

Mat 17:12 but I say into you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him
not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. [Jdg_19:24=sex from
homosexuals] Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. 13 Then
understood the disciples that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

~ Jesus. The examples above are all prophetic of Christ who seems to have
been sexually abused (sodomised) at His crucifixion:
 Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

Mat 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium,
and gathered unto him the whole band.

[The Greek word for 'took', par-al-am-ban'-o, is usually used for marriage,
and is defined by Strong:
"From G3844 and G2983; to receive near, that is, associate with oneself (in
any familiar or intimate act or relation); by analogy to assume an office;
figuratively to learn: - receive, take (unto, with)."]

Mat_27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And
they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right
hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King
of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on
the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the
robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him.
['mock' often has a sexual meaning Gen_21:9, Gen_39:14, Gen_39:17,
Jer_38:19, 2Pe_3:3 and here it occurs in the context of removed garments,
Luk_23:11]
Mat_20:19, Mar_10:34

Luk 18:32 For he shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be
mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon: Luk_22:63

Luk 20:11 And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat, and
handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

Luk 23:11 And Herod with his soldiers set him at nought, and mocked him,
and arraying him in gorgeous apparel sent him back to Pilate.

Compare 'set him at nought' with the allusion to the intended homosexual rape of
men and angels in:

Jud 1:7-8 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in
like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after
strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal
fire. 8 Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and
set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.

It is well known that homosexuality and sexual abuse is part of male soldiery, and
was rife in the Roman society (in the public baths and gymnasia for instance) and
in the debauchery of its rulers, and in the ruling Herodian dynasty of Israel, and
so how much more is Roman and Herodian soldiery the certain home of
perversion.
Certainly Christ was put to public shame.

Heb 6:6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame.

Roman victims of crucifixion were reputedly naked.

Mat 27:55 And many women were there beholding from afar, who had
followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

Psa 22:17-18 I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. 18
They part my garments among them , And upon my vesture do they cast lots.
[i.e. both inner and outer garments] Joh_19:23-24

Perhaps it is naive to imagine that Christ, in the hands of rough Roman soldiers,
who had the intent to humiliate him, and in Herod's own barracks, could have
escaped.

John and Jesus were similar in so many ways that they appear to be the 'two
anointed witnesses', predicted in Zechariah, who were to rebuild the spiritual
temple of God. The punishment on Jerusalem of fire-and-brimstone like Sodom,
could be for sins like Sodom, such as wishing to rape the two messengers sent by
God.

The Symbolic Meanings of Rape

~ The rape of Jerusalem

Throughout the Bible, cities that are invaded and conquered in time of war, are
often described figuratively as 'virgins'.
The book of 'Lamentations' was written about the time when Jerusalem was
taken by the Babylonians, and reads like the lament of a raped Virgin. The virgins
themselves who were actually raped when the city was 'invaded', symbolise the
conquest of the city as a whole. The following is but a few examples out of many...

Lam 1:4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn
assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are
afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Lam 1:18 Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment:
Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my
young men are gone into captivity.

Lam 2:10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they keep
silence; They have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves
 with sackcloth: The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the
ground.

The Rape of Virgins in the Bible

Extracted from the free Bible Commentary available for download at
http://sites.google.com.sites/freecommentary

For those who wish to follow the implications further. This extract is from
Smith&Smith\ Bible Topic Notes\ Imagery\ Virgins.
The idea is to show the pervasive presence of prophetic symbols in the Bible, in
this case, of 'raped virgins'.
The Bible itself supplies its own pictures and interpretations, and it is a mistake
to ignore Biblical symbology. The avoidance of symbolic interpretation of the
Bible is a come-lately thing, arising in part simply because of previous Catholic
abuses. The Roman Catholics interpreted Bible pictures to their own advantage
(and still do). This and other over-speculative interpretation, have made most
commentators today allergic to interpreting Bible-words beyond their face-value.

As stated above, 'These incidents [of sexual abuse] seem to be prophetic of

things far deeper -- i.e. the line of the anti-Christ, the suffering and death of
Christ, the sacrifice of Israel for the nations, the loss of Jerusalem; the
resurrection of Jesus, Jerusalem, Israel and the nations'.

Learning the Imagery of the Bible, is the key to understanding these prophetic
themes.

The Imagery of virgin daughters raped have the two major

interpretations: a city or kingdom invaded; and subsequent
restoration when their 'mourning is turned back into joy'.

Symbolic of War

It is a noteworthy if regrettable fact in life, that the raping of women accompanies

war.

When conquerors rape women in war, they give a clear message to the other side
that those defeated have lost possession of their most precious belongings. It is
when the victors have conquered other men's women that they are undeniably
victorious. Rape in war also is part of ethnic engineering.

~ Rape as Prophetic History?

Possibly 'rape' is what is meant by these verses...

Gen_6:2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair;
and they took them wives of all that they chose.
Gen_6:11 And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence.

~ Idioms Related to Rape and Sex

Among the very many words with sexual implications are: humbled; put to
shame; folly; play; doing as they will; pleasure; mock; set at nought, plunder.

~ Prophetic of the Sacrifice of Jerusalem

These historic examples of women who are raped throughout Biblical history, are
prophetic of the sacrifice of Jerusalem. Cities are labelled feminine in the Bible,
as if they were offspring of the land or mountain on which they are built, and
mothers of their citizens. Jerusalem is called the 'Daughter of
Jerusalem/daughter of Zion' and 'mother'. The 'of ' is ambiguous, and should be
rendered sensibly, as required, e.g. 'the virgin daughter, Jerusalem'. Virgins
represent innocent or unconquered cities or countries.

Solomon's Song compares the bride's breasts to Israel's two main walled cities on
a hilltop, with towers and turrets.

Son 8:8-10 We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do
for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for? 9 If she be a wall, We
will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her
with boards of cedar. 10 I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof
Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace.

~ Destruction of virginity -- A City or Country

The invasion of a country and its conquest is like a man invading a woman and
conquering her by force.
Take for example... When native bushland is bulldozed for farming, we say that
the 'virgin' forest has been cleared and the land 'raped' -- forced into bearing fruit
for the one who has conquered it.

Submission = city is conquered (~ Babylon)

Jer 50:15 Shout against her round about: she hath submitted herself; her
bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of
Jehovah: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
A Virgin cries out, but there is noone to help.
The Law stated that a Virgin when being raped should 'cry out'. (= Prophetic
Law)

Deu 22:24 then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye
shall stone them to death with stones; the damsel, because she cried not,
being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife:
so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee... 27 for he found her in
the field, the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

Tamar cried out and lamented loudly and publicly, when raped by her half-
brother.
This theme of lamentation is taken up when describing the conquest of
Jerusalem -- the book of 'Lamentations' houses this theme. It is as if we are
hearing a woman who has been raped, crying out her story to us.

So when we hear expressions such as 'lament' 'cry' 'daughter of...', we are really
hearing of a besieged and conquered city/country.

After conquest, the city becomes pliant to the new master, and is under obligation
to throw open her gates to him that he may go in and go out as often as he
desires.

~ Religious Festivals...
It often happens that the king will go in to the city to celebrate a feast,
with eating, drinking and merry-making (wine, women and song), so the
picture of visiting a temple, especially the 'inner sanctum', carries sexual
overtones.

~ Doors and Gates...

In Ezekiel's temple, there is a gate holy only to Yahweh exclusively, which
is never opened again,
and a gate to the temple area which is opened only for the prince, by which
he enters and leaves.
The New Jerusalem will never have its gates shut, that the kings of the
land may enter her, bringing in their glory. Psa_24:3-4, Psa_24:7,
Psa_118:19, Isa_26:2, Isa_45:1, Isa_60:11,
Eze_44:2, Eze_46:12, Rev_21:24-27

See 'House=Temple Imagery' for more on doors and gates.

This puts a new slant on 'holding the keys' to a city, temple, or kingdom. Rev_3:7-
8

Virgin daughter put to shame = countries destroyed (~ Egypt)

Jer_46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt: in

 vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no healing for thee. 12 The
nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is full of thy cry; for the
mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, they are fallen both of them
together.

Jer_46:24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be

delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

Daughter = about to be destroyed (~ Babylon)

Psa_137:8 O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed, Happy shall he be,

that rewardeth thee As thou hast served us.

Jer_51:33 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of
Babylon is like a threshing-floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little
while, and the time of harvest shall come for her.

~ The Virgin's Joy Turned into Mourning -- Lamentation in the Bible

~ Cities that are invaded and conquered in time of war, are often described as
virgins. The virgins themselves who are raped symbolise the conquest of the city
as a whole.

Virgin daughter of Zion mourning = overcome by Babylon (~ Israel)

The book of 'Lamentations' was written about the time when Jerusalem was
taken by the Babylonians:

Lam 1:4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn
assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are
afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Lam_1:10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant
things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary,
Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine
assembly.

Lam 1:18 Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment:
Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my
young men are gone into captivity.

Lam_2:1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his
anger! He hath cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel,
And hath not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. [Alluding to
the temple in Zion]
 Lam_2:8 Jehovah hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion;
He hath stretched out the line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from
destroying; And he hath made the rampart and wall to lament; they languish
together.

Lam 2:10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they keep
silence; They have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves
with sackcloth: The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the
ground.

Lam_2:21 The youth and the old man lie on the ground in the streets; My
virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword: Thou hast slain them in
the day of thine anger; thou hast slaughtered, and not pitied.

Lam 3:48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction
of the daughter of my people.

Lam_3:51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

Lam_4:21-22 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the

land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken,
and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is
accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into
captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy
sins.

Lam_5:11 They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of
Judah... 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning.

Isa_1:8 daughter of Zion, besieged city

Isa_3:16-17 daughters of Zion
Isa_4:4 daughters of Zion, Jerusalem
Jer_4:31 a woman in travail, daughters of Zion
Jer_6:2 comely, delicate, daughter of Zion
Jer_6:23 her, battle, daughter of Zion
Jer_14:17 tears, virgin daughter, my people
Jer_46:19 daughter in Egypt, Memphis
Amo_5:1-2 lamentation, virgin, no more rise, cast down
Mic_4:8 daughter of Zion, kingdom, daughter of Jerusalem
Mic_5:1 daughter of troops, siege, Israel

Songs (of Lament) = destruction of the kingdoms of Tyre and Sidon

(~ Tyre & Nations)

Isa 23:10 Pass through thy land as the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is
no restraint any more... 12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou
oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon: arise, pass over to Kittim; even there
 shalt thou have no rest... 15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre
shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the
end of seventy years it shall be unto Tyre as in the song of the harlot. 16 Take
a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet
melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

Eze_32:16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament; the

daughters of the nations shall lament therewith; over Egypt, and over all her
multitude, shall they lament therewith, saith the Lord Jehovah... 18 Son of
man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the
daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them
that go down into the pit.

Virgins wailing = Jerusalem conquered (~ Israel)

Jer_9:19-21 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined!
we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they
have cast down our dwellings. 20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women,
and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters
wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation. 21 For death is come up
into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from
without, and the young men from the streets.

Jer_14:17 And thou shalt say this word unto them, Let mine eyes run down
with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my
people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.

Virgin's lament = locust plague (~ Israel)

Joe_1:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her
youth.

~ Virgins Shedding their Bright Clothes and Joy

Virgin daughter humiliated, on the ground = overcome in war (~

Babylon)

Isa_47:1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on
the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no
more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal;
remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. 3
Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take
vengeance, and will spare no man... 5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into
darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called The
mistress of kingdoms.
Strip off clothes = expose shame
Sit on ground = humiliated (~ Edom)

Lam_4:21-22 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the

land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken,
and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is
accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into
captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy
sins.
['the city' is obviously substituting for 'the inhabitants of the city']

Strip off clothes = expose shame (~ Philistines and Edom and Syria)

Eze_16:57 before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the

reproach of the daughters of Syria, and of all that are round about her, the
daughters of the Philistines, that do despite unto thee round about.

Nakedness = humiliated (~ Israel)

Lam_1:8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is become as an

unclean thing; All that honored her despise her, because they have seen her
nakedness: Yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

Strip off clothes = expose shame (~ Israel)

Sit on ground = humiliated (~ Israel)

Isa_3:16-26 Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are

haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and
mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet; 17 therefore the
Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts. [possibly a double-meaning of
'treasuries' of Jerusalem's temple]18 In that day the Lord will take away the
beauty of their anklets, and the cauls, and the crescents; 19 the pendants,
and the bracelets, and the mufflers; 20 the headtires, and the ankle chains,
and the sashes, and the perfume-boxes, and the amulets; 21 the rings, and
the nose-jewels; 22 the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and
the satchels; 23 the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and
the veils. 24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall
be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair,
baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of
beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26
And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon
the ground.

Isa_32:9-14 Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice; ye
careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. 10 For days beyond a year shall
ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering
 shall not come. 11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye
careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your
loins. 12 They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the
fruitful vine. 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers;
yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. 14 For the palace shall be
forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower
shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

Sit on ground = humiliated (~ Moab)

Jer_48:18 O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy
glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab is come up against thee, he
hath destroyed thy strongholds.

Sackcloth = mourning (~ Israel)

Ground = humiliated (~ Israel)

Lam_2:10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they keep
silence; They have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves
with sackcloth: The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the
ground.

~ Not Just Virgin Daughters

The term 'Virgins' includes other such terms as 'young men and maidens', 'boys
and girls', 'children'. And sometimes too, the whole theme includes women who
are not necessarily 'virgins' being raped, but for instance 'Harlot Babylon' is
described as a 'tender and delicate virgin daughter' (Isa_47:1 above). The imagery
overlaps with a woman in labour crying out [a separate article in the Bible
Commentary], whenever 'being attacked' is the relevant comparison.

The following are not 'virginal', yet the same imagery is used...

Virgin = bride (~ Israel)

Jer_2:32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my
people have forgotten me days without number.

Faithless virgin = Israel turned to idols... the reason for

punishment(~ Israel)

Jer_18:13-16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Ask ye now among the nations,
who hath heard such things; the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible
thing. 14 Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or shall
the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up? 15 For my people have
forgotten me, they have burned incense to false gods; and they have been
 made to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a
way not cast up; 16 to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual
hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his
head.

Lonely widow = kingdom destroyed (~ Babylon)

The destruction of the city is compared to a lonely widow:

Isa_47:7-8 And thou saidst, I shall be mistress for ever; so that thou didst not
lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end thereof. 8
Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that sittest securely,
that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit
as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

Lonely widow = kingdom destroyed (~ Israel)

Lam_1:1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! She is become
as a widow, that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among
the provinces is become tributary!
There is dual imagery here of 'a city set on a hill' and a city 'sitting' as judge and
ruler of the region.

~ Men who were raped

The Bible has a long list of those who were sexually abused, and since 'virgin
daughter' is figurative for many things other than virgins and daughters, men
need to be included. [See the list at the beginning of this extract]

~ Turning Mourning Back into Joy

Virgins don't only lament. They also rejoice.

Since lost virginity is by nature irreversible, God is telling us of

miraculous reversal, through resurrection, no less.

The Restoration of Jerusalem is pictured in terms of the virgins who have been
mourning, now rejoicing with dancing and music, and eating and drinking in
celebration. Old and young men are sometimes included in the picture. This
rejoicing occurs at feasts. These feasts occur when the country has been restored
to productivity.

The image of Singing Virgins is overlapped with the Temple Singers, in end-
times prophecies. The Temple Singers included the sons of Asaph and his
relatives who prophesied on harps and trumpets, and lyres and cymbals. See the
article [in the Bible Commentary proper] "End-Times Praise from the Temple
Musicians" at Psa_150:1 for more detail on Rev_14:1-4 (virgin singers) and
Rev_15:2-8 (temple-singers). Compare also the 'virgin' prophetesses Act_21:9
and ?Luk_2:36.

Virgins 'dancing' at the feast of Tabernacles (~ Prophetic History)

Feasts were joyous events, with wine (strong drink) and dancing

Jdg_21:19-21 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to
year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the
highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait
in the vineyards [Feast of Tabernacles], 21 and see, and, behold, if the
daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the
vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go
to the land of Benjamin.

Joy for young men and women

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the (joyful) Feast of Pentecost, upon young
men and women, was such an occasion for joy that it looked as if the people were
joyfully drunk. See Study Notes at Eph_5:19

Act 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third
hour of the day. 17 And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth
of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams:
18 Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour
forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

Virgins rejoicing, merrymaking, music, dancing, wine = joy at

kingdom restored ( ~ End-times)

Psa_30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast
loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

Jer_31:4-6 Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel:
again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets [timbrels], and shalt go forth in
the dances of them that make merry. 5 Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon
the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit
thereof. 6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of
Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God...
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old
together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and
make them rejoice from their sorrow.

Lam_4:21-22 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the

 land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken,
and shalt make thyself naked.

Zec_8:5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing
[musical instruments] in the streets thereof.

Zec_9:17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! grain
shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.

Zep 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all
the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Joy for mourning = restoration of Zion ( ~ End-times)

Isa 61:2-3 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance
of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they
shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they
shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

Isa 62:11-12 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say
ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is
with him, and his recompense before him. 12 And they shall call them The
holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A
city not forsaken.

Virgins dancing = at feasts ( ~ End-times)

Jer_31:12-13 And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall
flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to [possibly 'to the temple of Yahweh, with
their offerings'] the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the
young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden;
and they shall not sorrow any more at all. 13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in
the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their
mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their
sorrow.

Children playing (music) = rejoicing at Christ ( ~ 1st Century AD)

Mat 11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children
sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows 17and say, We piped
unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn. 18 For
John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 19
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous
man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom is
 justified by her works [fruit or children].

No more come into daughter = no more invaders (~ Israel)

Isa 52:1-2 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come
into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake thyself from the dust;
arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.

Virgin daughter laughs = Zion scorning Assyria the invader (~ Israel)

In an unexpected turn, a virgin who is normally 'mocked' by being raped, scorns

her attackers.

Isa_37:21-22 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus
saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against
Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken
concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed
thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

OVERLAP IN IMAGERY

[This refers to similar articles in the Bible Topics of the Commentary, describing
other Biblical images with prophetic importance -- Beasts; Wine; etc]

EXPECTED OVERLAP

Clothing for virgins

2Sa_13:18; clothed with despair
Lam_2:10; clothed with happiness Psa_30:11
Virgin and Marriage
Virgin and Sex

 e.g. with the common idea of: despised, near death

Harlot
Labour
Virgin

Jer 4:30-31 And thou, when thou art made desolate, what wilt thou do?
Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with
ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost
thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her
that bringeth forth her first child, the voice
of the daughter of Zion,
 that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is
me now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.

COMPLEMENTARY IMAGERY

 shepherds-warriors attack the defenceless 'virgin'

Virgin [city under seige]
Shepherds and Sheep [generals in tents, and their armies]

Jer 6:2-3 The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.
3 Shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their
tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.

INTERACTING IMAGERY

 Jerusalem is a weapon of war like an animal beating out the grain

Wheat, Beasts
Virgin
Metals

Mic 4:13 Arise and thresh,

O daughter of Zion;
for I will make thy horn
iron,
and I will make thy hoofs
brass;
and thou shalt beat in pieces many peoples: and I will
devote their gain unto Jehovah, and their substance unto
the Lord of the whole earth.

A COMMON IDEA

 exiled
Sickness (a breach in the city wall, etc, is often compared with a flesh wound
or sickness)
Virgin

Jer 8:11 And they have healed the hurt

of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is
no peace.

Jer_8:18 Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! my heart is faint

within me.
19 Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land
 that is very far off: is not Jehovah in Zion? is not her King in her? Why
have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with foreign
vanities?...
21 For the hurt
of the daughter of my people
am I hurt: I mourn; dismay hath taken hold on me.

Jer_14:17 And thou shalt say this word unto them, Let mine eyes run down
with tears night and day, and let them not cease;
for the virgin daughter of my people
is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.

 defeat
Winepress
Virgin

Lam 1:15 The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me;
He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The
Lord hath trodden as in a winepress
the virgin daughter of Judah.

VOCABULARY

[Unless you recognise the loading in the coding, of the words used in the Bible,
you miss the prophetic language, images and predictions]

afflicted, attire, bare, battle, beauty, besieged, betrothed, bewail, breasts, build,
captivity, children, city, clothing, comely, comfort, cry, damsel, dance, daughter,
death, delicate, deliver, desolate, deserted, despite, destroy, dust, dwell, enjoy,
eyes, fallen, oil, folly, force, garment, gird, gladness, ground, healing, her,
horrible, humble, humiliate, iniquity, Israel, Jerusalem, joy, kingdom, know man,
lament, land, lay bare, lay with, leg, lie, mantle, merry, mistress, mock, mother,
mourn, music, naked, nations, old, ornaments, palace, peoples, play, princess,
punishment, rape, ravish, rejoice, reproach, ruin, run down, sackcloth, secret
parts, see, seige, shame, sins, sit in dust, smite, sorrow, streets, strip, stronghold,
submit, sword, tears, tender, throne, timbrels, travail, troops, uncover, vesture,
violence, virgin, wailing, widow, wine, wives, women, wound, young, Zion