In this verse it is the LORD who has forced the priests to depart. The verse consists of two pairs of closely parallel half-lines.

The LORD himself has scattered them: New Jerusalem Bible translates the Hebrew literally as “The face of Yahweh.” However, the “face” stands for the person himself, being a case of the poetic use of a part for the whole, and so Revised Standard Version is correct. Bible en français courant translates “the LORD in person.” Scattered translates a verb meaning distributed or divided, as is done with inheritance. But the sense here is to spread about or divide as in Genesis 49.7, “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” Them refers back to the defiled prophets and priests in verses 13 and 14.

Regard them no more: regard translates a verb meaning to look at, but in this context it is to look after, be concerned with, care for. Here it is used in a negative sense: “The LORD had no more concern” (Good News Translation) or “he thought of them no more” (New English Bible). We may also say, for example, “he turned completely away from them” or “he would have nothing more to do with them.” Translators should notice how Good News Translation has placed “no more concern for” as the setting before the action “scattered them himself.”

In the two parallel Revised Standard Version lines beginning no honor and no favor, the Hebrew begins, as it did in the first unit, with “the faces…,” thus making verse 16 the only one in chapter 4 in which both units in Hebrew begin with the same letter of the alphabet. No honor was shown to the priests is literally “they did not lift up the faces of the priests,” which is an idiom meaning to show respect. The two verbs in the second half of this verse are in the plural, and so the LORD is not the subject. Nevertheless Good News Translation “He showed no regard…” does make the LORD the subject. Revised Standard Version and others understand the subject to be the people and translate the verbs as passives. It is also possible in some languages to employ an impersonal subject; for example, “There was no respect for … no compassion for…” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), “One had no regard for…” (Bible en français courant). No favor is closely parallel in meaning to no honor and means “one had no pity for,” “had no concern for.”

Elders is usually translated “leaders” in Good News Translation, as it is here. In this context, however, it probably means “They had no pity even for those (of the priests) who were old.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .