Lamentations 4:10
Lamentations 4:10 in Multiple Translations
The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of kind-hearted women have been boiling their children; they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of loving women have cooked their own children to eat during the destruction of Jerusalem.
The hands of the pitifull women haue sodden their owne children, which were their meate in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children. They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children: they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Jod. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Women who usually/previously were very kind have killed and cooked their own children; they ate them when there was no other food, when Jerusalem was surrounded by enemy soldiers.
Berean Amplified Bible — Lamentations 4:10
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Lamentations 4:10 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
יְדֵ֗י
נָשִׁים֙
רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת
בִּשְּׁל֖וּ
יַלְדֵי/הֶ֑ן
הָי֤וּ
לְ/בָרוֹת֙
לָ֔/מוֹ
בְּ/שֶׁ֖בֶר
בַּת
עַמִּֽ/י
יְדֵ֗י
yâd
H3027
hand
N-cd
נָשִׁים֙
ʼishshâh
H802
woman
N-fp
רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת
rachmânîy
H7362
compassionate
Adj
בִּשְּׁל֖וּ
bâshal
H1310
to boil
V-Piel-Perf-3cp
יַלְדֵי/הֶ֑ן
yeled
H3206
youth
N-mp | Suff
הָי֤וּ
hâyâh
H1961
to be
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
לְ/בָרוֹת֙
bârâh
H1262
to eat
Prep | V-Piel-Inf-a
לָ֔/מוֹ
Prep | Suff
בְּ/שֶׁ֖בֶר
sheber
H7667
breaking
Prep | N-ms
בַּת
bath
H1323
Bath (Shua)
N-fs
עַמִּֽ/י
ʻam
H5971
Amaw
N-ms | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Lamentations 4:10
יְדֵ֗י
yâd
H3027
"hand"
N-cd
In the Bible, 'yad' refers to an open hand, symbolizing power or direction. It can also mean strength or a part of something, like a side or a share. The word is used in many contexts, including anatomy and everyday life.
Definition: : hand/arm[anatomy] 1) hand 1a) hand (of man) 1b) strength, power (fig.) 1c) side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.) 1d) (various special, technical senses) 1d1) sign, monument 1d2) part, fractional part, share 1d3) time, repetition 1d4) axle-trees, axle 1d5) stays, support (for laver) 1d6) tenons (in tabernacle) 1d7) a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure) 1d8) wrists
Usage: Occurs in 1446 OT verses. KJV: ([phrase] be) able, [idiom] about, [phrase] armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, [idiom] bounty, [phrase] broad, (broken-) handed, [idiom] by, charge, coast, [phrase] consecrate, [phrase] creditor, custody, debt, dominion, [idiom] enough, [phrase] fellowship, force, [idiom] from, hand(-staves, -y work), [idiom] he, himself, [idiom] in, labour, [phrase] large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, [idiom] mine, ministry, near, [idiom] of, [idiom] order, ordinance, [idiom] our, parts, pain, power, [idiom] presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, [phrase] swear, terror, [idiom] thee, [idiom] by them, [idiom] themselves, [idiom] thine own, [idiom] thou, through, [idiom] throwing, [phrase] thumb, times, [idiom] to, [idiom] under, [idiom] us, [idiom] wait on, (way-) side, where, [phrase] wide, [idiom] with (him, me, you), work, [phrase] yield, [idiom] yourselves. See also: Genesis 3:22; Exodus 7:19; Leviticus 14:22.
נָשִׁים֙
ʼishshâh
H802
"woman"
N-fp
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Definition: : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)
Usage: Occurs in 686 OT verses. KJV: (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English. See also: Genesis 2:22; Genesis 34:4; Numbers 5:12.
רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת
rachmânîy
H7362
"compassionate"
Adj
Compassionate women are described with this word, which means showing pity or kindness towards others. The Bible uses this term to describe those who are pitiful and caring. It is about being gentle and considerate.
Definition: compassionate, compassionate women
Usage: Occurs in 1 OT verses. KJV: pitiful. See also: Lamentations 4:10.
בִּשְּׁל֖וּ
bâshal
H1310
"to boil"
V-Piel-Perf-3cp
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to boil or cook something, like food in a pot. It can also mean to ripen, like fruit growing ripe on a tree.
Definition: 1) to boil, cook, bake, roast, ripen, grow ripe 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to boil, cook 1a2) to grow ripe, ripen 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to boil 1b2) to cook 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be boiled 1c2) to be sodden 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to ripen 1d2) ripen, brought to ripeness
Usage: Occurs in 24 OT verses. KJV: bake, boil, bring forth, roast, seethe, sod (be sodden). See also: Genesis 40:10; 1 Samuel 2:15; Zechariah 14:21.
יַלְדֵי/הֶ֑ן
yeled
H3206
"youth"
N-mp | Suff
This Hebrew word refers to a young person, like a child or teenager, such as the youth who helped David in 1 Samuel 20:1. It can also mean offspring or descendants, like the children of Israel in Exodus 12:37.
Definition: 1) child, son, boy, offspring, youth 1a) child, son, boy 1b) child, children 1c) descendants 1d) youth 1e) apostate Israelites (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 76 OT verses. KJV: boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one). See also: Genesis 4:23; 1 Kings 12:10; Isaiah 2:6.
הָי֤וּ
hâyâh
H1961
"to be"
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Definition: 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about 1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
Usage: Occurs in 3131 OT verses. KJV: beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use. See also: Genesis 1:2; Genesis 17:4; Genesis 36:11.
לְ/בָרוֹת֙
bârâh
H1262
"to eat"
Prep | V-Piel-Inf-a
To eat or feed is what this Hebrew word means, also to choose or select food. It is used in various forms, like causing someone to eat or devour.
Definition: 1) to eat, consume 1a) (Qal) to eat 1b) (Piel) for eating, devouring 1c) (Hiphil) to cause to eat
Usage: Occurs in 7 OT verses. KJV: choose, (cause to) eat, manifest, (give) meat. See also: 1 Samuel 17:8; 2 Samuel 13:5; Lamentations 4:10.
לָ֔/מוֹ
""
Prep | Suff
בְּ/שֶׁ֖בֶר
sheber
H7667
"breaking"
Prep | N-ms
This word describes a breaking or shattering, like a physical injury or a dream being interpreted, and is used to convey ruin or destruction in the Bible.
Definition: 1) breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash, ruin, shattering 1a) breaking, fracture, shattering, crushing 1b) crashing 1c) breaking (of a dream), interpretation 1d) quarries
Usage: Occurs in 41 OT verses. KJV: affliction, breach, breaking, broken(-footed, -handed), bruise, crashing, destruction, hurt, interpretation, vexation. See also: Leviticus 21:19; Jeremiah 6:1; Psalms 60:4.
בַּת
bath
H1323
"Bath (Shua)"
N-fs
The Hebrew word for daughter is used to describe a female child or a woman, and can also be used figuratively. In the Bible, it is used to describe women like Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah and later of King David.
Definition: A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2; daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063); mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956) the wife of Uriah whom David had murdered, having had adulterous relations with her; subsequently wife of David and mother of Solomon, Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan (alternate spelling to 'Bathsheba')
Usage: Occurs in 498 OT verses. KJV: apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, [idiom] first, [idiom] old, [phrase] owl, town, village. See also: Genesis 5:4; Exodus 2:21; Ruth 1:13.
עַמִּֽ/י
ʻam
H5971
"Amaw"
N-ms | Suff
A people or nation is what this Hebrew word represents, like the nation of Israel in Exodus 33:13. It can also mean a tribe, troops, or attendants, and is used to describe a group of people gathered together. The word is often used to refer to the people of God.
Definition: This name means nation, people
Usage: Occurs in 1655 OT verses. KJV: folk, men, nation, people. See also: Genesis 11:6; Exodus 16:4; Leviticus 17:9.
Study Notes — Lamentations 4:10
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Lamentations 4:10 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 4:10
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 4:10
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
- Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
- Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
- Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 4:10
- Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 4:10
- Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
- Sermons on Lamentations 4:10
Context — The Distress of Zion
8But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.
9Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.
10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11The LORD has exhausted His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations. 12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 2:20 | Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? |
| 2 | Isaiah 49:15 | “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! |
| 3 | 2 Kings 6:26–29 | As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” |
| 4 | Jeremiah 19:9 | I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.’ |
| 5 | Lamentations 3:48 | Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| 6 | Lamentations 4:3 | Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness. |
| 7 | Leviticus 26:29 | You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. |
| 8 | Ezekiel 5:10 | As a result, fathers among you will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.’ |
| 9 | Deuteronomy 28:53–57 | Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you. The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates. The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces and her son and daughter the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates. |
Lamentations 4:10 Summary
[This verse describes a very sad and difficult time in the history of God's people, when they were suffering from extreme hunger and were forced to do things they never thought they would do, like eating their own children, as a result of God's judgment, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:53. This was a consequence of their disobedience and sin, as seen in Jeremiah 2:13 and Ezekiel 16:1-63. We can learn from this verse that sin has serious consequences, but God is also a God of love and mercy, as seen in Psalm 103:8 and Jeremiah 9:24. We should strive to obey God and seek His mercy, as mentioned in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Lamentations 3:40.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for compassionate women to cook their own children?
This verse describes a horrific scene where, due to extreme hunger and desperation, mothers were forced to eat their own children, as seen in Lamentations 4:10, a consequence of God's judgment, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:53 and Leviticus 26:29.
Is this verse saying that God is cruel for allowing such suffering?
No, the Bible teaches that God is a God of love and justice, as seen in Psalm 103:8 and Jeremiah 9:24, but He also allows suffering as a consequence of sin, as mentioned in Romans 6:23 and Isaiah 59:2.
How could the Lord allow such atrocities to happen to His people?
The Lord's ways are not our ways, as stated in Isaiah 55:8-9, and His judgments are often a call to repentance, as seen in Lamentations 3:40 and 2 Chronicles 7:14, where He desires His people to return to Him.
What is the significance of the phrase 'destruction of the daughter of my people'?
This phrase refers to the judgment and devastation that has come upon Jerusalem and God's people, as mentioned in Lamentations 1:1 and Jeremiah 4:7, resulting from their disobedience and idolatry, as seen in Jeremiah 2:13 and Ezekiel 16:1-63.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that I can show compassion to those around me who are struggling, just as the women in this verse were struggling?
- How can I balance the idea of a loving God with the reality of suffering and hardship in the world, as seen in this verse?
- What are some ways that I can prioritize my relationship with God and seek to obey Him, in order to avoid the kind of judgment and suffering described in this verse?
- How can I trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, even when I don't understand the circumstances around me, as seen in this verse and in Romans 8:28?
Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 4:10
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children,.... Such as were naturally, and agreeably to their sex, pitiful and compassionate; merciful to the poor, as the Targum; and especially
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 4:10
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
This was according to what God had threatened in case of disobedience, , and a thing which hath often happened in sieges, . Such things did happen in the last destruction of Jerusalem, as we read in Josephus; and though we read of no such thing happening in the siege of it by Nebuchadnezzar, yet that there were some such sad instances appears from this text.
Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
Lamentations 4:10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.Ver. 10. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden.] Sodden them rather than roasted them, lest they should be discovered by the smell, and so in danger to be despoiled of them, as it happened at the last siege by the Romans. Lege et luge. Assemble and mourne. They were their meat.] In eadem viscera, ex quibus exierant, retrusi sunt; they returned into the same bowels whence they came forth.
Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
(10) The hands of the pitiful women.—See Note on Lamentations 2:20.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
Verse 10. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children] See Clarke on Lamentations 2:20. But here there is a reference to mothers eating their own children; and this was done, not by mothers cruel and brutal, but by נשים רחמניות nashim rachmaniyoth, the compassionate, the tender-hearted mothers. From these horrible scenes it is well to pass with as hasty a step as possible.
Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 4:10
10. Cp. ch. Lamentations 2:20, and Jeremiah 19:9. pitiful] (hitherto) compassionate. For this meaning, as opposed to its modern sense, pitiable, cp. Latimer, Sermons, p. 391. “Because I speak here of orphans, I shall exhort you to be pitiful unto them.”—Bible Word Book. sodden] boiled (cp. Exodus 12:9); the participle of to seethe, for which see 2 Kings 4:38.
Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 4:10
Pitiful - i. e. tender-hearted, compassionate. meat is used for food Psalms 69:21. What is here stated actually occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus.
Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 4:10
10. A still more terrible feature is added, Pitiful women have sodden their own children — “Pitiful” — tender hearted, compassionate. “Sodden” — cooked or boiled.
Sermons on Lamentations 4:10
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Knowing God as Our Father - Inwardly (Tamil) by Zac Poonen | This sermon emphasizes the importance of knowing God as our Father and understanding His sovereignty. It highlights the significance of being filled with the Holy Spirit to truly e |
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Our Great Hight Priest by Don McClure | In this sermon, the preacher reflects on the imperfections and struggles of our lives, comparing them to a car that is broken and failing. Despite our flaws, the preacher emphasize |
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A Marriage Changed by God by Zac Poonen | This sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding the distinctions and roles within marriage, highlighting the need to recognize and respect the differences between husband an |
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Separated From Our Loved Ones by Keith Daniel | This sermon delves into the fearful possibility of separation from loved ones, both in this life and for eternity, emphasizing the consequences of rejecting God and the need for si |
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Isaiah 49 by Robert F. Adcock | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the comforting and reassuring nature of God's love and care for his people. He highlights the fact that God is in control of everything and |
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Destroying Every Idol by Zac Poonen | This sermon emphasizes the importance of loving God with all our heart and making sacrifices for Him. It highlights the significance of true devotion to Jesus Christ, prioritizing |
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(Through the Bible) Isaiah - Part 2 by Zac Poonen | This sermon delves into the deep teachings of Isaiah chapters 40 to 66, highlighting the importance of humility, trust in God's ways, and the need for true repentance and righteous |