Lamentations 1 11

Lamentations 1:11 kjv

All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

Lamentations 1:11 nkjv

All her people sigh, They seek bread; They have given their valuables for food to restore life. "See, O LORD, and consider, For I am scorned."

Lamentations 1:11 niv

All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look, LORD, and consider, for I am despised."

Lamentations 1:11 esv

All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. "Look, O LORD, and see, for I am despised."

Lamentations 1:11 nlt

Her people groan as they search for bread.
They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive.
"O LORD, look," she mourns,
"and see how I am despised.

Lamentations 1 verses

Lamentations 1 11 Meaning

Lamentations 1:11 vividly portrays the utter desperation of Jerusalem's inhabitants during the siege and its aftermath. All the surviving people groan in their frantic search for the most basic necessity—bread. Their hunger is so extreme that they are forced to give up their most valued possessions, their cherished treasures, in exchange for mere sustenance, simply to regain enough strength to survive. In this deplorable state of humiliation and ruin, the city (personified as a woman) directly appeals to the Lord, pleading for Him to witness her wretched and despised condition, which is a direct result of the intense suffering she endures.

Lamentations 1 11 Context

Lamentations 1:11 is situated in the deeply sorrowful opening chapter of the book of Lamentations. Chapter 1 introduces Jerusalem (personified as a lonely widow, "How lonely sits the city...") reeling from the devastating conquest by Babylon in 586 BC. The city, once teeming with people and prestige, is now desolate, her nobles led away, and her people suffering immensely. The surrounding verses (Lam 1:9-10) detail Jerusalem's sins that led to this destruction and how enemies plundered her treasures and sacred places. Verse 11 paints a specific picture of the human cost of this destruction, particularly the extreme physical suffering of the famine-stricken survivors. This hunger drives them to desperate measures, embodying the full extent of the calamity and setting the stage for the city's direct cry to God. Historically, the verse reflects the horrors of the prolonged Babylonian siege that preceded the city's fall, where starvation became a common and agonizing reality.

Lamentations 1 11 Word analysis

• All her people: Refers to every inhabitant of Jerusalem. This emphasizes the widespread and universal nature of the suffering. None are exempt from the intense famine.
• groan (Hebrew: na'aq): This word signifies a deep, anguished sound. It's not just a complaint, but a physical expression of profound pain, distress, and oppression, often made by those unable to bear their suffering silently. It indicates immense physical and emotional agony.
• as they search for bread: Illustrates a desperate, active quest for basic sustenance. It's not casual shopping, but frantic, often futile, efforts in a context of extreme scarcity and famine. This is their primary, overwhelming need.
• they barter (Hebrew: nāthan - "to give," but here implies to give in exchange for, to sell): Suggests a forced transaction, driven by sheer necessity rather than choice. It's a surrender of value for survival.
• their treasures (Hebrew: mahamaddīm): Precious, desirable things, often implying valuable ornaments, jewelry, or cherished possessions. The term implies something of great worth or beauty. The profound irony and tragedy is that these objects of delight now hold no intrinsic value in the face of starvation.
• for food (Hebrew: ʾōkhel): A very basic, generic term for anything edible. It highlights that they are not buying delicacies or luxuries, but anything to fill the void of hunger.
• to restore their strength (Hebrew: lehāshīv nephesh): Literally "to bring back the soul" or "to revive the life." This points to the dire state of the people, on the brink of death from starvation. Their desperate exchange is purely for physical survival, to avoid perishing.
• Look, O Lord, and see: A direct, urgent plea addressed to God, reflecting both hope that He might intervene and a sense of abandonment. It’s a challenge to God’s justice and compassion, demanding His attention to the unprecedented suffering.
• how despised I am (Hebrew: kī hāyətāh zōlēlāh): The verb zâlal means to be worthless, vile, or contemptible. It encapsulates Jerusalem's utter degradation and humiliation. This can refer to how others (the enemies) now view her with scorn, or how she has been brought so low as to feel inherently worthless due to her state. It reflects the deep shame and defilement she feels from her devastation and exposure.

Words-group analysis:

• "All her people groan as they search for bread": This phrase emphasizes the collective, desperate struggle for sheer physical survival, portraying a scene of widespread misery where every individual is acutely afflicted by hunger. It sets a visceral picture of pain.
• "they barter their treasures for food to restore their strength": This passage highlights the profound and tragic trade-off necessitated by the famine. It showcases the complete inversion of values—valuable heirlooms or precious possessions, once symbols of wealth and comfort, are now worth less than a morsel of food needed for immediate physical restoration. It underscores the ultimate cost of the siege.
• "Look, O Lord, and see how despised I am": This is the heart of Jerusalem's direct, desperate appeal to God. It encapsulates a profound theological plea—a suffering entity confronting the divine. It expresses the bitter agony of public humiliation and an appeal to God's justice or mercy to acknowledge her profound, seemingly forgotten state of vileness and abasement.

Lamentations 1 11 Bonus section

The intense desperation depicted in Lamentations 1:11 foreshadows, in a grim way, the suffering Jesus spoke of for those who fail to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt 5:6), or for the nations when famine is one of the horsemen of the apocalypse (Rev 6:5-6). It highlights the fragile nature of human life and society when deprived of foundational resources and divine favor. The contrast between Jerusalem's former splendor and current humiliation, specifically how her mahamaddīm (precious things) are now less valuable than the most basic sustenance, serves as a poignant reminder that material wealth is transient and utterly fails in times of true catastrophe. The "groaning" is a recurrent biblical motif (Ex 2:23; Rom 8:26) signifying deep distress that prompts divine attention, showcasing God's attentiveness even to unspoken suffering. The plea "Look, O Lord, and see" is characteristic of laments, pushing God to not remain distant or indifferent, a challenge rooted in Israel's covenant relationship with their God, despite their sin.

Lamentations 1 11 Commentary

Lamentations 1:11 serves as a heartbreaking snapshot of Jerusalem's agony after its fall. The verse masterfully combines physical torment with emotional and spiritual distress. The universal "groan" reveals a population beyond articulate speech, reduced to primal sounds of pain as they scour for food, a tragic echo of their once abundant city. The desperate exchange of "treasures for food" vividly illustrates the complete reversal of fortune and values; what was once cherished is now meaningless in the face of imminent death. This forced bartering underlines the extreme nature of the famine, where life itself is bought at any cost. The direct address to "O Lord, and see how despised I am" moves the lament from a descriptive account to an direct appeal to divine justice or mercy. It's the voice of suffering humanity confronting God, pleading for acknowledgment and compassion in the midst of abject humiliation. It conveys the raw, unadorned suffering of a people brought to the lowest point, yet still, with fading breath, turn their gaze towards their God, seeking a divine response to their perceived worthlessness and degradation. This verse serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of national sin, divine judgment, and the profound depth of human suffering when basic needs are denied and all honor is lost.