Lamentations 2 12

Lamentations 2:12 kjv

They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.

Lamentations 2:12 nkjv

They say to their mothers, "Where is grain and wine?" As they swoon like the wounded In the streets of the city, As their life is poured out In their mothers' bosom.

Lamentations 2:12 niv

They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms.

Lamentations 2:12 esv

They cry to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.

Lamentations 2:12 nlt

They cry out to their mothers,
"We need food and drink!"
Their lives ebb away in the streets
like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.
They gasp for life
as they collapse in their mothers' arms.

Lamentations 2 verses

Lamentations 2 12 meaning

Lamentations 2:12 poignantly describes the ultimate suffering of the children of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege and its aftermath. Dying of starvation and thirst, they desperately plead with their mothers for sustenance, a plea that goes unanswered as the mothers themselves are helpless. Their fading strength is compared to that of a mortally wounded person, and their lives ebb away in the very laps of their mothers, a place traditionally synonymous with comfort and nourishment, now turned into a tragic deathbed. The verse vividly portrays the complete breakdown of familial and societal structure under the immense divine judgment and desolation.

Lamentations 2 12 Context

Lamentations 2 is part of Jeremiah's heartfelt lament over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. This chapter specifically highlights God's active role in bringing about this calamity due to the nation's persistent sin and rebellion against Him. The prophet portrays God not as a passive observer, but as a mighty warrior turning His face against His own people, tearing down, destroying, and pouring out His wrath. The suffering described in verse 12—children dying of starvation in public view and in their mothers' arms—is a direct consequence of this divine judgment, showcasing the depth of despair and the physical manifestation of the curse outlined in Deuteronomy for covenant disobedience. It depicts a city stripped of its glory, its people experiencing the most fundamental and heartbreaking loss of life. Culturally, the image of children dying in their mothers' laps emphasizes the utter breakdown of the most basic protective bonds and the complete helplessness in the face of such overwhelming devastation.

Lamentations 2 12 Word analysis

• אֵי-דָגָן וָיָיִן ('ey dagân wâ-yāyin) - "Where is grain and wine?":
  • אֵי ('ey): An interrogative particle meaning "where?" or "how?" Here, it conveys a desperate, pleading, and often rhetorical question with no hopeful answer.
  • דָגָן (dagân): "Grain," "corn." This refers to staple food, especially the main component for bread, representing the most basic need for survival. Its absence signifies utter starvation.
  • וָיָיִן (wâ-yāyin): "And wine." While wine is often associated with joy, here it represents liquid sustenance, indicating extreme thirst or the complete absence of any nourishment. Together, grain and wine represent the fundamental necessities for life.
• יֹאמְרוּ (yo'meru) - "They say," "They ask":
  • Third person plural imperfect form of the verb אָמַר ('amar), "to say" or "to speak." The imperfect tense suggests a continuous, repeated action – the children are constantly crying out their plea. It highlights their agonizing, repeated requests.
• לְאִמּוֹתָם (l'immotam) - "To their mothers":
  • לְ (l') prefix: "to" or "for."
  • אִמּוֹתָם ('immotam): "Their mothers." The mother is traditionally the primary caregiver, source of comfort, and provider of food, especially for young children. Addressing this desperate plea to their mothers underscores the profound helplessness of both child and parent. The collapse of the mother's ability to provide is a symbol of utter societal breakdown.
• בְּהִתְעַטְּפָם (b'hitatefam) - "as they faint," "when they are overwhelmed/swoon":
  • בְּ (b') prefix: "in," "when," "as."
  • הִתְעַטְּפָם (hit'atefam): Hithpael infinitive construct from עָטַף ('atap), meaning "to cover oneself," "to wrap oneself," or metaphorically, "to be faint," "to swoon," "to grow weak." It conveys a profound physical weakness, indicating extreme hunger or shock that leads to collapse, often associated with a covering of despair or near death.
• כֶּחָלָל (k'chalal) - "like a slain one," "like the wounded":
  • כֶּ (k') prefix: "like," "as."
  • חָלָל (chalal): "Slain," "pierced," "mortally wounded." This word is used to describe those who have been killed, often by the sword or a violent act. The comparison indicates that these children, dying of starvation, look like or are in the same state as those killed by war. Their condition is life-ending, not merely weakness.
• בְּרְחֹבוֹת קִרְיָה (birehovot qiryah) - "in the streets of the city":
  • בְּ (b') prefix: "in."
  • רְחֹבוֹת (rehovot): "Streets," "public squares." This signifies that their suffering is public, not hidden behind closed doors. It points to the widespread nature of the disaster and the public spectacle of death, undermining any sense of normalcy or civic life.
  • קִרְיָה (qiryah): "City," often referring specifically to Jerusalem in this context.
• בְּהִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ נַפְשָׁם (b'hishtapech nafsham) - "as their life ebbs away," "when their soul is poured out":
  • בְּ (b') prefix: "when," "as."
  • הִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ (hishtapech): Hithpael infinitive construct from שָׁפַךְ (shafak), "to pour out." The Hithpael intensifies the action, conveying the vivid image of life or soul being poured out like water, a fluid, irreversible, and complete draining away. This is a common biblical idiom for dying.
  • נַפְשָׁם (nafsham): "Their soul," "their life," "their being." In Hebrew thought, the nefesh often encompasses the entire person, the vital breath and animating spirit. Its "pouring out" means death.
• אֶל-חֵיק אִמֹּתָם (el-cheq immotam) - "in their mothers' arms/lap":
  • אֶל ('el): "To," "into."
  • חֵיק (cheq): "Lap," "bosom," "embrace." This is typically a place of intimate closeness, comfort, protection, and nourishment for a child. Its mention here forms a deeply tragic contrast, as this haven of life has become the place where life tragically departs. It symbolizes the ultimate destruction of hope and comfort.
  • אִמֹּתָם (immotam): "Their mothers." (Same as above)

• Words-Group Analysis:
• "They ask their mothers, 'Where is bread and wine?'": This phrase captures the immediate, instinctual cry for survival and nourishment from those who traditionally provide it. It highlights the helplessness of both child and mother. The question is rhetorical, underscoring that the mothers have nothing to give.
• "as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city": This group vividly depicts the widespread, public nature of the suffering and death. Fainting like a chalal (slain one) emphasizes that these children are effectively casualties of war, though starved. The streets as a public graveyard show the complete loss of dignity and the sheer scale of the catastrophe.
• "as their life ebbs away in their mothers' arms": This is perhaps the most gut-wrenching image. The "pouring out of life" is a graphic, poetic description of dying. The final location, the "mother's arms/lap," traditionally a symbol of safety and nurture, transforms into a witness to death. It magnifies the tragedy, depicting the complete reversal of life's natural order.

Lamentations 2 12 Bonus section

The motif of children perishing due to parental sin, while tragic, is a recurring theme in prophetic literature illustrating corporate responsibility and the pervasive reach of judgment. It’s a stark reminder of the covenant curses where God warns of devastating consequences that affect all generations for idolatry and disobedience. This specific verse emphasizes not just the suffering, but the public display of it ("in the streets") and the collapse of the foundational human bond ("in their mothers' arms"). This profound despair sets the stage for the turning point in Lamentations 3, where hope in God's mercy finally emerges from the ashes of devastation, but only after fully acknowledging the utter desolation and deservedness of the judgment. The image of the "poured out" soul connects with Old Testament sacrifices where blood (life) was poured out, making the children's deaths a lamentable "sacrifice" on the altar of a broken covenant.

Lamentations 2 12 Commentary

Lamentations 2:12 offers a visceral, heart-wrenching image of the depth of suffering during Jerusalem's downfall. It zeroes in on the most innocent and vulnerable: the children. Their desperate cry for basic sustenance from mothers who can provide none lays bare the famine's severity and the utter breakdown of social order and human ability to care for its most precious. The parallel drawn to a "slain one" underscores that starvation is as deadly as the sword. Dying openly in the streets signifies the widespread nature of the calamity, while the final, agonizing act of their lives "pouring out" in their mothers' laps presents a stark and devastating inversion of a mother's natural role as a life-giver and protector. This scene is not merely descriptive; it's a profound lament that aims to elicit deep empathy, driving home the severe consequences of God's righteous judgment against His rebellious people. It forces the audience to confront the full horror of sin's wages, illustrating how a nation's choices can lead to unimaginable suffering impacting even the blameless among them.