Lamentations 4 9

Lamentations 4:9 kjv

They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

Lamentations 4:9 nkjv

Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.

Lamentations 4:9 niv

Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field.

Lamentations 4:9 esv

Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field.

Lamentations 4:9 nlt

Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of hunger.
Starving, they waste away
for lack of food from the fields.

Lamentations 4 verses

Lamentations 4 9 meaning

Lamentations 4:9 vividly portrays the extreme suffering endured during the siege of Jerusalem by comparing two forms of death. It asserts that those who perished swiftly by the sword were more fortunate than those subjected to the drawn-out, agonizing death by starvation. The verse highlights the excruciating nature of famine, where individuals slowly waste away, metaphorically "pierced" and debilitated by the utter absence of sustenance from the fields. It speaks to a level of despair so profound that violent death becomes a preferred alternative to prolonged, torturous hunger.

Lamentations 4 9 Context

Lamentations Chapter 4, from which verse 9 is drawn, forms part of a series of poetic laments mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. This chapter vividly contrasts the past glory and innocence of Jerusalem's inhabitants, especially its children and nobles, with their current wretched state due to the siege and its aftermath. The text moves from describing the starvation of infants (4:4-5) to the darkened faces of nobles (4:7-8). Verse 9 specifically highlights the culmination of this suffering by presenting a horrific comparison: a quick death by violence is preferred over the drawn-out agony of starvation, which leaves its victims wasting away without any of the earth's bounty. The overall tone is one of shock, sorrow, and deep distress over the unprecedented catastrophe that befell God's chosen city and people, seen as divine judgment for their sins.

Lamentations 4 9 Word analysis

• טוֹבִים הָיוּ חַלְלֵי־חֶרֶב (Tovim hayu chal·lei-cherev) - "Better off were those slain by the sword"

  • טוֹבִים (Tovim): "Good, better." Here, it's used comparatively to express a preference for a "less bad" outcome. It's a statement of ultimate despair where death itself is seen as an escape, and a quicker, more violent one is deemed merciful. This highlights the depth of human suffering in the famine.
  • הָיוּ (hayu): "Were." Past tense, establishing the grim reality during the siege.
  • חַלְלֵי־חֶרֶב (chal·lei-cherev): "Pierced/slain by sword." From חלל (chalal) meaning "pierced, profaned, wounded." Emphasizes a definitive, swift, and violent end. In ancient Near Eastern warfare, death by the sword was a common and often immediate form of demise. This contrast with the lingering death of starvation implies a more dignified, or at least a less painful, departure.

• מֵחַלְלֵי רָעָב (mechal·lei ra'av) - "than those pierced by hunger"

  • מֵחַלְלֵי (mechal·lei): "Than those pierced by." The preposition מִן (min) - "from/than" is attached, creating the comparative. Critically, it uses the same root חלל (chalal - pierced/stricken) as "by the sword," but here it describes the internal piercing, the internal suffering caused by lack of food, linking it metaphorically to the sword's external wound.
  • רָעָב (ra'av): "Hunger, famine." A persistent and pervasive lack of food that inflicts a slow, torturous death. The "piercing" by hunger is an insidious, drawn-out wounding of the body's internal systems.

• שֶׁהֵם יָזוּבוּ (shehem yazuvu) - "for they pine away"

  • שֶׁהֵם (shehem): "For they" or "because they." Introduces the explanation or reason for the preference.
  • יָזוּבוּ (yazuvu): "Pine away, trickle away, waste away." From the root זוּב (zuv), meaning to flow, run, or waste. It conjures images of life slowly draining from the body, an agonizing and debilitating process, akin to a wound constantly seeping or a substance diminishing drop by drop. This vividly portrays the slow deterioration of the starving.

• מִתְּבוּאֹת שָׂדָי (mit·t'vu'ot saday) - "for want of the fruits of the field"

  • מְדֻקָּרִים (m'duqarim): "Pierced, stricken, wounded." Another powerful image. From דָּקַר (daqar), meaning to pierce or stab. While the first part uses "pierced" by the effect (hunger), this refers to being wounded by the absence of food itself. The want becomes the weapon.
  • מִתְּנוּבוֹת (mit·t'nuvot): "From/for want of the produce." The preposition מִן (min) denotes source or cause here.
  • תְּבוּאוֹת שָׂדָי (t'vu'ot saday): "Produce/fruits of the field." Refers to the harvested crops and yields, signifying the total deprivation of sustenance that the land, under normal circumstances, would provide. The very bounty meant to sustain life is absent, and this absence is the direct cause of their "piercing" anguish.

• Words-group Analysis

  • "Those slain by the sword are better off than those pierced by hunger": This antithetical parallelism establishes the core argument of profound suffering. The directness of the sword's death contrasts sharply with the insidious internal destruction of famine. It highlights a radical reversal of human perception, where violent death becomes merciful.
  • "for these pine away, pierced by want of the fruits of the field": This explanatory clause elaborates on the agonizing nature of death by hunger. The imagery of "pining away" (slow wasting) combined with being "pierced by want" personifies the absence of food as a weapon inflicting continuous, deep wounds. It is not just the lack, but the way this lack physically and mentally tortures and destroys the individual over time.

Lamentations 4 9 Bonus section

• The Reversal of Norms: In typical societies, a quick, "clean" death is not desired, but in extreme suffering like a prolonged famine during a siege, any immediate end to pain becomes a morbid blessing. This verse underscores the radical re-evaluation of values under such dire conditions.
• Psychological Dimension: The verse hints at the psychological torture of slow death. A soldier might face death honorably on the battlefield; starvation brings ignoble decay, loss of dignity, and profound despair, robbing one of mental as well as physical strength. The desire for a swift end points to the intolerable mental anguish alongside physical pain.
• Polemics against Complacency: The prophet's stark imagery implicitly serves as a warning against spiritual complacency and rebellion against God, demonstrating the horrific consequences promised for covenant unfaithfulness. The judgment of God brings conditions so dire they twist the very understanding of life and death.

Lamentations 4 9 Commentary

Lamentations 4:9 starkly illustrates the abject horror of siege-induced famine. It articulates a dreadful preference for the swift, violent death of a warrior or victim of battle over the protracted, agonizing death by starvation. The repeated imagery of "piercing" highlights how death by the sword delivers an immediate, if brutal, end, whereas hunger inflicts a slow, internal "piercing" that gradually drains life and vitality, forcing victims to waste away in agonizing slowness, made all the more cruel by the knowledge of what food should be available from fertile fields. This verse encapsulates the ultimate human despair, where a rapid demise is perceived as an act of mercy compared to enduring the torment of a body consumed from within by an unceasing lack of sustenance. It’s a poignant expression of the complete breakdown of order and sustenance in a divinely judged city.