Lamentations 4:4

My people’s infants’ tongues cling to the roofs/tops of their mouths because they are extremely thirsty; the children plead for some food, but no one gives them any.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

In Context

3Even the female jackals/wolves feed their pups, but my people act cruelly toward their children; they are like [SIM] ostriches in the desert that abandon their eggs.

5People who previously ate fine food are now starving in the streets; those who previously lived luxuriously [MTY] now paw/dig through rubbish heaps to find some food.

Read all of Lamentations 4

Cross References

Deuteronomy 32:24They will die because of being hungry and because of having hot fevers and because of terrible diseases; I will send wild animals to attack [MTY] them, and poisonous snakes to bite [MTY] them.

2 Kings 25:3After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, the ◄famine/shortage of food► had become very bad. All their food was gone.

Psalms 137:6Do not allow me to sing again [MTY], if I forget about Jerusalem, if I do not consider that Jerusalem causes me to be more joyful than anything else does.

Lamentations 1:11The people of the city groan while they search for food; they have given their treasures to get food to eat to remain alive. They say, “Yahweh, look at us, and see that we are despised!”

Lamentations 2:12They cry out to their mothers, “We need [RHQ] something to eat and drink!” They faint like wounded men in the streets of the city. They slowly die in the arms of their mothers.

Matthew Henry on Lamentations 4:2-13

Desolate Condition of Jerusalem; Effects of Famine in Jerusalem; Destruction of Jerusalem. ( b. c. 588.) 1 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Lamentations 4:4