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Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nlt/lamentations/2.htm">New Living Translation</a> “O LORD, think about this! Should you treat your own people this way? Should mothers eat their own children, those they once bounced on their knees? Should priests and prophets be killed within the Lord’s Temple? <a href="/esv/lamentations/2.htm">English Standard Version</a> Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/bsb/lamentations/2.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> 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? <a href="/kjv/lamentations/2.htm">King James Bible</a> Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nkjv/lamentations/2.htm">New King James Version</a> “See, O LORD, and consider! To whom have You done this? Should the women eat their offspring, The children they have cuddled? Should the priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nasb_/lamentations/2.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> “See, LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt this way? Should women really eat their children, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet really be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nasb/lamentations/2.htm">NASB 1995</a> See, O LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nasb77/lamentations/2.htm">NASB 1977 </a> See, O LORD, and look! With whom hast Thou dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/lsb/lamentations/2.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> See, O Yahweh, and look! With whom have You dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The infants who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/amp/lamentations/2.htm">Amplified Bible</a> See, O LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt this way? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy and beautiful? Should priest and prophet be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/csb/lamentations/2.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> LORD, look and consider to whom you have done this. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary? <a href="/hcsb/lamentations/2.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> LORD, look and consider who You have done this to. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord&#8217s sanctuary? <a href="/asv/lamentations/2.htm">American Standard Version</a> See, O Jehovah, and behold to whom thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/cev/lamentations/2.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> Think about it, LORD! Have you ever been this cruel to anyone before? Is it right for mothers to eat their children, or for priests and prophets to be killed in your temple? <a href="/erv/lamentations/2.htm">English Revised Version</a> See, O LORD, and behold, to whom thou hast done thus! shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/gwt/lamentations/2.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> "O LORD, look and consider: Have you ever treated anyone like this? Should women eat their own children, the children they have nursed? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord's holy place? <a href="/gnt/lamentations/2.htm">Good News Translation</a> Look, O LORD! Why are you punishing us like this? Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved! Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself! <a href="/isv/lamentations/2.htm">International Standard Version</a> Look, LORD, and take note: To whom have you done this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled? Should priests and prophets be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/net/lamentations/2.htm">NET Bible</a> Look, O LORD! Consider! Whom have you ever afflicted like this? Should women eat their offspring, their healthy infants? Should priest and prophet be killed in the Lord's sanctuary? <a href="/nheb/lamentations/2.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> Look, LORD, and see to whom you have done like this. Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the LORD? <a href="/wbt/lamentations/2.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?<div class="vheading2">Majority Text Translations</div><a href="/msb/lamentations/2.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> 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? <a href="/web/lamentations/2.htm">World English Bible</a> “Look, Yahweh, and see to whom you have done thus! Should the women eat their offspring, the children that they held and bounced on their knees? Should the priest and the prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/lamentations/2.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> See, O YHWH, and look attentively, "" To whom You have acted thus, "" Do women eat their fruit, infants of a handbreadth? Slain in the sanctuary of the Lord are priest and prophet? <a href="/ylt/lamentations/2.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> See, O Jehovah, and look attentively, To whom Thou hast acted thus, Do women eat their fruit, infants of a handbreadth? Slain in the sanctuary of the Lord are priest and prophet? <a href="/slt/lamentations/2.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> See, O Jehovah, and look to whom thou didst accomplish this Shall the women eat their fruit, the children borne upon the hands? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the holy place of Jehovah?<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/lamentations/2.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> Res. Behold, O Lord, and consider whom thou hast thus dealt with: shall women then eat their own fruit, their children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord ? <a href="/cpdv/lamentations/2.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> RES. O Lord, see and consider those whom you have made into a such vintage. So then, shall women eat their own fruit, little ones measured by the palm of the hand? Shall priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nabre/lamentations/2.htm">New American Bible</a> “Look, O LORD, and pay attention: to whom have you been so ruthless? Must women eat their own offspring, the very children they have borne? Are priest and prophet to be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/nrsvce/lamentations/2.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> Look, O LORD, and consider! To whom have you done this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have borne? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/lamentations/2.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> See, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done thus? Shall the women eat their offspring, and the children be prostrated by famine? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the LORD? <a href="/hpbt/lamentations/2.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a> Resh See, LORD JEHOVAH, and look to whom you have done thus, as women shall eat their offspring the children who are dashed to pieces! Yes, Priest and Prophet shall be killed in the holy place of LORD JEHOVAH<div class="vheading2">OT Translations</div><a href="/jps/lamentations/2.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a> See, O LORD, and consider, To whom Thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, The children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/sep/lamentations/2.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a> RHECHS. Behold, O Lord, and see for whom thou has gathered thus. Shall the women eat the fruit of their womb? the cook has made a gathering: shall the infants sucking at the breasts be slain? wilt thou slay the priest and prophet in the sanctuary of the Lord? <a href="/parallel/lamentations/2-20.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKrWuOkEqzQ?start=647" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/lamentations/2.htm">God's Anger over Jerusalem</a> …19Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street. 20<a href="/hebrew/7200.htm" title="7200: rə·’êh (V-Qal-Imp-ms) -- To see. A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively.">Look,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3068.htm" title="3068: Yah·weh (N-proper-ms) -- The proper name of the God of Israel. From hayah; self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.">O LORD,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5027.htm" title="5027: wə·hab·bî·ṭāh (Conj-w:: V-Hifil-Imp-ms:: 3fs) -- To look. A primitive root; to scan, i.e. Look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care.">and consider:</a> <a href="/hebrew/4310.htm" title="4310: lə·mî (Prep-l:: Interrog) -- An interrogative pronoun of persons, as mah is of things, who?; also whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix.">Whom</a> <a href="/hebrew/5953.htm" title="5953: ‘ō·w·lal·tā (V-Piel-Perf-2ms) -- A primitive root; to effect thoroughly; specifically, to glean; by implication to overdo, i.e. Maltreat, be saucy to, pain, impose.">have You ever treated</a> <a href="/hebrew/3541.htm" title="3541: kōh (Adv) -- Thus, here. From the prefix k and huw'; properly, like this, i.e. By implication, thus; also here; or now.">like this?</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!">Should</a> <a href="/hebrew/802.htm" title="802: nā·šîm (N-fp) -- Woman, wife, female. Feminine of 'iysh or 'enowsh; irregular plural, nashiym; a woman.">women</a> <a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: tō·ḵal·nāh (V-Qal-Imperf-3fp) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat.">eat</a> <a href="/hebrew/6529.htm" title="6529: pir·yām (N-msc:: 3mp) -- Fruit. From parah; fruit.">their offspring,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5768.htm" title="5768: ‘ō·lă·lê (N-mpc) -- A child. Or lolal; from uwl; a suckling.">the infants</a> <a href="/hebrew/2949.htm" title="2949: ṭip·pu·ḥîm (N-mp) -- Tenderly cared for. From taphach; nursing.">they have nurtured?</a> <a href="/hebrew/3548.htm" title="3548: kō·hên (N-ms) -- Priest. Active participle of kahan; literally, one officiating, a priest; also an acting priest.">Should priests</a> <a href="/hebrew/5030.htm" title="5030: wə·nā·ḇî (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- A spokesman, speaker, prophet. From naba'; a prophet or inspired man.">and prophets</a> <a href="/hebrew/2026.htm" title="2026: yê·hā·rêḡ (V-Nifal-Imperf-3ms) -- To kill, slay. A primitive root; to smite with deadly intent.">be killed</a> <a href="/hebrew/4720.htm" title="4720: bə·miq·daš (Prep-b:: N-msc) -- A sacred place, sanctuary. Or miqqdash; from qadash; a consecrated thing or place, especially, a palace, sanctuary or asylum.">in the sanctuary</a> <a href="/hebrew/136.htm" title="136: ’ă·ḏō·nāy (N-proper-ms) -- Lord. Am emphatic form of 'adown; the Lord.">of the Lord?</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!"></a> 21Both young and old lie together in the dust of the streets. My young men and maidens have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of Your anger; You have slaughtered them without compassion.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/deuteronomy/28-53.htm">Deuteronomy 28:53-57</a> 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. ... <a href="/2_kings/6-28.htm">2 Kings 6:28-29</a> 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.” <a href="/jeremiah/19-9.htm">Jeremiah 19:9</a> 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.’ <a href="/ezekiel/5-10.htm">Ezekiel 5:10</a> 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.’ <a href="/leviticus/26-29.htm">Leviticus 26:29</a> You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. <a href="/isaiah/49-15.htm">Isaiah 49:15</a> “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! <a href="/hosea/13-16.htm">Hosea 13:16</a> Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open. <a href="/jeremiah/9-21.htm">Jeremiah 9:21</a> For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares. <a href="/2_kings/25-3.htm">2 Kings 25:3</a> By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. <a href="/jeremiah/14-16.htm">Jeremiah 14:16</a> And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil upon them. <a href="/matthew/24-19.htm">Matthew 24:19</a> How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! <a href="/luke/21-23.htm">Luke 21:23</a> How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. <a href="/mark/13-17.htm">Mark 13:17</a> How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! <a href="/matthew/27-25.htm">Matthew 27:25</a> All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” <a href="/luke/23-28.htm">Luke 23:28-29</a> But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. / Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom you have done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?consider<a href="/exodus/32-11.htm">Exodus 32:11</a> And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?<a href="/deuteronomy/9-26.htm">Deuteronomy 9:26</a> I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.<a href="/isaiah/63-16.htm">Isaiah 63:16-19</a> Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting… shall the women<a href="/lamentations/4-10.htm">Lamentations 4:10</a> The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.<a href="/leviticus/26-29.htm">Leviticus 26:29</a> And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.<a href="/deuteronomy/28-53.htm">Deuteronomy 28:53-57</a> And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: … <a href="/lamentations/1-19.htm">Lamentations 1:19</a> I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.<a href="/lamentations/4-13.htm">Lamentations 4:13,16</a> For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, … <a href="/psalms/78-64.htm">Psalm 78:64</a> Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/22-26.htm">Born</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-16.htm">Care</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-19.htm">Children</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-11.htm">Consider</a> <a href="/isaiah/66-12.htm">Dandled</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-22.htm">Dealt</a> <a href="/jeremiah/52-33.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/jeremiah/40-12.htm">Fruit</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-19.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-4.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/lamentations/1-5.htm">Little</a> <a href="/jeremiah/49-10.htm">Offspring</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-11.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-6.htm">Priest</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-59.htm">Prophet</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-7.htm">Sanctuary</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-4.htm">Slain</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-12.htm">Span</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-11.htm">Tender</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-6.htm">Treated</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-10.htm">Women</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/16-4.htm">Born</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-16.htm">Care</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-33.htm">Children</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-1.htm">Consider</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-22.htm">Dandled</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-59.htm">Dealt</a> <a href="/ezekiel/2-8.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-9.htm">Fruit</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-41.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-21.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm">Little</a> <a href="/ezekiel/36-11.htm">Offspring</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-34.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/ezekiel/1-3.htm">Priest</a> <a href="/ezekiel/2-5.htm">Prophet</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Sanctuary</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-21.htm">Slain</a> <a href="/ezekiel/43-13.htm">Span</a> <a href="/ezekiel/17-4.htm">Tender</a> <a href="/ezekiel/22-7.htm">Treated</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-51.htm">Women</a><div class="vheading2">Lamentations 2</div>1. <a href="/lamentations/2-1.htm">Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem</a> 20. <a href="/lamentations/2-20.htm">He complains thereof to God</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/2.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/lamentations/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/lamentations/2.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>Look, O LORD, and consider: This phrase is a plea for divine attention and intervention. It reflects the deep anguish and desperation of the people of Jerusalem. The call to God to "look" and "consider" is a common biblical motif, seen in other lamentations and prayers throughout the Psalms (e.g., <a href="/psalms/25-18.htm">Psalm 25:18</a>). It underscores the belief in a personal God who is aware of human suffering and capable of responding to it.Whom have You ever treated like this? This rhetorical question emphasizes the unprecedented nature of the suffering experienced by Jerusalem. Historically, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC was a catastrophic event for the Israelites, marking the end of the Davidic kingdom and the beginning of the Babylonian exile. The question implies that the severity of the punishment is unparalleled, highlighting the gravity of the people's sins and the resulting divine judgment.Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? This horrific image is a hyperbolic expression of the extreme conditions during the siege of Jerusalem. It echoes the curses outlined in <a href="/deuteronomy/28-53.htm">Deuteronomy 28:53</a>, where such cannibalism is predicted as a consequence of disobedience to God. The mention of women eating their children serves to illustrate the complete breakdown of societal norms and the depth of despair. It also serves as a stark reminder of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where blessings and curses were contingent upon obedience.Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? The killing of priests and prophets in the sanctuary signifies a profound desecration of what was considered holy. The sanctuary, or temple, was the center of religious life and a symbol of God's presence among His people. The death of religious leaders within this sacred space indicates a total collapse of spiritual leadership and protection. This event can be connected to the broader theme of judgment against false prophets and corrupt priests, as seen in passages like <a href="/jeremiah/23-11.htm">Jeremiah 23:11-12</a>. It also foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the true High Priest, who would be rejected and crucified, fulfilling the role of both priest and prophet.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/j/jeremiah.htm">Jeremiah</a> - Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet" who lamented the destruction of Jerusalem. 2. <a href="/topical/j/jerusalem.htm">Jerusalem</a> - The city that faced destruction and devastation, leading to the lamentations expressed in this book. 3. <a href="/topical/w/women_and_children.htm">Women and Children</a> - Representing the extreme suffering and desperation during the siege, where even the most natural bonds were broken. 4. <a href="/topical/p/priests_and_prophets.htm">Priests and Prophets</a> - Religious leaders who were not spared from the violence, indicating the totality of the judgment. 5. <a href="/topical/t/the_sanctuary_of_the_lord.htm">The Sanctuary of the Lord</a> - The holy place where God was worshiped, now desecrated by violence and death.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/t/the_severity_of_sin's_consequences.htm">The Severity of Sin's Consequences</a> Sin leads to devastating consequences, not only spiritually but also physically and socially. The destruction of Jerusalem serves as a stark reminder of the seriousness of turning away from God. <a href="/topical/t/the_depth_of_human_desperation.htm">The Depth of Human Desperation</a> The imagery of women eating their offspring highlights the extreme desperation and breakdown of natural affections that can occur in times of severe judgment and crisis. <a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_religious_leaders.htm">The Role of Religious Leaders</a> The killing of priests and prophets in the sanctuary underscores the failure of religious leaders to guide the people rightly and the comprehensive nature of God's judgment. <a href="/topical/g/god's_justice_and_mercy.htm">God's Justice and Mercy</a> While the passage highlights God's justice, it also calls us to seek His mercy. The lament is a plea for God to see and consider, reminding us that even in judgment, we can cry out to God for mercy. <a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_repentance.htm">The Call to Repentance</a> The devastation described should lead us to examine our own lives and communities, prompting repentance and a return to faithful obedience to God.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_lamentations_2.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 2</a> <a href="/q/lamentations_2_20__literal_or_metaphorical.htm">Lamentations 2:20 – Does the reference to horrific acts like eating one’s own children indicate a literal event, and if so, how can such a command coexist with a just and loving God?</a> <a href="/q/how_is_cannibalism_in_ezekiel_5_10_verified.htm">In Ezekiel 5:10, how can extreme acts like cannibalism be historically verified or reconciled with known records of siege conditions? </a> <a href="/q/what_does_the_bible_say_on_cannibalism.htm">What does the Bible say about cannibalism?</a> <a href="/q/what_themes_are_in_lamentations.htm">What themes are explored in the Book of Lamentations?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/lamentations/2.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(20) To whom thou hast done this--i.e., not to a heathen nation, but to the people whom Jehovah Himself had chosen.Shall the women eat their fruit.--Atrocities of this nature had been predicted in <a href="/leviticus/26-26.htm" title="And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and you shall eat, and not be satisfied.">Leviticus 26:26</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/28-57.htm" title="And toward her young one that comes out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and narrow place, with which your enemy shall distress you in your gates.">Deuteronomy 28:57</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/19-9.htm" title="And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and narrow place, with which their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.">Jeremiah 19:9</a>. They were, indeed, the natural incidents of a besieged city reduced to starvation, as in the case of Samaria (<a href="/2_kings/6-28.htm" title="And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.">2Kings 6:28</a>), and the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans (Jos., B. J. v. 12), and had been witnessed, as the words show, in that by the Chaldaeans. (Comp., as to the famine, <a href="/context/ezekiel/4-16.htm" title="Moreover he said to me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:">Ezekiel 4:16-17</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/5-16.htm" title="When I shall send on them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread:">Ezekiel 5:16</a>.) . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/lamentations/2.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 20. - To whom thou hast done this; viz. to Israel, the chosen people. And children; rather, (even) children. The children are the "fruit" referred to. Comp. the warnings in <a href="/leviticus/26-26.htm">Leviticus 26:26</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/28-56.htm">Deuteronomy 28:56</a>; and especially <a href="/jeremiah/19-9.htm">Jeremiah 19:9</a>; also the historical incident in <a href="/2_kings/6-28.htm">2 Kings 6:28, 29</a>. Of a span long; rather, borne in the hands. The word is derived from the verb renders to swaddle" in ver. 22 (see note). <a href="/commentaries/lamentations/2-20.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div>Look, רְאֵ֤ה (rə·’êh) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7200.htm">Strong's 7200: </a> To see O LORD, יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3068.htm">Strong's 3068: </a> LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel and consider: וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה (wə·hab·bî·ṭāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5027.htm">Strong's 5027: </a> To scan, look intently at, to regard Whom לְמִ֖י (lə·mî) Preposition-l | Interrogative <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4310.htm">Strong's 4310: </a> Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix have You [ever] treated עוֹלַ֣לְתָּ (‘ō·w·lal·tā) Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5953.htm">Strong's 5953: </a> To effect thoroughly, to glean, to overdo, maltreat, be saucy to, pain, impose like this? כֹּ֑ה (kōh) Adverb <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3541.htm">Strong's 3541: </a> Like this, thus, here, now Should women נָשִׁ֤ים (nā·šîm) Noun - feminine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_802.htm">Strong's 802: </a> Woman, wife, female eat תֹּאכַ֨לְנָה (tō·ḵal·nāh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_398.htm">Strong's 398: </a> To eat their offspring, פִּרְיָם֙ (pir·yām) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6529.htm">Strong's 6529: </a> Fruit the infants עֹלֲלֵ֣י (‘ō·lă·lê) Noun - masculine plural construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5768.htm">Strong's 5768: </a> A suckling they have nurtured? טִפֻּחִ֔ים (ṭip·pu·ḥîm) Noun - masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2949.htm">Strong's 2949: </a> Tenderly cared for Should priests כֹּהֵ֥ן (kō·hên) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3548.htm">Strong's 3548: </a> Priest and prophets וְנָבִֽיא׃ (wə·nā·ḇî) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5030.htm">Strong's 5030: </a> A spokesman, speaker, prophet be killed יֵהָרֵ֛ג (yê·hā·rêḡ) Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2026.htm">Strong's 2026: </a> To smite with deadly intent in the sanctuary בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ (bə·miq·daš) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4720.htm">Strong's 4720: </a> A consecrated thing, place, a palace, sanctuary, asylum of the Lord? אֲדֹנָ֖י (’ă·ḏō·nāy) Noun - proper - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_136.htm">Strong's 136: </a> The Lord <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-20.htm">OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:20 Look Yahweh and see to whom you (Lam. La Lm) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/lamentations/2-19.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Lamentations 2:19"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Lamentations 2:19" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/lamentations/2-21.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Lamentations 2:21"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Lamentations 2:21" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>