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Lamentations 5:4 We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Lamentations 5:4 We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/lamentations/5-4.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/19/25_Lam_05_04.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Lamentations 5:4 - A Prayer for Restoration" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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our wood can be had only at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/lamentations/5.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />We have to pay for water to drink, and even firewood is expensive.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/lamentations/5.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/5.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/lamentations/5.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/lamentations/5.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />We pay for the water we drink, And our wood comes at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/lamentations/5.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />We have to pay for our drinking water, Our wood comes <i>to us</i> at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/lamentations/5.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />We have to pay for our drinking water, Our wood comes to us at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/lamentations/5.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />We have to pay for our drinking water, Our wood comes <i>to us</i> at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/lamentations/5.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />We drink our water by means of silver; Our wood comes <i>to us</i> at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/lamentations/5.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />We have to pay for our drinking water; Our wood comes to us at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/lamentations/5.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />We must pay for the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/lamentations/5.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />We must pay for the water we drink; our wood comes at a price. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/lamentations/5.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/lamentations/5.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />The water we drink and the wood we burn cost far too much. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/lamentations/5.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/lamentations/5.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />We have to pay to drink our own water. We have to pay to chop our own wood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/lamentations/5.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />We must pay for the water we drink; we must buy the wood we need for fuel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/lamentations/5.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />We pay to drink our own water, and our own wood is sold to us at high price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/lamentations/5.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />We must pay money for our own water; we must buy our own wood at a steep price. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/lamentations/5.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />We have to pay for a drink of water; our wood is sold to us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/lamentations/5.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />We have drank our water for money; our wood is sold to us.<div class="vheading2"><b>Majority Text Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/lamentations/5.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/lamentations/5.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />We must pay for water to drink. Our wood is sold to us. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/lamentations/5.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />We have drunk our water for money, "" Our wood comes for a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/lamentations/5.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Our water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/lamentations/5.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />We drank our water for silver; our wood will come for a price.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/lamentations/5.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />We have drunk our water for money: we have bought our wood. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/lamentations/5.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />We paid for our drinking water. We acquired our wood for a price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/lamentations/5.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />We pay money to drink our own water, our own wood comes at a price. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/lamentations/5.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/lamentations/5.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold to us.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/lamentations/5.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />We are made to drink our water for money, and our wood is for a price<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/lamentations/5.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />We have drunk our water for money; Our wood cometh to us for price.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/lamentations/5.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />We have drunk our water for money; our wood is sold to us <i>for a burden</i> on our neck:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/lamentations/5-4.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKrWuOkEqzQ?start=1330" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/5.htm">A Prayer for Restoration</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">3</span>We have become fatherless orphans; our mothers are widows. <span class="reftext">4</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3701.htm" title="3701: bə·ḵe·sep̄ (Prep-b:: N-ms) -- Silver, money. From kacaph; silver; by implication, money.">We must buy</a> <a href="/hebrew/4325.htm" title="4325: mê·mê·nū (N-mpc:: 1cp) -- Waters, water. Dual of a primitive noun; water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen.">the water</a> <a href="/hebrew/8354.htm" title="8354: šā·ṯî·nū (V-Qal-Perf-1cp) -- To drink. A primitive root; to imbibe.">we drink;</a> <a href="/hebrew/6086.htm" title="6086: ‘ê·ṣê·nū (N-mpc:: 1cp) -- Tree, trees, wood. From atsah; a tree; hence, wood.">our wood</a> <a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: yā·ḇō·’ū (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">comes</a> <a href="/hebrew/4242.htm" title="4242: bim·ḥîr (Prep-b:: N-ms) -- Price, hire. From an unused root meaning to buy; price, payment, wages.">at a price.</a> </span><span class="reftext">5</span>We are closely pursued; we are weary and find no rest.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/55-1.htm">Isaiah 55:1</a></span><br />“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/2-13.htm">Jeremiah 2:13</a></span><br />“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/8-11.htm">Amos 8:11-13</a></span><br />Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. / People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. / In that day the lovely young women—the young men as well—will faint from thirst.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/4-13.htm">John 4:13-14</a></span><br />Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. / But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/21-6.htm">Revelation 21:6</a></span><br />And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/42-1.htm">Psalm 42:1-2</a></span><br />For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. / My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/12-3.htm">Isaiah 12:3</a></span><br />With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/7-37.htm">John 7:37-38</a></span><br />On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-6.htm">Matthew 5:6</a></span><br />Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/22-17.htm">Revelation 22:17</a></span><br />The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/17-1.htm">Exodus 17:1-7</a></span><br />Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. / So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?” / But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/20-2.htm">Numbers 20:2-11</a></span><br />Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. / The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! / Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-15.htm">Nehemiah 9:15</a></span><br />In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land that You had sworn to give them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/63-1.htm">Psalm 63:1</a></span><br />A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/41-17.htm">Isaiah 41:17</a></span><br />The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold to us.</p><p class="hdg">have</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/28-48.htm">Deuteronomy 28:48</a></b></br> Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all <i>things</i>: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/3-1.htm">Isaiah 3:1</a></b></br> For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/4-9.htm">Ezekiel 4:9-17</a></b></br> Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, <i>according</i> to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof… </p><p class="hdg">is sold.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/32-43.htm">Bought</a> <a href="/jeremiah/32-44.htm">Buy</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-7.htm">Drank</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/jeremiah/25-16.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-21.htm">Drunk</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-21.htm">Drunken</a> <a href="/jeremiah/32-44.htm">Money</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-64.htm">Pay</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm">Price</a> <a href="/jeremiah/34-14.htm">Sold</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-54.htm">Water</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-8.htm">Wood</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/hosea/3-2.htm">Bought</a> <a href="/hosea/3-2.htm">Buy</a> <a href="/ezekiel/34-18.htm">Drank</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-11.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/ezekiel/23-34.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/ezekiel/34-18.htm">Drunk</a> <a href="/ezekiel/23-42.htm">Drunken</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-31.htm">Money</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-31.htm">Pay</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-12.htm">Price</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-13.htm">Sold</a> <a href="/ezekiel/4-11.htm">Water</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-13.htm">Wood</a><div class="vheading2">Lamentations 5</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/5-1.htm">A complaint of Zion in prayer unto God.</a></span><br></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><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF2 --> <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <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> <br /><br /> </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/5.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/5.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>We must buy the water we drink;</b><br>In the context of Lamentations, this phrase reflects the dire circumstances faced by the people of Jerusalem following the Babylonian siege. Water, a basic necessity, was once freely available but now had to be purchased, indicating scarcity and desperation. This situation contrasts with the abundance promised in the land flowing with milk and honey (<a href="/exodus/3-8.htm">Exodus 3:8</a>). The need to buy water highlights the reversal of fortunes and the loss of God's blessings due to the people's disobedience. In biblical times, water was often drawn from wells or collected from rain, and its scarcity would have been a significant hardship. This phrase also echoes the spiritual thirst described in <a href="/isaiah/55.htm">Isaiah 55:1</a>, where God invites the thirsty to come and drink freely, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who offers living water (<a href="/john/4-10.htm">John 4:10</a>).<p><b>our wood comes at a price.</b><br>The necessity to purchase wood further illustrates the economic and social collapse of Jerusalem. Wood, essential for cooking and heating, was typically gathered freely from surrounding areas. The need to buy it suggests deforestation or restricted access due to enemy control, reflecting the complete subjugation of the people. This situation is reminiscent of the curses outlined in <a href="/deuteronomy/28-48.htm">Deuteronomy 28:48</a>, where the Israelites would serve their enemies in hunger, thirst, and nakedness. The phrase underscores the loss of autonomy and the heavy burden of oppression. In a broader theological sense, wood can symbolize the cross, where Christ paid the ultimate price for humanity's redemption, offering spiritual freedom and restoration.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jeremiah.htm">Jeremiah</a></b><br>Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/jerusalem.htm">Jerusalem</a></b><br>The city that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, leading to the lamentations and mourning expressed in this book.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylonian_exile.htm">Babylonian Exile</a></b><br>The event during which the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians, leading to the hardships described in Lamentations.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/d/dependence_on_god_for_provision.htm">Dependence on God for Provision</a></b><br><a href="/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4</a> highlights the basic human need for water, a necessity that was difficult to obtain during the Babylonian siege. This reminds us of our dependence on God for our daily needs and the importance of trusting Him to provide.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_sin.htm">The Consequences of Sin</a></b><br>The suffering described in Lamentations is a direct result of the people's disobedience to God. This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of repentance and obedience.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_thirst_and_fulfillment.htm">Spiritual Thirst and Fulfillment</a></b><br>While the verse speaks of physical thirst, it also points to a deeper spiritual thirst that only God can satisfy. Believers are encouraged to seek the "living water" that Jesus offers, which leads to eternal life.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/empathy_and_compassion_for_the_suffering.htm">Empathy and Compassion for the Suffering</a></b><br>Understanding the historical context of Lamentations can cultivate empathy for those who suffer today. Christians are called to be compassionate and to help meet the needs of others, both physically and spiritually.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_lamentations_5.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 5</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_evidence_confirm_buying_water.htm">Lamentations 5:4 mentions buying their own water—does any historical or archaeological evidence confirm or contradict this siege condition? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/who_was_watchman_nee_in_christianity.htm">Should you drink from your own cistern?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_event_explains_wormwood's_bitter_waters.htm">In Revelation 8:10-11, what real-world event could explain a star named Wormwood making waters bitter and causing widespread death?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/who's_the_whore_of_babylon.htm">Who is the Whore of Babylon in biblical prophecy?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/lamentations/5.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(4) <span class= "bld">Our water . . . our wood.</span>--The point of the complaint lies in the possessive pronoun. The Chaldaean conquerors were in possession of the country, and the very necessaries of life, which had been looked on as the common property of all, were only to be had for money. In the Hebrew of the first clause the fact appears yet more emphatically: <span class= "ital">Our water comes to us for money. </span>The words have been referred by some commentators to the sufferings of the exiles in Egypt, but the context fits in better with the idea of the hardships of those who were left in Judah.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/lamentations/5.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 4.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">We have drunken our water,</span> etc. The Jews were not yet carried away to Babylonia when this was written, but had to pay a dear price to the new lords of the soil for the commonest necessaries of life. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/lamentations/5-4.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">We must buy</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּכֶ֣סֶף</span> <span class="translit">(bə·ḵe·sep̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3701.htm">Strong's 3701: </a> </span><span class="str2">Silver, money</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the water</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵימֵ֙ינוּ֙</span> <span class="translit">(mê·mê·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4325.htm">Strong's 4325: </a> </span><span class="str2">Water, juice, urine, semen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">we drink;</span><br /><span class="heb">שָׁתִ֔ינוּ</span> <span class="translit">(šā·ṯî·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8354.htm">Strong's 8354: </a> </span><span class="str2">To imbibe</span><br /><br /><span class="word">our wood</span><br /><span class="heb">עֵצֵ֖ינוּ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ê·ṣê·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6086.htm">Strong's 6086: </a> </span><span class="str2">Tree, trees, wood</span><br /><br /><span class="word">comes</span><br /><span class="heb">יָבֹֽאוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(yā·ḇō·’ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come in, come, go in, go</span><br /><br /><span class="word">at a price.</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּמְחִ֥יר</span> <span class="translit">(bim·ḥîr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4242.htm">Strong's 4242: </a> </span><span class="str2">Price, payment, wages</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/lamentations/5-4.htm">Lamentations 5:4 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/lamentations/5-4.htm">OT Prophets: Lamentations 5:4 We have drunken our water for money (Lam. La Lm) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/lamentations/5-3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Lamentations 5:3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Lamentations 5:3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/lamentations/5-5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Lamentations 5:5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Lamentations 5:5" /></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>