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<!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 4:3 Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/lamentations/4-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/25_Lam_04_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Lamentations 4:3 - The Distress of Zion" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script> <script src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/biblehub.js' type='text/javascript'></script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/lamentations/4-3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/lamentations/4-3.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/lamentations/">Lamentations</a> > <a href="/lamentations/4.htm">Chapter 4</a> > Verse 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad1.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm" title="Lamentations 4:2">◄</a> Lamentations 4:3 <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm" title="Lamentations 4:4">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Study Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Crossref </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Hebrew </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/lamentations/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/lamentations/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/lamentations/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children’s cries, like ostriches in the desert.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/lamentations/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/lamentations/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/lamentations/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people <i>is become</i> cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/lamentations/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Even the jackals present their breasts To nurse their young; <i>But</i> the daughter of my people <i>is</i> cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/lamentations/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; <i>But</i> the daughter of my people has proved herself cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/lamentations/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/lamentations/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; <i>But</i> the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/lamentations/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Even jackals offer the breast; They nurse their young; <i>But</i> the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/lamentations/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Even the jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness [that desert their young].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/lamentations/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my dear people have become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/lamentations/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my dear people have become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/lamentations/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/lamentations/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Even jackals nurse their young, but my people are like ostriches that abandon their own. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/lamentations/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/lamentations/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the women of my people are as cruel as wild ostriches.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/lamentations/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Even a mother wolf will nurse her cubs, but my people are like ostriches, cruel to their young. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/lamentations/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Even wild animals nurse, suckling their young; but the women of my people are cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/lamentations/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/lamentations/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Even the jackals nurse their young at their breast, but my people are cruel, like ostriches in the desert. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/lamentations/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Even the jackals offer the breast, they nurse their young ones, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/lamentations/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast, they nurse their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/lamentations/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Even the jackals offer their breast. They nurse their young ones. But the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/lamentations/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Even dragons have drawn out the breast, "" They have suckled their young ones, "" The daughter of my people has become cruel, "" Like the ostriches in a wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/lamentations/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/lamentations/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Also the dragons draw out the breast, they suckled their sucklings: the daughter of my people violent as the ostriches in the desert.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/lamentations/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Ghimel. Even the sea monsters have drawn out the breast, they have given suck to their young: the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostrich in the desert. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/lamentations/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />GHIMEL. Yet even savages expose their breast and give milk to their young. But the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostrich in the desert.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/lamentations/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young; But the daughter of my people is as cruel as the ostrich in the wilderness. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/lamentations/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Even the jackals offer the breast and nurse their young, but my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/lamentations/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />The women uncover their breasts like jackals, they give suck to their young ones; the daughters of my people have become like wounds that cannot be healed and like ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/lamentations/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Gimel They show their breasts like jackals and they nurse their whelps. The daughter of my people has become a disease for which there is no remedy, and like an ostrich in the wilderness<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/lamentations/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Even the jackals draw out the breast, They give suck to their young ones; The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/lamentations/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />GIMEL. Nay, serpents have drawn out the breasts, they give suck to their young, the daughters of my people are incurably cruel, as an ostrich in a desert.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/lamentations/4-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKrWuOkEqzQ?start=1086" 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/4.htm">The Distress of Zion</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of clay, the work of a potter’s hands! <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1571.htm" title="1571: gam- (Conj) -- Also, moreover, yea. ">Even</a> <a href="/hebrew/8577.htm" title="8577: tan·nīn (N-cp) -- Serpent, dragon, sea monster. Or tanniym; intensive from the same as tan; a marine or land monster, i.e. Sea-serpent or jackal.">jackals</a> <a href="/hebrew/2502.htm" title="2502: ḥā·lə·ṣū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- A primitive root; to pull off; hence to strip, To depart; by implication, to deliver, equip; present, strengthen.">offer</a> <a href="/hebrew/7699.htm" title="7699: šaḏ (N-ms) -- The breast of a, woman, animal. Or shod; probably from shuwd contracted; the breast of a woman or animal.">their breasts</a> <a href="/hebrew/3243.htm" title="3243: hê·nî·qū (V-Hifil-Perf-3cp) -- To suck. A primitive root; to suck; causatively, to give milk.">to nurse</a> <a href="/hebrew/1482.htm" title="1482: gū·rê·hen (N-mpc:: 3fp) -- A whelp. Or gur; perhaps from guwr; a cub, especially of the lion.">their young,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1323.htm" title="1323: baṯ- (N-fsc) -- Daughter. From banah; a daughter.">but the daughter</a> <a href="/hebrew/5971.htm" title="5971: ‘am·mî (N-msc:: 1cs) -- From amam; a people; specifically, a tribe; hence troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock.">of my people</a> <a href="/hebrew/393.htm" title="393: lə·’aḵ·zār (Prep-l:: Adj-ms) -- Cruel, fierce. From an unused root; violent; by implication deadly; also brave.">has become cruel,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kī (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">like</a> <a href="/hebrew/3283.htm" title="3283: ʿē·nīm (N-mp) -- ">an ostrich</a> <a href="/hebrew/4057.htm" title="4057: bam·miḏ·bār (Prep-b, Art:: N-ms) -- A pasture, a desert, speech. From dabar in the sense of driving; a pasture; by implication, a desert; also speech.">in the wilderness.</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.…<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/49-15.htm">Isaiah 49:15</a></span><br />“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!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/39-13.htm">Job 39:13-17</a></span><br />The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork. / For she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand. / She forgets that a foot may crush them, or a wild animal may trample them. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/32-11.htm">Deuteronomy 32:11</a></span><br />As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/13-8.htm">Hosea 13:8</a></span><br />Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast tearing them apart.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-3.htm">Isaiah 1:3</a></span><br />The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/16-4.htm">Ezekiel 16:4-5</a></span><br />On the day of your birth your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. / No one cared enough for you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on the day of your birth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/7-11.htm">Matthew 7:11</a></span><br />So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/11-11.htm">Luke 11:11-13</a></span><br />What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? / Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? / So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/49-23.htm">Isaiah 49:23</a></span><br />Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/6-28.htm">2 Kings 6:28-29</a></span><br />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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/19-9.htm">Jeremiah 19:9</a></span><br />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.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/6-26.htm">2 Kings 6:26-27</a></span><br />As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” / He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-26.htm">Matthew 15:26-27</a></span><br />But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” / “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-27.htm">Mark 7:27-28</a></span><br />“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” / “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-18.htm">Isaiah 13:18</a></span><br />Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">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 in the wilderness.</p><p class="hdg">sea monsters.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/lamentations/2-20.htm">Lamentations 2:20</a></b></br> Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, <i>and</i> children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/lamentations/4-10.htm">Lamentations 4:10</a></b></br> The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/26-29.htm">Leviticus 26:29</a></b></br> And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.</p><p class="hdg">like</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/39-13.htm">Job 39:13-16</a></b></br> <i>Gavest thou</i> the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/romans/1-31.htm">Romans 1:31</a></b></br> Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/50-39.htm">Beasts</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-12.htm">Breast</a> <a href="/isaiah/66-11.htm">Breasts</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-42.htm">Cruel</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-48.htm">Daughter</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-37.htm">Dragons</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-45.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-57.htm">Drawn</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-32.htm">Full</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-21.htm">Heartless</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-37.htm">Jackals</a> <a href="/psalms/148-7.htm">Monsters</a> <a href="/isaiah/66-12.htm">Nurse</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-39.htm">Offer</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-34.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-39.htm">Ostriches</a> <a href="/lamentations/2-13.htm">Sea</a> <a href="/psalms/148-7.htm">Sea-Monsters</a> <a href="/isaiah/66-12.htm">Suck</a> <a href="/1_kings/3-21.htm">Suckle</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-45.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-43.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-27.htm">Young</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/4-14.htm">Beasts</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm">Breast</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-7.htm">Breasts</a> <a href="/ezekiel/18-18.htm">Cruel</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-6.htm">Daughter</a> <a href="/micah/1-8.htm">Dragons</a> <a href="/ezekiel/5-2.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/ezekiel/21-5.htm">Drawn</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-10.htm">Full</a> <a href="/romans/1-31.htm">Heartless</a> <a href="/lamentations/5-18.htm">Jackals</a> <a href="/exodus/7-12.htm">Monsters</a> <a href="/matthew/24-19.htm">Nurse</a> <a href="/ezekiel/6-13.htm">Offer</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/micah/1-8.htm">Ostriches</a> <a href="/ezekiel/25-16.htm">Sea</a> <a href="/psalms/74-13.htm">Sea-Monsters</a> <a href="/ezekiel/23-34.htm">Suck</a> <a href="/genesis/21-7.htm">Suckle</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-9.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-19.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm">Young</a><div class="vheading2">Lamentations 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-1.htm">Zion bewails her pitiful estate</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-13.htm">She confesses her sins</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/lamentations/4-21.htm">Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.</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 />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/lamentations/4.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young</b><br />The imagery of "jackals" in this verse is significant. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "תַּנִּים" (tannim), which can refer to wild animals like jackals or even sea creatures like dragons. Jackals are often seen as scavengers, creatures that survive in harsh conditions. Yet, even these animals, often considered unclean and undesirable, display a natural affection and care for their offspring. This phrase highlights the natural order and instinctual compassion found even among the most despised creatures. The act of nursing is a universal symbol of nurturing and care, emphasizing the depth of the tragedy when such basic compassion is absent among the people of Jerusalem.<p><b>but the daughter of my people has become cruel</b><br />The phrase "the daughter of my people" is a poetic expression referring to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, often used in prophetic literature to denote the collective identity of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "cruel" is "אַכְזָר" (akzar), which conveys a sense of mercilessness and harshness. This stark contrast between the natural compassion of jackals and the cruelty of the people underscores the severity of the moral and spiritual decline in Jerusalem. The use of "daughter" also evokes a sense of familial betrayal, as if a beloved child has turned away from the values and teachings of their heritage.<p><b>like ostriches in the wilderness</b><br />Ostriches are mentioned in several places in the Bible, often symbolizing neglect or lack of wisdom. In <a href="/job/39-13.htm">Job 39:13-17</a>, the ostrich is described as a bird that leaves its eggs on the ground, seemingly indifferent to their fate. The wilderness, or "מִדְבָּר" (midbar) in Hebrew, represents desolation and abandonment. By comparing the people to "ostriches in the wilderness," the text paints a picture of neglect and abandonment of responsibilities. This metaphor serves as a powerful indictment of the people's failure to care for their young and vulnerable, highlighting the unnaturalness of their behavior in the context of God's covenant community.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/lamentations/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) <span class= "bld">Even the sea monsters . . .</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">jackals. </span>The Authorised Version is intended apparently to apply to cetaceous mammals; elsewhere (<a href="/jeremiah/14-6.htm" title="And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.">Jeremiah 14:6</a>) the word is rendered "dragons." "Jackals," it may be noted, are combined with "owls" or <span class= "ital">"</span>ostriches," as they are here, in <a href="/job/30-29.htm" title="I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.">Job 30:29</a>; <a href="/isaiah/13-21.htm" title="But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.">Isaiah 13:21</a>. A like reference to the seeming want of maternal instinct in the ostrich is found in <a href="/job/39-16.htm" title="She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her's: her labor is in vain without fear;">Job 39:16</a>. The comparison was obviously suggested by facts like those referred to in <a href="/lamentations/2-20.htm" title="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?">Lamentations 2:20</a>.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/lamentations/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The sea monsters;</span> rather, <span class="accented">the jackals</span> (<span class="accented">tannin</span>, the Aramaic form of the plural for <span class="accented">tannim</span>)<span class="accented">. <span class="cmt_word"></span>Cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.</span> So in Job (<a href="/job/39-14.htm">Job 39:14-16</a>) it is said of the ostrich that she "leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers." The description is literally true, if we add a detail not mentioned by the sacred poet. The eggs destined for hatching are deposited in a nest hole scratched in the sand, but there are other eggs laid, not in the sand, but near it, to all appearance forsaken. These eggs, however, are not exposed in simple stupidity, though they do often fall victims to violence. "They are intended for the nourishment of the newly hatched young ones, which in barren districts would at first find difficulty in procuring food" (Houghton, 'Natural History of the Ancients,' p. 198). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/lamentations/4-3.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">Even</span><br /><span class="heb">גַּם־</span> <span class="translit">(gam-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1571.htm">Strong's 1571: </a> </span><span class="str2">Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and</span><br /><br /><span class="word">jackals</span><br /><span class="heb">תַּנִּים֙</span> <span class="translit">(tan·nîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8568.htm">Strong's 8568: </a> </span><span class="str2">A female jackal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">offer</span><br /><span class="heb">חָ֣לְצוּ</span> <span class="translit">(ḥā·lə·ṣū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2502.htm">Strong's 2502: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pull off, to strip, to depart, to deliver, equip, present, strengthen</span><br /><br /><span class="word">their breasts</span><br /><span class="heb">שַׁ֔ד</span> <span class="translit">(šaḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7699.htm">Strong's 7699: </a> </span><span class="str2">The breast of a, woman, animal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to nurse</span><br /><span class="heb">הֵינִ֖יקוּ</span> <span class="translit">(hê·nî·qū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3243.htm">Strong's 3243: </a> </span><span class="str2">To suck, to give milk</span><br /><br /><span class="word">their young,</span><br /><span class="heb">גּוּרֵיהֶ֑ן</span> <span class="translit">(gū·rê·hen)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1482.htm">Strong's 1482: </a> </span><span class="str2">A cub, of the lion</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[but] the daughter</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּת־</span> <span class="translit">(baṯ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1323.htm">Strong's 1323: </a> </span><span class="str2">A daughter</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of my people</span><br /><span class="heb">עַמִּ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(‘am·mî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5971.htm">Strong's 5971: </a> </span><span class="str2">A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock</span><br /><br /><span class="word">has become cruel,</span><br /><span class="heb">לְאַכְזָ֔ר</span> <span class="translit">(lə·’aḵ·zār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_393.htm">Strong's 393: </a> </span><span class="str2">Violent, deadly, brave</span><br /><br /><span class="word">like an ostrich</span><br /><span class="heb">כי</span> <span class="translit">(kî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3283.htm">Strong's 3283: </a> </span><span class="str2">The ostrich</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in the wilderness.</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃</span> <span class="translit">(bam·miḏ·bār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4057.htm">Strong's 4057: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pasture, a desert, speech</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/lamentations/4-3.htm">Lamentations 4:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/lamentations/4-3.htm">OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:3 Even the jackals draw out the breast (Lam. La Lm) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/lamentations/4-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Lamentations 4:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Lamentations 4:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/lamentations/4-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Lamentations 4:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Lamentations 4:4" /></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>