The Meaning of Lamentations 2:20 Explained

Lamentations 2:20

KJV: 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?

YLT: 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?

Darby: See, Jehovah, and consider to whom thou hast done this! Shall the women eat their fruit, the infants that they nursed? Shall priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

ASV: 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?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Lamentations 2:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jeremiah responded to this call to prayer by asking the Lord to consider who was suffering so greatly that women were cannibalizing their own newborn children to stay alive in the famine (cf. Leviticus 26:27-29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57; 2 Kings 6:24-31). Would He allow such a fate for healthy children? Would He permit the slaying of Judahite priests and prophets in the very temple of the Lord?

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 2

1  Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem
20  He complains thereof to God

What do the individual words in Lamentations 2:20 mean?

See Yahweh and consider to whom have You done this Should eat the women their offspring the sons they have cuddled be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord the priest and prophet -
רְאֵ֤ה יְהוָה֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה לְמִ֖י עוֹלַ֣לְתָּ כֹּ֑ה אִם־ תֹּאכַ֨לְנָה נָשִׁ֤ים פִּרְיָם֙ עֹלֲלֵ֣י ؟ טִפֻּחִ֔ים יֵהָרֵ֛ג בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ ؟ אֲדֹנָ֖י כֹּהֵ֥ן וְנָבִֽיא ס

רְאֵ֤ה  See 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה  and  consider 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.
לְמִ֖י  to  whom 
Parse: Preposition-l, Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
עוֹלַ֣לְתָּ  have  You  done 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָלַל 
Sense: to act severely, deal with severely, make a fool of someone.
כֹּ֑ה  this 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
תֹּאכַ֨לְנָה  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
נָשִׁ֤ים  the  women 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
פִּרְיָם֙  their  offspring 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פְּרִי  
Sense: fruit.
עֹלֲלֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֹולֵל 
Sense: child, boy.
؟ טִפֻּחִ֔ים  they  have  cuddled 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: טִפֻּחִים  
Sense: tender care, dandling.
יֵהָרֵ֛ג  be  slain 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ  in  the  sanctuary 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִקְדָּשׁ  
Sense: sacred place, sanctuary, holy place.
؟ אֲדֹנָ֖י  of  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
כֹּהֵ֥ן  the  priest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
וְנָבִֽיא  and  prophet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation