The Meaning of Lamentations 4:3 Explained

Lamentations 4:3

KJV: 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.

YLT: 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.

Darby: Even the jackals offer the breast, they give suck to their young; the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Lamentations 4:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The horrors of the siege of Jerusalem had turned the once-compassionate women of Judah into selfish creatures unwilling to give of themselves for the welfare of their young. Like ostriches that do not care for their offspring (cf. Job 39:14-18), these women had abandoned and even eaten their children. They behaved worse than loathsome jackals, which nurse their young.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 4

1  Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13  She confesses her sins
21  Edom is threatened and Zion comforted

What do the individual words in Lamentations 4:3 mean?

Even - the jackals present their breasts to nurse their young the daughter of my people [But is] cruel ostriches - Like ostriches in the wilderness -
גַּם־ [תנין] (תַּנִּים֙) חָ֣לְצוּ שַׁ֔ד הֵינִ֖יקוּ גּוּרֵיהֶ֑ן בַּת־ עַמִּ֣י לְאַכְזָ֔ר [כי] [ענים] (כַּיְעֵנִ֖ים) בַּמִּדְבָּֽר ס

גַּם־  Even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
[תנין]  - 
Parse: Noun, common plural
(תַּנִּים֙)  the  jackals 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: תַּן  
Sense: habitations, jackals, (TWOT) dragon, (TWOT) sea monster.
חָ֣לְצוּ  present 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָלַץ 
Sense: to remove, draw out, draw off, take off, withdraw, equip (for war), arm for war, rescue, be rescued.
שַׁ֔ד  their  breasts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁד 
Sense: breast, bosom, (female) breast.
הֵינִ֖יקוּ  to  nurse 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָנַק 
Sense: to suckle, nurse, suck.
גּוּרֵיהֶ֑ן  their  young 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine plural
Root: גּוּר  
Sense: cub, whelp, young.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
עַמִּ֣י  of  my  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
לְאַכְזָ֔ר  [But  is]  cruel 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אַכְזָר  
Sense: cruel, fierce.
[כי]  ostriches 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: יָעֵן 
Sense: ostrich.
[ענים]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
(כַּיְעֵנִ֖ים)  Like  ostriches 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יָעֵן 
Sense: ostrich.
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation