Lamentations 1:11

Lamentations 1:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile.
• New International Version (NIV)All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. “Look, Lord, and consider, for I am despised.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. "Look, O Lord, and see, for I am despised."
• New King James Version (NKJV)All her people sigh, They seek bread; They have given their valuables for food to restore life. “See, O Lord, and consider, For I am scorned.”

Context of Lamentations 1:11

9Jerusalem seemed dirty because the people were so bad. They never thought that the end would be like this. But their enemies destroyed the city. They do not have anyone who can comfort them. God did not listen any longer when they asked for his help. ‘Lord, see our troubles. See how happy our enemies are,’ the people pray. 10The enemies have taken away all Jerusalem's valuable things. Foreign people have walked into God's holy house. But God had said that people like that must not go in there. They are not his people. Jerusalem's people are making sad noises. They are sad as they look for food. They sell things that they love. They use them to buy food. That way, they can keep themselves alive. ‘Lord, see what is happening. Think about me, because nobody else does,’ the people pray. 12‘Come and really look at me! All you people who pass me do not show any interest in me. But you have never seen anything as sad as I am. The Lord was very angry with me. So it was the Lord who did this to me. 13It is like God has sent fire down into our bones to hurt us. He wants us to turn towards him again, so he has caused things to be very difficult for us. All day he causes us to feel lonely and weak.

Lamentations 1:11 word by word

כָּל־עַמָּ֤הּ נֶאֱנָחִים֙ מְבַקְּשִׁ֣ים לֶ֔חֶם נָתְנ֧וּ מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛ם בְּאֹ֖כֶל לְהָשִׁ֣יב נָ֑פֶשׁ רְאֵ֤ה יְהוָה֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה כִּ֥י הָיִ֖יתִי זוֹלֵלָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• All her peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• sighאָנַח'ânach · to sighH584
• they seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
• they have givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• their pleasant thingsמַחְמֹדmachmûd machmûd · desirableH4262
• their pleasant thingsמַחְמָדmachmâd · desireH4261
• for meatאֹ֫כֶל'ôkel · foodH400
• to relieveשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
• the soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• O Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and considerנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
• for I am become vileזָלַלzâlal · be vileH2151

Cross-references for Lamentations 1:11

• Lamentations 1:19‘We shouted to our friends. They had said that they would help us. But they did not help us. Our priests and our leaders died in the city. They were looking for food to keep themselves alive.
• Lamentations 2:12‘Where has all the food and drink gone?’ the hungry children ask their mothers. Then they fall down in pain on the streets of the city. They die in their mothers' arms.
• Lamentations 4:4The mouths of the babies in Jerusalem are completely dry, because they are so thirsty. And the young children ask for food, but nobody gives them anything to eat.
• Deuteronomy 28:52They will attack all your towns, everywhere in the land that the Lord your God has given to you. They will knock down the strong walls that you thought would keep you safe. They will make their camps around your towns until they can take the towns for themselves.
• 2 Kings 6:25As a result, there was a famine in the city. The Syrian army were all around the city for a long time. Food in the city was very expensive. A donkey's head cost 80 pieces of silver. A small cup of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver.
• Jeremiah 19:9Enemies will make their camp all around the city, so that they can kill the people who live there. The people will not have any food to eat. They will be so hungry that they will eat their own children and they will eat each other.”
• Jeremiah 38:9‘My master, the king, those men have done very wicked things to the prophet Jeremiah. They have put him in a deep hole. He will soon die there because there is no food in the city.’
• Jeremiah 52:6By the ninth day of the fourth month there was a very bad famine in the city. There was no food for the people to eat.
• Ezekiel 4:15So God said to me, ‘I will allow you to use dung from cows instead of from humans. You may use that to make the fire to cook your bread.’
• Ezekiel 5:16I will take away your bread so that famine kills more and more of you. It will seem that I am shooting arrows at you to destroy you.
• 1 Samuel 30:11David's men found an Egyptian man in a field. They took him to David. They gave the man some water to drink and food to eat.
• Lamentations 1:9Jerusalem seemed dirty because the people were so bad. They never thought that the end would be like this. But their enemies destroyed the city. They do not have anyone who can comfort them. God did not listen any longer when they asked for his help. ‘Lord, see our troubles. See how happy our enemies are,’ the people pray.
• Lamentations 2:20‘Look at us, Lord,’ you should say. ‘You have done all this to your people. Women eat their own children now! They eat the children that they took care of. People have killed your own priests and prophets in your holy house!
• Job 40:4‘I am only a foolish man. I cannot answer your questions. I cover my mouth with my hand so that I say nothing.
• Psalms 25:15I always look to the Lord for help. He will keep me safe from my enemies, so that their traps do not catch me.

Commentaries on Lamentations 1:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11They have given their pleasant things - Jerusalem is compared to a woman brought into great straits, who parts with her jewels and trinkets in order to purchase by them the necessaries of life.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Sigh … seek - Are sighing … are seeking. The words are present participles, describing the condition of the people. After a siege lasting a year and a half the whole country, far and near, would be exhausted. To relieve the soul - See the margin, i. e. to bring back life to them. They bring out their jewels and precious articles to obtain with them at least a meal.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22Chapter 1 mourns the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, recognizing that this was God’s well-deserved judgment on Israel’s sins.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. (Jr 37:21; 38:9; 52:6). given ... pleasant things for meat--(2Ki 6:25; Job 2:4). relieve ... soul--literally, "to cause the soul or life to return." for I am become vile--Her sins and consequent sorrows are made the plea in craving God's mercy. Compare the like plea in Psa 25:11. Lamed.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 1:11

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Famine

In the dictionaries

• Faint
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of
• torment, tormented, tormentor

Commentaries on Lamentations 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings