Lamentations 2:12

Lamentations 2:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.
• New International Version (NIV)They say to their mothers, “Where is bread and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers’ arms.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They cry to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They say to their mothers, “Where is grain and wine?” As they swoon like the wounded In the streets of the city, As their life is poured out In their mothers’ bosom.

Context of Lamentations 2:12

10Zion's leaders sit on the ground and they are saying nothing. They have dressed themselves in sackcloth and they throw dirt on their own heads. They are showing everyone that they are very sad. The young women of Jerusalem can only look down to the ground, because they are very sad too. 11I have cried so much that my eyes are red now. Even the parts inside my body hurt, because my people are dying. I feel ill because I am so sad. The children and babies fall in the city's streets because they are so weak. ‘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. 13I want to help you people of Jerusalem, but there is nothing that I can say to you. I do not know about anything like what has happened to you. God has destroyed Zion completely! I do not know anyone who can make you people better. 14Your prophets have promised you many good things. Those good things will not happen. They should have told you that you should not do wrong things. If they had told you that, none of these troubles would have happened. The prophets do not tell you true messages from God and their dreams are false.

Lamentations 2:12 word by word

לְאִמֹּתָם֙ יֹֽאמְר֔וּ אַיֵּ֖ה דָּגָ֣ן וָיָ֑יִן בְּהִֽתְעַטְּפָ֤ם כֶּֽחָלָל֙ בִּרְחֹב֣וֹת עִ֔יר בְּהִשְׁתַּפֵּ֣ךְ נַפְשָׁ֔ם אֶל־חֵ֖יק אִמֹּתָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to their mothersאֵם'êm · motherH517
• cornדָּגָןdâgân · grainH1715
• and wineיַ֫יִןyayin · wineH3196
• when they swoonedעָטַף‛âţaph · be feebleH5848
• as the woundedחָלָלchâlâl · slain: woundedH2491
• in the streetsרְחוֹבrechôb rechôb · street/plazaH7339
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• when their soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• was poured outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
• bosomחֵיקchêyq chêq chôq · bosom: embraceH2436

Cross-references for Lamentations 2:12

• Ezekiel 30:24I will make the king of Babylon powerful, to fight battles on my behalf. But I will cause Pharaoh to be weak. He will cry in pain when the king of Babylon attacks. He will receive wounds that cause him to die.
• Isaiah 53:12So I will put him in a place of honour, as a great person deserves. He will share the good things that powerful men receive when they have won a battle. He deserves this, because he agreed to die as a sacrifice. People thought that he himself was a sinner when he took away the sins of many people. He prayed that God would forgive sinners.’

Commentaries on Lamentations 2:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12When their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom - When, in endeavoring to draw nourishment from the breasts of their exhausted mothers, they breathed their last in their bosoms! How dreadfully afflicting was this!Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12They say - Or, “They keep saying:” it was an oft-repeated cry, even while expiring upon their mother‘s bosom.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 Causes for lamentation are described. Multitudes perished by famine. Even little children were slain by their mother's hands, and eaten, according to the threatening, Deut. 28:53. Multitudes fell by the sword. Their false prophets deceived them. And their neighbours laughed at them. It is a great sin to jest at others' miseries, and adds much affliction to the afflicted. Their enemies triumphed over them. The enemies of the church are apt to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22This chapter vividly shows the Lord acting as the one who destroys Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. as the wounded--famine being as deadly as the sword (Jr 52:6). soul ... poured ... into ... mothers bosom--Instinctively turning to their mother's bosom, but finding no milk there, they breathe out their life as it were "into her bosom." Mem.Read the comment

Topics related to Lamentations 2:12

• Fainting
• Famine

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Cord
• Corn
• Poetry
• Acrostic
• Alphabet
• Lamentations, Book of
• Poetry, Hebrew
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Wine; Wine Press

Commentaries on Lamentations 2

• 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
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings