Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce. Those slain by the sword are better offThis phrase reflects the intense suffering experienced during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Historically, the siege led to severe famine, making death by the sword seem merciful in comparison. The sword represents a quick death, while famine brings prolonged suffering. This sentiment echoes the despair found in other biblical texts, such as Jeremiah 14:18, where the prophet laments the widespread death and destruction. than those who die of hunger,
Hunger during a siege was a common and devastating reality in ancient warfare. The Book of Lamentations captures the horror of starvation, which was often seen as a slow and agonizing death. This reflects the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28:53-57, where disobedience to God leads to such dire consequences. The cultural context of the time viewed famine as a sign of divine judgment. who waste away,
The phrase "waste away" describes the physical and emotional deterioration caused by prolonged hunger. In the ancient Near East, the body wasting away was not only a physical condition but also a metaphor for spiritual and communal decay. This imagery is consistent with the lamentations of Job, who also speaks of wasting away due to suffering (Job 19:20). pierced with pain
The pain here is both physical and emotional, highlighting the depth of suffering experienced by those enduring famine. This phrase can be connected to the broader biblical theme of suffering and redemption, as seen in the suffering servant passages of Isaiah 53, which foreshadow the suffering of Christ. The piercing pain can also be seen as a type of the suffering Christ endured on the cross. because the fields lack produce.
The lack of produce signifies the complete breakdown of agricultural and economic systems due to the siege. In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, fields were a source of life and sustenance. The failure of the land to produce is a direct consequence of the covenant curses found in Leviticus 26:20. This also serves as a reminder of the dependency on God for provision, as seen in the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Persons / Places / Events 1. Jeremiah- Traditionally attributed as the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet" who lamented the destruction of Jerusalem. 2. Jerusalem- The city that faced destruction and siege, leading to the dire circumstances described in Lamentations. 3. Babylonian Siege- The event during which the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, leading to famine and suffering among its inhabitants. 4. Inhabitants of Jerusalem- The people who suffered during the siege, experiencing both the sword and starvation. 5. Fields of Jerusalem- The agricultural lands that failed to produce food during the siege, contributing to the famine. Teaching Points The Reality of SufferingLamentations 4:9 highlights the severe suffering experienced during the siege, reminding us of the reality of human suffering in a fallen world. Consequences of DisobedienceThe verse serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, as seen in the history of Israel. Compassion for the SufferingAs Christians, we are called to have compassion for those who suffer, recognizing their pain and offering support and prayer. Hope in God’s DeliveranceDespite the dire circumstances, believers are encouraged to hold onto hope in God's ultimate deliverance and restoration. The Importance of Spiritual NourishmentJust as physical famine leads to death, spiritual famine can lead to spiritual death. We must seek nourishment through God's Word and prayer. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the suffering described in Lamentations 4:9 reflect the consequences of Israel's disobedience to God? 2. In what ways can we show compassion and support to those who are suffering in our communities today? 3. How can the themes of suffering and hope in Lamentations encourage us in our personal trials? 4. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are spiritually nourished and not experiencing a "spiritual famine"? 5. How do the events of Lamentations 4:9 connect with Jesus' teachings on suffering and endurance in the New Testament? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including famine and siege, which are relevant to the context of Lamentations. Jeremiah 19Jeremiah prophesies the coming destruction of Jerusalem, which aligns with the events lamented in Lamentations. 2 Kings 25Describes the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, providing historical context for the lament. Psalm 37Offers a contrast by emphasizing trust in God and His provision, even in times of trouble. Matthew 24Jesus speaks of future tribulations, echoing the themes of suffering and endurance found in Lamentations. People Jeremiah, NazaritesPlaces Edom, Jerusalem, Sodom, Uz, ZionTopics Better, Burned, Caused, Death, Die, Famine, Field, Flow, Fruit, Fruits, Happier, Hunger, Increase, Killed, Lack, Pierced, Pine, Pined, Racked, Slain, Slowly, Stricken, Sword, Victims, WasteDictionary of Bible Themes Lamentations 4:9 4823 famine, physical
5979 waste Lamentations 4:9-10 5341 hunger Library A Message from God for Thee
Our two messages we will try to deliver in their order; we shall then want your attention and patience for a minute while we answer the question--Why the difference? and then we will press upon each character the force of the message, that each may be led to believe what is addressed to him. I. Our FIRST MESSAGE IS ONE OF COMFORT. "The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity." 1. We find, at the outset, a joyous fact. Read it …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 18631875-1877. Mrs. Way's Sewing --Class for Jewesses --Bible Flower Mission --George Clarice --Incidents in Home Work --The Lord's Day --Diary at Sea -- Letters of Cheer
Mrs. Way's sewing--class for Jewesses--Bible Flower Mission--George Clarice--Incidents in home work--The Lord's Day--Diary at sea-- Letters of cheer from Canada. The Home of Industry has been already likened to the Pool of Bethesda with its fine porches. Many sights there have been peculiar to itself, and in no instance has this in past years been more remarkable, than in the meeting for Jewesses, which has been carried on ever since the year 1870. From fifty to seventy daughters of Israel are gathered …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers The Children of the Poor.
THE CHILDREN OF THE POOR. The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.--LAMENTATIONS iv., 4. The writer of these words bewailed a state of War and Captivity--a state of things in which the great relations of human life are broken up and desecrated. But it is strange to find that the most flourishing forms of civilization involve conditions very similar to this. For, if any man will push beyond the circle of his daily associations, and enter the regions of the abject poor, he will …
E. H. Chapin—Humanity in the City It Will be Attempted to Give a Complete List of his Writings In
chronological order; those included in this volume will be marked with an asterisk and enumerated in this place without remark. The figures prefixed indicate the probable date. (1) 318: *Two books contra Gentes,' viz. c. Gent. and De Incarn. (2) 321-2: *Depositio Arii (on its authorship, see Introd.) (3) 328-373: *Festal Letters. (4) 328-335? *Ecthesis or Expositio Fidei. (5) Id.? *In Illud Omnia, etc. (6) 339: *Encyclica ad Episcopos ecclesiæ catholicæ. (7) 343: *Sardican Letters (46, …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Sermons of St. Bernard on the Passing of Malachy
Sermon I (November 2, 1148.)[1005] 1. A certain abundant blessing, dearly beloved, has been sent by the counsel of heaven to you this day; and if it were not faithfully divided, you would suffer loss, and I, to whom of a surety this office seems to have been committed, would incur danger. I fear therefore your loss, I fear my own damnation,[1006] if perchance it be said, The young children ask bread, and no man offereth it unto them.[1007] For I know how necessary for you is the consolation which …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh The Great Shepherd
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. I t is not easy for those, whose habits of life are insensibly formed by the customs of modern times, to conceive any adequate idea of the pastoral life, as obtained in the eastern countries, before that simplicity of manners, which characterized the early ages, was corrupted, by the artificial and false refinements of luxury. Wealth, in those …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of the Word. ...
The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of the Word. We have seen how Justin declared that it was not permissible to regard "the Spirit" and "the Power" that came upon the Virgin as any other than the Word of God Himself. And we also noted in passing that Theophilus of Antioch spoke of the Word as being "Spirit of God" and "Power of the Highest," the second of which designations comes from Luke i. 35. We have now to ask whether the language of Irenæus corresponds with this interpretation and makes …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
1. The most important point here is to keep in mind the organic unity of the Old Testament. Its predictions are not isolated, but features of one grand prophetic picture; its ritual and institutions parts of one great system; its history, not loosely connected events, but an organic development tending towards a definite end. Viewed in its innermost substance, the history of the Old Testament is not different from its typical institutions, nor yet these two from its predictions. The idea, underlying …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Lamentations
The book familiarly known as the Lamentations consists of four elegies[1] (i., ii., iii., iv.) and a prayer (v.). The general theme of the elegies is the sorrow and desolation created by the destruction of Jerusalem[2] in 586 B.C.: the last poem (v.) is a prayer for deliverance from the long continued distress. The elegies are all alphabetic, and like most alphabetic poems (cf. Ps. cxix.) are marked by little continuity of thought. The first poem is a lament over Jerusalem, bereft, by the siege, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Lamentations 4:9 NIVLamentations 4:9 NLTLamentations 4:9 ESVLamentations 4:9 NASBLamentations 4:9 KJV
Lamentations 4:9 Commentaries
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