The nursing infant's tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any. The nursing infant’s tongue clings to the roof of his mouth from thirstThis phrase paints a vivid picture of extreme deprivation and suffering. The Hebrew word for "nursing infant" is "יונק" (yonek), which refers to a child still dependent on its mother for nourishment. This highlights the vulnerability and innocence of those suffering. The image of the tongue clinging to the roof of the mouth is a powerful depiction of severe thirst, a condition that is both physically painful and life-threatening. In the historical context of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, such imagery underscores the dire circumstances faced by the inhabitants, where even the most basic needs like water were scarce. Spiritually, this can be seen as a metaphor for the soul's thirst for God, as expressed in Psalm 42:1, where the psalmist longs for God as a deer pants for water. Little children beg for bread
The phrase "little children" translates from the Hebrew "עוללים" (olalim), indicating young, innocent children who are helpless and dependent on adults for survival. The act of begging for bread signifies a desperate plea for sustenance, a basic human need. Bread, in biblical terms, often symbolizes life and provision, as seen in the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). The historical context here is the famine during the siege, where food was so scarce that even children had to beg. This reflects the complete breakdown of societal structures and the failure of the community to care for its most vulnerable members. Spiritually, it can remind believers of the importance of relying on God for daily provision and the call to care for those in need. but no one gives them any
This phrase starkly illustrates the depth of the crisis. The Hebrew "אין פרש" (ein poreis) conveys a sense of abandonment and neglect. In a society where community and family were central, the lack of response to the children's pleas indicates a collapse of social and familial bonds. Historically, this reflects the desperation and hopelessness during the siege, where resources were so depleted that even compassion was scarce. From a spiritual perspective, this can serve as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the resulting moral and social decay. It challenges believers to respond to the needs of others, reflecting God's compassion and provision, as emphasized in James 1:27, which calls for caring for orphans and widows in their distress. Persons / Places / Events 1. Jeremiah- Traditionally attributed as the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people. 2. Jerusalem- The city that has been destroyed by the Babylonians, leading to the suffering and starvation described in this verse. 3. Babylonian Siege- The event that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, causing severe famine and hardship for its inhabitants. Teaching Points The Consequences of SinThe suffering of the children in Lamentations 4:4 is a direct result of the nation's disobedience to God. This serves as a sobering reminder of the far-reaching consequences of sin. Compassion for the VulnerableThe imagery of children begging for bread calls believers to have compassion and take action to support the vulnerable in society. The Importance of Spiritual NourishmentJust as physical hunger is devastating, spiritual hunger can lead to spiritual death. Believers are encouraged to seek and provide spiritual nourishment through God's Word. Trust in God's ProvisionDespite the dire circumstances, believers are reminded to trust in God's provision and faithfulness, even in times of trial. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the suffering described in Lamentations 4:4 reflect the consequences of the nation's disobedience to God, and what can we learn from this about the importance of obedience in our own lives? 2. In what ways can we, as a church community, respond to the needs of the vulnerable and suffering in our society, as highlighted by the plight of the children in this verse? 3. How can we ensure that we are spiritually nourished and not spiritually starving, drawing parallels from the physical hunger described in Lamentations 4:4? 4. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "famine" in your life, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. How did you see God's provision during that time? 5. How can the themes of judgment and hope in Lamentations be related to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, particularly in the context of future tribulations? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including famine and suffering, which are realized in Lamentations. Isaiah 3Describes the judgment on Jerusalem and Judah, including the removal of sustenance and support, similar to the conditions in Lamentations. Matthew 24Jesus speaks of future tribulations, echoing the themes of suffering and desolation found in Lamentations. People Jeremiah, NazaritesPlaces Edom, Jerusalem, Sodom, Uz, ZionTopics Beg, Bread, Breaketh, Breaks, Breast, Child, Cleaved, Cleaves, Cleaveth, Crying, Dealer, Drink, Fixed, Gives, Infant, Infants, Infant's, Mouth, None, Nursling, Ones, Palate, Roof, Sticks, Sucking, Suckling, Thirst, TongueDictionary of Bible Themes Lamentations 4:4 4418 bread
5193 tongue
5230 beggars 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 4:4 NIVLamentations 4:4 NLTLamentations 4:4 ESVLamentations 4:4 NASBLamentations 4:4 KJV
Lamentations 4:4 Commentaries
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