Lamentations 2:20
New International Version
“Look, LORD, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

New Living Translation
“O LORD, think about this! Should you treat your own people this way? Should mothers eat their own children, those they once bounced on their knees? Should priests and prophets be killed within the Lord’s Temple?

English Standard Version
Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Berean Standard Bible
Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

King James Bible
Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

New King James Version
“See, O LORD, and consider! To whom have You done this? Should the women eat their offspring, The children they have cuddled? Should the priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord?

New American Standard Bible
“See, LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt this way? Should women really eat their children, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet really be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord?

NASB 1995
See, O LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord?

NASB 1977
See, O LORD, and look! With whom hast Thou dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord?

Legacy Standard Bible
See, O Yahweh, and look! With whom have You dealt thus? Should women eat their offspring, The infants who were born healthy? Should priest and prophet be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord?

Amplified Bible
See, O LORD, and look! With whom have You dealt this way? Should women eat their offspring, The little ones who were born healthy and beautiful? Should priest and prophet be killed In the sanctuary of the Lord?

Christian Standard Bible
LORD, look and consider to whom you have done this. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
LORD, look and consider who You have done this to. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary?

American Standard Version
See, O Jehovah, and behold to whom thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Resh See, LORD JEHOVAH, and look to whom you have done thus, as women shall eat their offspring the children who are dashed to pieces! Yes, Priest and Prophet shall be killed in the holy place of LORD JEHOVAH

Brenton Septuagint Translation
RHECHS. Behold, O Lord, and see for whom thou has gathered thus. Shall the women eat the fruit of their womb? the cook has made a gathering: shall the infants sucking at the breasts be slain? wilt thou slay the priest and prophet in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Contemporary English Version
Think about it, LORD! Have you ever been this cruel to anyone before? Is it right for mothers to eat their children, or for priests and prophets to be killed in your temple?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Res. Behold, O Lord, and consider whom thou hast thus dealt with: shall women then eat their own fruit, their children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord ?

English Revised Version
See, O LORD, and behold, to whom thou hast done thus! shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"O LORD, look and consider: Have you ever treated anyone like this? Should women eat their own children, the children they have nursed? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord's holy place?

Good News Translation
Look, O LORD! Why are you punishing us like this? Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved! Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself!

International Standard Version
Look, LORD, and take note: To whom have you done this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled? Should priests and prophets be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

JPS Tanakh 1917
See, O LORD, and consider, To whom Thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, The children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain In the sanctuary of the Lord?

Literal Standard Version
See, O YHWH, and look attentively, | To whom You have acted thus, | Do women eat their fruit, infants of a handbreadth? Slain in the sanctuary of the Lord are priest and prophet?

Majority Standard Bible
Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

New American Bible
“Look, O LORD, and pay attention: to whom have you been so ruthless? Must women eat their own offspring, the very children they have borne? Are priest and prophet to be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

NET Bible
Look, O LORD! Consider! Whom have you ever afflicted like this? Should women eat their offspring, their healthy infants? Should priest and prophet be killed in the Lord's sanctuary?

New Revised Standard Version
Look, O LORD, and consider! To whom have you done this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have borne? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

New Heart English Bible
Look, LORD, and see to whom you have done like this. Shall the women eat their fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the LORD?

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

World English Bible
“Look, Yahweh, and see to whom you have done thus! Should the women eat their offspring, the children that they held and bounced on their knees? Should the priest and the prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Young's Literal Translation
See, O Jehovah, and look attentively, To whom Thou hast acted thus, Do women eat their fruit, infants of a handbreadth? Slain in the sanctuary of the Lord are priest and prophet?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Anger over Jerusalem
19Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street. 20Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? 21Both young and old lie together in the dust of the streets. My young men and maidens have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of Your anger; You have slaughtered them without compassion.…

Cross References
Exodus 32:11
But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

Deuteronomy 9:26
And I prayed to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Deuteronomy 28:53
Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.

Psalm 78:64
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.

Isaiah 22:2
O city of commotion, O town of revelry? Your slain did not die by the sword, nor were they killed in battle.

Jeremiah 14:15
Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, 'No sword or famine will touch this land.' By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!

Jeremiah 19:9
I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.'


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom you have done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

consider

Exodus 32:11
And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Deuteronomy 9:26
I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Isaiah 63:16-19
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting…

shall the women

Lamentations 4:10
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Leviticus 26:29
And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.

Deuteronomy 28:53-57
And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: …

Lamentations 1:19
I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

Lamentations 4:13,16
For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, …

Psalm 78:64
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

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Lamentations 2
1. Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem
20. He complains thereof to God














(20) To whom thou hast done this--i.e., not to a heathen nation, but to the people whom Jehovah Himself had chosen.

Shall the women eat their fruit.--Atrocities of this nature had been predicted in Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 28:57; Jeremiah 19:9. They were, indeed, the natural incidents of a besieged city reduced to starvation, as in the case of Samaria (2Kings 6:28), and the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans (Jos., B. J. v. 12), and had been witnessed, as the words show, in that by the Chaldaeans. (Comp., as to the famine, Ezekiel 4:16-17; Ezekiel 5:16.) . . .

Verse 20. - To whom thou hast done this; viz. to Israel, the chosen people. And children; rather, (even) children. The children are the "fruit" referred to. Comp. the warnings in Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 28:56; and especially Jeremiah 19:9; also the historical incident in 2 Kings 6:28, 29. Of a span long; rather, borne in the hands. The word is derived from the verb renders to swaddle" in ver. 22 (see note).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Look,
רְאֵ֤ה (rə·’êh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

O LORD,
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and consider:
וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה (wə·hab·bî·ṭāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

Whom
לְמִ֖י (lə·mî)
Preposition-l | Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

have You [ever] treated
עוֹלַ֣לְתָּ (‘ō·w·lal·tā)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5953: To effect thoroughly, to glean, to overdo, maltreat, be saucy to, pain, impose

like this?
כֹּ֑ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

Should women
נָשִׁ֤ים (nā·šîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

eat
תֹּאכַ֨לְנָה (tō·ḵal·nāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

their offspring,
פִּרְיָם֙ (pir·yām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6529: Fruit

the infants
עֹלֲלֵ֣י (‘ō·lă·lê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5768: A suckling

they have nurtured?
טִפֻּחִ֔ים (ṭip·pu·ḥîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2949: Tenderly cared for

Should priests
כֹּהֵ֥ן (kō·hên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

and prophets
וְנָבִֽיא׃ (wə·nā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

be killed
יֵהָרֵ֛ג (yê·hā·rêḡ)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

in the sanctuary
בְּמִקְדַּ֥שׁ (bə·miq·daš)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4720: A consecrated thing, place, a palace, sanctuary, asylum

of the Lord?
אֲדֹנָ֖י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:20 Look Yahweh and see to whom you (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 2:19
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