Lamentations 1 · Verse 11

Lamentations 1:11

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.
Lamentations 1:11, King James Version

Lamentations 1:11 in other translations

BSBAll her people groan as they search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have become despised.
WEBAll her people sigh. They seek bread. They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh their soul. “Look, LORD, and see, for I have become despised.”
ASVAll her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.
YLTAll her people are sighing--seeking bread, They have given their desirable things For food to refresh the body; See, O Jehovah, and behold attentively, For I have been lightly esteemed.
DARBYAll her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their precious things for food to revive their soul. See, Jehovah, and consider, for I am become vile.
BBEBreathing out grief all her people are looking for bread; they have given their desired things for food to give them life: see, O Lord, and take note; for she has become a thing of shame.
WebsterAll her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for food to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

What does Lamentations 1:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. (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.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 They 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Lamentations 1:1-11

The miserable state of Jerusalem, the just consequences of its sins. (La 1:1-11) Jerusalem represented as a captive female, lamenting, and seeking the mercy of God. (La 1:12-22) Verses 1-11 The prophet sometimes speaks in his own person; at other times Jerusalem, as a distressed female, is the speaker, or some of the Jews. The description shows the miseries of the Jewish nation. Jerusalem became a captive and a…

Read the full comment on Lamentations 1:1-11 →

Lamentations 1:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כָּל\־kol-allH3605
עַמָּ֤הּ'a.Mahpeople itsH5971
נֶאֱנָחִים֙ne.'e.na.Chim[are] groaningH584
מְבַקְּשִׁ֣יםme.va.ke.Shim[are] seekingH1245
לֶ֔חֶםLe.chembreadH3899
נָתְנ֧וּna.te.Nuthey have givenH5414
מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛םma.cha.mo.dei.hemprecious things theirH4261
בְּאֹ֖כֶלbe.'O.khelfor foodH400
לְהָשִׁ֣יבle.ha.Shivto restoreH7725
נָ֑פֶשׁNa.feshlifeH5315
רְאֵ֤הre.'EhseeH7200
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehO YahwehH3068
וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָהve.ha.Bi.tahand look !H5027
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
הָיִ֖יתִיha.Yi.tiI amH1961
זוֹלֵלָֽה\׃\ \סzo.le.LahdespisedH2151

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Lamentations 1:11

  • Jeremiah 52:6

    And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

  • Lamentations 2:12

    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.

  • Jeremiah 38:9

    My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

  • 1 Samuel 30:11-12

    And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

  • Deuteronomy 28:52-57

    And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. 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: So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. …

  • Lamentations 4:4-10

    The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: …

  • Jeremiah 19:9

    And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

  • Psalms 25:15-19

    Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. …

  • Job 40:4

    Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

  • Ezekiel 4:15-17

    Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

  • Ezekiel 5:16-17

    When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it.

  • Lamentations 1:19-20

    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. Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
seek.
19; 2:12; 4:4-10; De 28:52-57; 2Ki 6:25; Jer 19:9; 38:9; 52:6
Eze 4:15-17; 5:16,17
relieve the soul. Heb. make the soul to come again.
1Sa 30:11,12
see.
9,20; 2:20; Job 40:4; Ps 25:15-19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Lamentations 1:10

    The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

  • Lamentations 1:11

    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.

  • Lamentations 1:12

    Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

Read all of Lamentations 1

Lamentations 1:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Todo su pueblo buscó su pan suspirando; dieron por la comida todas sus cosas preciosas, para entretener la vida. Mira, oh Jehová, y ve que estoy abatida.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Tout son peuple gémit; ils cherchent du pain; ils ont donné leurs choses désirables contre des aliments pour restaurer leur âme. Regarde, Éternel, et contemple, car je suis devenue vile.
German
Elberfelder 1871
All ihr Volk seufzt, sucht nach Brot; sie geben ihre Kostbarkeiten für Speise hin, um sich zu erquicken. Sieh, Jehova, und schaue, daß ich verachtet bin!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Omnis populus ejus gemens, et quærens panem; dederunt pretiosa quæque pro cibo ad refocillandam animam. Vide, Domine, et considera quoniam facta sum vilis!