The Meaning of Lamentations 1:11 Explained

Lamentations 1:11

KJV: 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.

YLT: All 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.

Darby: All 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.

ASV: All 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Lamentations 1:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The residents of the city did not have enough to eat, even though they had given their valuables for food. The city cried out to Yahweh to look on her despised condition.

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 1

1  The miseries of Jerusalem and of the Jews lamented
12  The attention of beholders demanded to this unprecedented case
18  The justice of God acknowledged, and his mercy supplicated

What do the individual words in Lamentations 1:11 mean?

All her people sigh they seek bread they have given - their valuables for food to restore life See Yahweh and consider for I am scorned -
כָּל־ עַמָּ֤הּ נֶאֱנָחִים֙ מְבַקְּשִׁ֣ים לֶ֔חֶם נָתְנ֧וּ [מחמודיהם] (מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛ם‪‬) בְּאֹ֖כֶל לְהָשִׁ֣יב נָ֑פֶשׁ רְאֵ֤ה יְהוָה֙ וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה כִּ֥י הָיִ֖יתִי זוֹלֵלָֽה ס

עַמָּ֤הּ  her  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
נֶאֱנָחִים֙  sigh 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָנַח  
Sense: (Niphal) sigh, groan (in pain or grief), gasp.
מְבַקְּשִׁ֣ים  they  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
לֶ֔חֶם  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
נָתְנ֧וּ  they  have  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
[מחמודיהם]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
(מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶ֛ם‪‬)  their  valuables 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַחְמֹד  
Sense: desirable, precious thing.
בְּאֹ֖כֶל  for  food 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹכֶל  
Sense: food.
לְהָשִׁ֣יב  to  restore 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
נָ֑פֶשׁ  life 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
רְאֵ֤ה  See 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה  and  consider 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.
הָיִ֖יתִי  I  am 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
זוֹלֵלָֽה  scorned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: זָלַל 
Sense: to be worthless, be vile, be insignificant, be light.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation