The Meaning of Lamentations 4:4 Explained

Lamentations 4:4

KJV: 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.

YLT: Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.

Darby: The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, no man breaketh it unto them.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Lamentations 4:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Infants in Jerusalem during the siege did not have enough to drink or eat because their parents were looking out for their own needs first (cf. Lamentations 2:11-12; Lamentations 2:19).

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 4

1  Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13  She confesses her sins
21  Edom is threatened and Zion comforted

What do the individual words in Lamentations 4:4 mean?

Clings the tongue of the infant to the roof of its mouth for thirst the young children ask for bread [But] breaks [it] no one for them -
דָּבַ֨ק לְשׁ֥וֹן יוֹנֵ֛ק אֶל־ חכּ֖וֹ‪‬‪‬‪‬ בַּצָּמָ֑א עֽוֹלָלִים֙ שָׁ֣אֲלוּ לֶ֔חֶם פֹּרֵ֖שׂ אֵ֥ין לָהֶֽם ס

דָּבַ֨ק  Clings 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַק  
Sense: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch.
לְשׁ֥וֹן  the  tongue 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
יוֹנֵ֛ק  of  the  infant 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָנַק 
Sense: to suckle, nurse, suck.
חכּ֖וֹ‪‬‪‬‪‬  the  roof  of  its  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֵךְ  
Sense: mouth, palate, taste, gums.
בַּצָּמָ֑א  for  thirst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָמָא  
Sense: thirst.
עֽוֹלָלִים֙  the  young  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֹולֵל 
Sense: child, boy.
שָׁ֣אֲלוּ  ask  for 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁאַל 
Sense: to ask, enquire, borrow, beg.
לֶ֔חֶם  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
פֹּרֵ֖שׂ  [But]  breaks  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: פָּרַשׂ  
Sense: to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces.
אֵ֥ין  no  one 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לָהֶֽם  for  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation