Lamentations 4:9
New International Version
Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field.

New Living Translation
Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger. Starving, they waste away for lack of food from the fields.

English Standard Version
Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field.

Berean Standard Bible
Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

King James Bible
They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

New King James Version
Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.

New American Standard Bible
Better off are those killed by the sword Than those killed by hunger; For they waste away, stricken By the lack of the produce of the field.

NASB 1995
Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field.

NASB 1977
Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field.

Legacy Standard Bible
Better are those pierced through with the sword Than those pierced through with hunger; For their life flows away, being stricken For lack of the produce of the field.

Amplified Bible
Those killed with the sword Are more fortunate than those killed with hunger; For the hungry pine and ebb away, For the lack of the fruits of the field.

Christian Standard Bible
Those slain by the sword are better off than those slain by hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Those slain by the sword are better off than those slain by hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

American Standard Version
They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Teth The slain of the sword are better than those killed by famine, for they waste away like those who are wounded and are thrown out in a field

Brenton Septuagint Translation
TETH. The slain with the sword were better than they that were slain with hunger: they have departed, pierced through from want of the fruits of the field.

Contemporary English Version
Being killed with a sword is better than slowly starving to death.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Teth. It was better with them that were slain by the sword, than with them that died with hunger: for these pined away being consumed for want of the fruits of the earth.

English Revised Version
They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Those who were killed with swords are better off than those who are dying from starvation. Those who were stabbed bled to death. The others are dying because there is nothing in the fields to eat.

Good News Translation
Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later, who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.

International Standard Version
Those who die by the sword are better off than those who die from starvation, who slowly waste away like those pierced through for lack of food from the fields.

JPS Tanakh 1917
They that are slain with the sword are better Than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, For want of the fruits of the field.

Literal Standard Version
Better have been the pierced of a sword | Than the pierced of famine, | For these flow away, pierced through, | Without the increase of the field.

Majority Standard Bible
Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

New American Bible
Better for those pierced by the sword than for those pierced by hunger, Better for those who bleed from wounds than for those who lack food.

NET Bible
Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, those who waste away, struck down from lack of food.

New Revised Standard Version
Happier were those pierced by the sword than those pierced by hunger, whose life drains away, deprived of the produce of the field.

New Heart English Bible
Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; those who waste away, pierced through, for lack of the fruits of the field.

Webster's Bible Translation
They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

World English Bible
Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through, for lack of the fruits of the field.

Young's Literal Translation
Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Distress of Zion
8But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. 9Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce. 10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.…

Cross References
Exodus 16:3
"If only we had died by the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt!" they said. "There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!"

Leviticus 26:39
Those of you who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will decay in the sins of their fathers.

2 Kings 25:3
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.

Jeremiah 16:4
"They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth."

Ezekiel 24:23
Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.


Treasury of Scripture

They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

for

Leviticus 26:39
And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

Ezekiel 24:23
And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.

Ezekiel 33:10
Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

pine away.

Jump to Previous
Better Burned Caused Death Die Famine Field Flow Food Fruit Fruits Happier Hunger Increase Killed Lack Need Pierced Pine Pined Slain Slowly Stricken Sword Victims Want Waste
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Better Burned Caused Death Die Famine Field Flow Food Fruit Fruits Happier Hunger Increase Killed Lack Need Pierced Pine Pined Slain Slowly Stricken Sword Victims Want Waste
Lamentations 4
1. Zion bewails her pitiful estate
13. She confesses her sins
21. Edom is threatened and Zion comforted.














(9) For want of . . .--The italics indicate the difficulty of the sentence. Literally the clause stands, from the fruits of the field, and it has been explained by some as referring to those that died in battle, stricken through while yet there were fruits, i.e., not doomed to perish slowly from hunger. The construction of Psalm 109:24, however, "faileth of fatness"--i.e., for want of fatness--gives a sufficient support to the Authorised version.

Verse 9.-The miserable condition just now described maintains a sad pre-eminence even when compared with the fate of the slain in battle. And why! For these pine away (literally, melt away)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Those slain
חַלְלֵי־ (ḥal·lê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2491: Pierced, polluted

by the sword
חֶ֔רֶב (ḥe·reḇ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

are
הָיוּ֙ (hā·yū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

better off
טוֹבִ֤ים (ṭō·w·ḇîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

than those who die
מֵֽחַלְלֵ֖י (mê·ḥal·lê)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2491: Pierced, polluted

of hunger,
רָעָ֑ב (rā·‘āḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7458: Famine, hunger

who
שֶׁ֣הֵ֤ם (še·hêm)
Pronoun - relative | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

waste away,
יָז֙וּבוּ֙ (yā·zū·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2100: To flow freely, to have a, flux, to waste away, to overflow

pierced with pain
מְדֻקָּרִ֔ים (mə·ḏuq·qā·rîm)
Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1856: To stab, to starve, to revile

because the fields
שָׂדָֽי׃ (śā·ḏāy)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7704: Field, land

lack produce.
מִתְּנוּבֹ֖ת (mit·tə·nū·ḇōṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 8570: Fruit, produce


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 4:9 Those who are killed with the sword (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 4:8
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