Lamentations 4:9

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.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Those slain by the sword are better offthan those slain by hunger,who waste away, pierced with painbecause the fields lack produce.

Hebrew Names Version
Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.

King James 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.

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.

New Century Version
Those who were killed in the war were better off than those killed by hunger. They starve in pain and die, because there is no food from 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.

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 want of the fruits of the field.

Geneva Bible (1587)
They that be slaine with the sword are better, then they that are killed with hunger: for they fade away as they were striken through for the fruites of the fielde.

New American Standard Bible (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.

Legacy Standard Bible
Better are those pierced through with the swordThan those pierced through with hunger;For their life flows away, being strickenFor lack of the produce 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.

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

Complete Jewish Bible
Those slain by the sword are better off than those who are dying from hunger; since these waste away as if pierced through, for lack of food from the fields.

Darby Translation
The slain with the sword are happier than the slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

Easy-to-Read Version
It was better for those who were killed by the sword than for those who died of hunger. Those starving people were sad and hurt. They died because they got no food from the field.

George Lamsa Translation
Those who were slain by the sword are better than those who are slain with hunger; for these pine away, like those who are wounded and thrown in the field.

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.

Lexham English Bible
Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of famine; they have pined away, very hungry for the crops of my field.

Literal Translation
Better are the ones slain by the sword than the ones slain by famine, those who flow away, pierced because the produce of my fields failed .

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They that be slayne with the swearde, are happier, then soch as dye of honger, and perishe awaye famishinge for the frutes of the felde.

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.

Bible in Basic English
Those who have been put to the sword are better off than those whose death is caused by need of food; for these come to death slowly, burned up like the fruit of the field.

JPS Old Testament (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.

King James Version (1611)
They that bee slaine with the sword, are better then they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They that be slayne with the sworde, are happier then such as dye of hunger, and perishe away famishing for the fruites of the fielde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.

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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Teth. It was betere to men slayn with swerd, than to men slayn with hungur; for these men wexiden rotun, thei weren wastid of the bareynesse of erthe.

Update Bible Version
Those that are slain with the sword are better than those that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want 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.

New English Translation

ט (Tet)

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 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 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.

New Life Bible
Those who are killed with the sword are better off than those killed with hunger. For they waste away, suffering because they have no fruits of the field.

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

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Better are the slain of the sword, than the slain of the famine, - for, these, pine away, stricken through, wanting the produce of the field.

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.

Revised Standard Version
Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who pined away, stricken by want 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.

THE MESSAGE
Better to have been killed in battle than killed by starvation. Better to have died of battle wounds than to slowly starve to death.

Contextual Overview

¹ How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. ² The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter's hands! ³ Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. ⁴ The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. ⁵ Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps. ⁶ For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her. ⁷ Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire. ⁸ Now their face is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood. ⁹ Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. ¹⁰ The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

for: Leviticus 26:39, Ezekiel 24:23, Ezekiel 33:10

pine away: Heb. flow out

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:13 - so that Exodus 16:3 - Would Numbers 20:3 - when 1 Kings 17:12 - that we may eat it 2 Kings 7:13 - they are even 1 Chronicles 21:12 - three years' famine Psalms 59:15 - for meat Isaiah 5:13 - honourable men are famished Isaiah 8:21 - hardly bestead Isaiah 22:2 - thy slain Isaiah 36:12 - that they may Jeremiah 14:2 - they Jeremiah 14:18 - go forth Jeremiah 22:10 - Weep ye Jeremiah 37:21 - until Lamentations 1:20 - abroad Lamentations 2:11 - because Lamentations 4:6 - the punishment Ezekiel 4:16 - eat Ezekiel 5:9 - that which Ezekiel 6:7 - slain Ezekiel 14:13 - break

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,

Genesis 4:9
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"

Genesis 4:11
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:13
Cain said to the Lord , "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Genesis 4:14
Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Genesis 37:32
And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not."

Psalms 9:12
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[They that be] slain with the sword are better than [they that be] slain with hunger,.... Not that they are better with respect to their state after death, but with respect to their manner of dying. They that were slain by the sword of the Chaldeans, as many were, either upon the walls, or in sallies out against the enemy, these felt less pain, and had less terror of mind in dying, than those did who perished by famine; they died a lingering death, as it were by inches, and were in continual pain of body and uneasiness of mind:

for these pine away, stricken through for [want of] the fruits of the field: that is, those that died by famine gradually wasted or "flowed" away, their fluid parts by degrees went off; and though they were not run through with the sword, they were stabbed by famine, and were so distressed in body and mind as if a sword had pierced them; not having the fruits of the field, the corn and the wine, to support nature, and keep them alive. Jarchi's note is,

"they that were slain with hunger were inflated at the smell of the fruits of the field, when the enemies were roasting their flesh upon the grass without the wall; the smell entered into those that swelled by famine, and their bellies burst, and their excrements flowed out; and this is the death worse than that of being slain with the sword.''

And to this agrees the Targum,

"more happy are they that are slain with the sword than they that are slain with famine; for they that are slain with the sword flowed when their bellies were burst, by that which they ate of the fruits of the field; and those that were inflated with famine, their bellies burst through "want" of food.''

Most interpreters refer this clause to those that died of famine: but Gussetius z interprets it of those that were killed with the sword; and renders and paraphrases the words thus, "for they being stabbed, sent out"; by the open wounds, "a flux, [which arose] from the fruits of the field"; their food and nourishment being yet in their belly and veins, and so did not pine away through penury and famine; and their misery was short and light, in comparison of others: and so Abendana.

z Comment. Ebr. p. 225.