Lamentations 1:11
What does Lamentations 1:11 mean?
A plain-English look at Lamentations 1:11 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Lamentations 1:11 means
Hunger gnaws at everyone. The people sigh and search for bread, surrendering their treasures for a scrap of life—“to refresh the soul.” Such desperation reveals how far hope has fallen. The city again pleads, “See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.” The prayer acknowledges utter degradation: what once was prized is bartered for a meal. This is the humiliation of famine that follows siege and ruin. Yet the request that God would see implies faith that his gaze can change the story. The verse pairs physical destitution with spiritual appeal, asking that the Lord not turn away from a people reduced to bare survival.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000All 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
King James Version · 1611All 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.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901All 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.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Breathing 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.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862All 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.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Caph. All her people sigh, they seek bread: they have given all their precious things for food to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890All 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.
Context
After the violation of the sanctuary (verse 10), the lament moves to the grinding reality of famine (verse 11). The shift shows that judgment affects both the holy place and the homes of ordinary people. The repeated plea for God to see intensifies, leading into a direct address to passersby in verse 12, calling witnesses to behold a sorrow wrought by the Lord’s fierce anger. The sequence builds momentum: from God’s house to empty pantries; from internal grief to public summons; from confession of guilt to acknowledgment of God’s active judgment.
v.10The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly.
v.11This passage
v.12Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is brought upon me, Wherewith Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Ezekiel 4:15
Then he said unto me, See, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread thereon.
- Lamentations 1:19
I called for my lovers, butthey deceived me: My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.
- Deuteronomy 28:52
And they shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fortified walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land; and they shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which Jehovah thy God hath given thee.
- Lamentations 2:12
They say to their mothers, Where is grain and wine? When they swoon as the wounded in the streets of the city, When their soul is poured out into their mothers’ bosom.
- Ezekiel 5:16
when I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. And I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread;
- Job 40:4
Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
Related questions readers ask
Keep reading
Want to dig deeper? Explore Lamentations 1
Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Lamentations 1.
Topics that quote it
Topic
Bible Verses About Faithfulness
Faithfulness describes a person’s loyal and steadfast devotion to God, and also God’s unchanging, unfailing character.
Topic
Bible Verses About the Faithfulness of God
God’s faithfulness is a cornerstone of our hope, revealing His unwavering character and His commitment to His promises through all generations.
Topic
Bible Verses About the Mercy of God
God’s mercy is a profound aspect of His character, showing His compassionate love and steadfast faithfulness toward humanity
What the Bible says about…
Verses for this moment
Verses for
Bible Verses for Morning Work Anxiety
Start the workday from a steadier place — verses to pray with coffee.
Verses for
Bible Verses for the Anniversary of a Loss
When the calendar remembers — verses for the day you can't forget.
Verses for
Bible Verses for When You Feel Hopeless
When the future has gone gray — verses that don't lecture, only hold.