Lamentations 2:20 Meaning Explained

Lamentations 2:20

Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?

English Standard Version (ESV)

The prayer here is striking because it doesn't just ask if God sees, but emphasizes to whom He has done this—His own chosen people. This isn't a prayer of accusation, but a plea that highlights the intimate, covenant relationship between God and Israel, making their suffering an affront to His own faithfulness.

What Lamentations 2:20 means

In the depths of Jerusalem's destruction, after witnessing unspeakable horrors, the prophet Jeremiah, speaking for the devastated people, cries out to God. He questions the severity of God's judgment, pointing out that it's not happening to distant enemies but to His own chosen people, including the most vulnerable—mothers and their children—and even the sacred priests and prophets within the temple itself. This plea emphasizes the shocking inversion of normalcy and the profound pain of seeing God's covenant people suffer such devastation within His own holy space.

God's Chosen, Not Strangers

In the depths of despair, the prophet cries out to God, but not for enemies. This plea is directed towards His own people, a stark reminder of a special relationship.

Jeremiah, speaking for the devastated people of Judah, points to a painful truth: the suffering isn't happening to a foreign land, but to God's chosen people. The rhetorical questions aren't asking if any nation suffers this way, but emphasizing that this suffering is happening to the one God set apart.

This is crucial because it highlights the tension between God's covenant promises and the reality of their judgment. It's not an arbitrary act against strangers, but a devastating consequence within a covenant relationship. The plea is: 'Look, God, this is happening to your people, the ones you chose and love. Doesn't this demand Your attention?'

The Unthinkable Atrocity of Famine

The description of mothers and children is the most gut-wrenching part of this cry to God. It paints a picture of horror that goes beyond mere defeat.

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What Lamentations 2:20 means

Ask Sola about this verse

Ask Sola things like:

“What does "sanctuary" mean in the original Hebrew?”
“Why did Traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah write Lamentations 2:20?”
“How does god's chosen people suffer show up in Lamentations 2:20?”

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Breakdown of Lamentations 2:20

"Look, O LORD, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?" — The prayer here is striking because it doesn't just ask if God sees, but emphasizes to whom He has done this—His own chosen people. This isn't a prayer of accusation, but a plea that highlights t…

What Lamentations 2:20 means

God's Chosen, Not Strangers

The Unthinkable Atrocity of Famine

Ask Sola about this verse

What Lamentations 2:20 means

God's Chosen, Not Strangers

The Unthinkable Atrocity of Famine

Ask Sola about this verse

Profaning the Holy Place

Original language

Historical context

Historical background

Key themes

Cross-references

Scholarly commentary

Frequently asked questions

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