Lamentations 2:20
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This isn't just a cry of pain; it's a desperate plea rooted in Israel's identity as God's chosen people. The prophet asks, "To whom have You done this?" highlighting that this suffering isn't happening to strangers, but to those intimately bound to God by covenant. The horrific details of mothers eating their children and holy figures slain in the sanctuary are deliberately chosen to shock God's conscience, appealing to His faithfulness to His own people.
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)
Jeremiah, speaking on behalf of his devastated people, cries out to God, questioning why such horrific suffering has befallen them. This isn't just any calamity; it's happening to God's chosen people, even within the sacred sanctuary, shattering the very order of things and the relationship Israel believed they had with their Lord. The text highlights the unprecedented barbarity, particularly the cannibalism of infants and the slaughter of priests and prophets, as proof of the profound judgment God has brought upon them.
Jeremiah cries out to God in agony, not just about the suffering, but about WHO is suffering. It's a question born of a unique relationship.
Jeremiah's plea in Lamentations 2:20 isn't just a cry of pain; it's a theological challenge. The phrase, 'to whom have you dealt thus?' or 'to whom have you done this?' (depending on translation), points directly to Israel's status as God's chosen people.
The verse describes horrors so extreme they defy natural instincts and sacred roles. What does this reveal about the depth of God's judgment and human depravity?
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Lamentations 2:20 doesn't just speak of general suffering; it details the absolute breakdown of societal and natural order under siege.
Understand the original words
miqdash · Hebrew Noun
The holy place consecrated to the presence of God. It represents the dwelling place of God on earth and the center of Israel's worship and atoning sacrifice.
The raw pain in Lamentations 2:20 resonates deeply because it's uttered in the rubble of Jerusalem, not long after its devastating destruction by the Babylonians. The prophet, speaking for the broken people, cries out to God, highlighting the unimaginable horrors that befell them, including starvation so severe that mothers ate their own children, and the desecration of the Temple itself with the slaughter of priests and prophets.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens. This event served as a dire warning of what could happen to the southern Kingdom of Judah.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
The Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, conquers Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and thousands of Judean elites, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This marked the beginning of Judah's exile.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
After a prolonged siege, Nebuchadnezzar's armies destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, the heart of Jewish worship. The remaining population is largely exiled to Babylon, devastating the nation.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah's Prophecies on the Fall
Though exiled to Egypt, Jeremiah continues to prophesy about Judah's destruction and the consequences of their sin, mirroring themes of judgment and desolation found in Lamentations.
c. 540 BC
Lamentations Written
The book of Lamentations is composed, likely by Jeremiah, reflecting the profound grief and despair in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction and the Babylonian exile.
This passage directly warns of the horrific consequence of mothers eating their own children during extreme famine, a fate deeply lamented in Lamentations 2:20.
Deuteronomy 28:56-57These verses are a prophetic warning that foreshadows the very atrocities described in Lamentations 2:20, emphasizing the extreme suffering and loss of maternal care.
Jeremiah 19:9Jeremiah echoes the unimaginable horror of mothers eating their children due to siege and famine, reinforcing the devastating reality faced by Jerusalem as described in Lamentations.
2 Kings 6:28-29This historical account vividly illustrates the devastating reality of mothers consuming their children during a famine, serving as a stark precedent for the lament in Lamentations 2:20.
Psalm 79:6-7This psalm expresses a similar plea to God, asking why His wrath is poured out and His people are consumed, mirroring the lament and questioning tone of Lamentations 2:20 regarding God's actions.
pulpitLamentations 2:20: "Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?"
Verse 20. - To whom thou hast done this; viz. to Israel, the chosen people. And children; rather, (even) children. The children are the "fruit" referred to. Comp. the warnings in Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 28:56; and especially Jeremiah 19:9; also the historical incident in 2 Kings 6…
ellicottLamentations 2:20: "Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?"
(20) To whom thou hast done this — i.e., not to a heathen nation, but to the people whom Jehovah Himself had chosen. Shall the women eat their fruit.—Atrocities of this nature had been predicted in Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 28:57; Jeremiah 19:9. They were, indeed, the natural incide…
This isn't just a cry of pain; it's a desperate plea rooted in Israel's identity as God's chosen people. The prophet asks, "To whom have You done this?" highlighting that this suffering isn't happening to strangers, but to those intimately bound to God by covenant. The horrific details of mothers eating their children and holy figures slain in the sanctuary are deliberately chosen to shock God's conscience, appealing to His faithfulness to His own people.
Jeremiah, speaking on behalf of his devastated people, cries out to God, questioning why such horrific suffering has befallen them. This isn't just any calamity; it's happening to God's chosen people, even within the sacred sanctuary, shattering the very order of things and the relationship Israel believed they had with their Lord. The text highlights the unprecedented barbarity, particularly the cannibalism of infants and the slaughter of priests and prophets, as proof of the profound judgment God has brought upon them.
Jeremiah, speaking on behalf of his devastated people, cries out to God, questioning why such horrific suffering has befallen them. This isn't just any calamity; it's happening to God's chosen people, even within the sacred sanctuary, shattering the very order of things and the relationship Israel believed they had with their Lord. The text highlights the unprecedented barbarity, particularly the cannibalism of infants and the slaughter of priests and prophets, as proof of the profound judgment God has brought upon them.
"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?" — This isn't just a cry of pain; it's a desperate plea rooted in Israel's identity as God's chosen people. The prophet asks, "To whom have You done this?" highlighting that this suffering isn't happe…
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Last reviewed October 2026
