Lamentations 4:3
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The verse highlights a profound unnaturalness: even the fiercest sea creatures or jackals are depicted as instinctively nurturing their young, yet the women of Jerusalem, broken by famine, are described as cruel. This cruelty, the text suggests, is like the ostrich, which appears to abandon its eggs in the wilderness, a stark contrast to the deep maternal instinct found even in the wild.
Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet is describing the horrific devastation of Jerusalem and its people, likening the suffering to a plague. He’s just lamented the loss of Jerusalem's former glory, and now he’s highlighting the brutal famine that has stripped away natural affections, making even wild creatures seem more compassionate than the city's women towards their own children. This stark contrast sets the stage for the detailed accounts of starvation and cannibalism that follow in the chapter.
The prophet paints a stark picture of devastation, but he starts by highlighting something truly remarkable: even the wildest, most fearsome creatures care for their young. What does this tell us about the severity of Jerusalem's plight?
Jeremiah uses a powerful contrast to emphasize the depth of suffering in Jerusalem.
The Unnatural Act
The verse begins by describing creatures that might seem monstrous or distant – jackals, sea monsters, dragons (scholars debate the exact animal, but the point remains). Regardless of their fearsome nature, they are depicted as instinctively providing for their offspring. They 'offer the breast,' 'nurse their young.' This is nature's law, a fundamental drive for survival and continuation.
Jerusalem's Shame
But then, the prophet pivots sharply: 'the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches.' This isn't just a description of hardship; it's a moral indictment. The women of Jerusalem, once known for their tenderness, are now acting with a cruelty that surpasses even the most 'savage' beasts of nature. This shocking comparison underscores the extreme, dehumanizing conditions of the famine and siege.
The comparison to ostriches is deeply symbolic. What makes this particular bird such a potent image of callousness in the face of maternal duty?
The comparison of Jerusalem's women to ostriches isn't random; it draws on specific, observable (or at least widely believed) behaviors of these birds.
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Parental Neglect
Ancient observers noted that ostriches would lay their eggs in the sand and often leave them. While some scholars suggest this had a purpose – using the sun's warmth or even providing a secondary food source for hatched chicks – the surface appearance was one of neglect and indifference. They seemed 'hardened against their young ones, as though they were not hers.'
A Society Undone
In a time of extreme famine, the women of Jerusalem were perceived to have abandoned their maternal duties. Whether this was a forced cruelty due to starvation (as scholarly context suggests, where mothers had no milk or even resorted to eating their children) or a hardening of the heart, the effect was the same: a breakdown of the most fundamental human bonds. The prophet uses the image of the ostrich to illustrate this devastating societal collapse.
Understand the original words
am · Hebrew Noun
The people of Israel or the community of believers; a collective term for the covenant people of God.
akhzari · Hebrew Adjective
In Scripture, often used to depict someone devoid of compassion or covenantal loyalty, acting against the natural protective instincts instilled by God.
Lamentations 4:3 vividly describes the horrors of the siege of Jerusalem, a time when extreme famine drove people to unnatural acts. The comparison to jackals and ostriches highlights the devastating impact of starvation, forcing even mothers to act with a cruelty born of desperation, a stark contrast to the natural maternal instincts of animals.
c. 597 BC
First Siege and Deportation of Jerusalem
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar besiege Jerusalem, leading to the surrender of King Jehoiachin and the first major deportation of Judeans to Babylon. This event marks the beginning of the end for the Kingdom of Judah.
c. 588-586 BC— this verse
Second Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem again after Zedekiah's rebellion. The city endures a brutal famine and ultimately falls, followed by the destruction of the Temple and a second, larger deportation.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians raze Jerusalem, including Solomon's magnificent Temple, to the ground. This catastrophic event symbolizes the devastation of the nation and the scattering of its people.
c. 586 BC onwards
The Babylonian Exile
The surviving population of Judah is exiled to Babylon, living as captives far from their homeland. This period of exile profoundly shapes Jewish identity and theology.
This passage in Job describes the ostrich's seemingly cruel neglect of her eggs, mirroring the comparison made in Lamentations and highlighting the depth of the suffering that makes human mothers appear as heartless as this bird.
Lamentations 2:20This verse directly addresses the horrific famine where women ate their own children, providing a stark, real-world fulfillment of the 'cruel' comparison made in chapter 4, showing the dire circumstances that led to such unnatural acts.
Ezekiel 5:10Ezekiel prophesies similar desperate measures during a siege, stating that parents will eat their children, which connects to the extreme cruelty described in Lamentations as a consequence of judgment and famine.
Deuteronomy 28:56This passage, part of the curses for disobedience, directly predicts that women will be unable to show compassion to their own children due to extreme hunger, a prophecy vividly illustrated in Lamentations.
barnesLamentations 4:3: "Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness."
Sea monsters - Rather, jackals. Their young ones - "Their" whelps. The term is applied only to the young of dogs, lions, and the like.
wesleyLamentations 4:3: "Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness."
4:3 Cruel - The Jewish women are become cruel to their children, or forced to appear so, having through the famine no milk to give them, nor any thing to relieve them. Ostriches - Like ostriches that lay their eggs, and leave them in the sand.
The verse highlights a profound unnaturalness: even the fiercest sea creatures or jackals are depicted as instinctively nurturing their young, yet the women of Jerusalem, broken by famine, are described as cruel. This cruelty, the text suggests, is like the ostrich, which appears to abandon its eggs in the wilderness, a stark contrast to the deep maternal instinct found even in the wild.
The prophet is describing the horrific devastation of Jerusalem and its people, likening the suffering to a plague. He’s just lamented the loss of Jerusalem's former glory, and now he’s highlighting the brutal famine that has stripped away natural affections, making even wild creatures seem more compassionate than the city's women towards their own children. This stark contrast sets the stage for the detailed accounts of starvation and cannibalism that follow in the chapter.
The prophet is describing the horrific devastation of Jerusalem and its people, likening the suffering to a plague. He’s just lamented the loss of Jerusalem's former glory, and now he’s highlighting the brutal famine that has stripped away natural affections, making even wild creatures seem more compassionate than the city's women towards their own children. This stark contrast sets the stage for the detailed accounts of starvation and cannibalism that follow in the chapter.
"Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness." — The verse highlights a profound unnaturalness: even the fiercest sea creatures or jackals are depicted as instinctively nurturing their young, yet the women of Jerusalem, broken by famine, are descri…
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Last reviewed October 2026
