Charles Ellicott Commentary Lamentations 4:9

"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." — Lamentations 4:9 (ASV)

For want of ... —The italics indicate the difficulty of the sentence. Literally the clause stands, from the fruits of the field, and it has been explained by some as referring to those that died in battle, stricken through while there were still fruits, that is, not doomed to perish slowly from hunger. The construction of Psalm 109:24, however, faileth of fatness—that is, for want of fatness—gives sufficient support to the Authorized Version.