Thomas Aquinas Commentary Lamentations 4:3

"Even the jackals 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." — Lamentations 4:3 (ASV)

Here he describes their misery in detail.

1. The affliction of the siege regarding their hunger.
2. The capture and destruction of the city, as described in the verse: the Lord has accomplished his wrath (Lamentations 4:11).
3. The mockery of their captors against the citizens, as described in the verse: depart you that are defiled (Lamentations 4:15).

Regarding the first point, he addresses four things:

1. The hunger of the children.
2. The hunger of refined people, as described in the verse: they that were fed delicately have died in the streets (Lamentations 4:5).
3. The hunger of those consecrated to God, as described in the verse: her Nazarites were whiter than snow (Lamentations 4:7).
4. The immense hunger of mothers, as described in the verse: the hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children (Lamentations 4:10).

Regarding the first of these, he addresses two groups:

1. The hunger of infants.
2. The hunger of young children and adolescents, as described in the verse: the little ones have asked for bread (Lamentations 4:4).

Regarding the first of these, he addresses two aspects:

1. The lack of milk.
2. The effect of this lack, as described in the verse: the tongue of the sucking child has stuck to the roof of his mouth (Lamentations 4:4).

The term Sea monsters (Latin: lamiae) refers to mythical creatures with a woman's body and a horse's feet. Their name comes from laniando,Lanius, “butcher.” meaning “to tear,” because they were said to tear their children to pieces (laniant).

They are called cruel like the ostrich, of which Job speaks: She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; she has labored in vain, no fear constraining her (Job 39:16).

The women of Jerusalem are compared to ostriches not because of cruel feelings, but because of a similarity in action: they did not give milk to their children because they themselves lacked nourishment.