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Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.
Verse Takeaways
1
A Fate Worse Than the Sword
Commentators agree that the verse highlights the extreme horror of God's judgment. A quick, violent death by the sword is presented as a mercy compared to the slow, agonizing, and torturous death from starvation. As John Calvin notes, this comparison is meant to amplify the atrocity of the punishment inflicted upon Jerusalem for its sin.
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Book Overview
Lamentations
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5
19th Century
Anglican
For want of ... —The italics indicate the difficulty of the sentence. Literally the clause stands, from the fruits of the fiel…
16th Century
Protestant
The beginning of the verse is without any difficulty; for the Prophet says that it was better for those who immediately perished by the sword than …
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
[They that are] slain with the sword are better than [they that are] slain with hunger
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Presbyterian
What a change is here! Sin tarnishes the beauty of the most exalted powers and the most excellent gifts; but that gold, tried in the fire, which Ch…
13th Century
Catholic
Here he presents a comparison: these pined away, they languished in a long affliction. Better is death than a bitter life …
