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?

LAMENTATIONS 2:20KJV
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Lamentations 2:20 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 2:20 mean?

Lamentations 2:20 is a desperate cry to God, asking Him to look at the terrible suffering in Jerusalem, where mothers are driven to eat their own children and priests and prophets are killed in the very sanctuary. The verse expresses horror at the depth of the disaster and pleads for God to notice and consider who is experiencing such tragedy.

In this verse, the speaker is likely the prophet Jeremiah, addressing the LORD (God) directly as he witnesses the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians. The verse highlights the unimaginable suffering during the siege—starvation so severe that mothers eat their children, and religious leaders are killed in the temple. The language is meant to shock and show how far things have fallen, emphasizing the depth of grief and the sense that even the most sacred people and places are not spared.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 2:20

  • "Behold" (רְאֵה, ra’eh): This word is a strong call for attention, as if Jeremiah is begging God to truly see the suffering, not just look but really notice.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): The personal, covenant name for God, emphasizing that the plea is directed to the God who has a relationship with Israel.
  • "Eat" (אָכַל, akhal): The Hebrew word here is the ordinary verb for eating, but in this context, it is used with horror to describe mothers eating their "fruit" (children), highlighting the unnaturalness and desperation of the situation.
  • "Sanctuary" (מִקְדָּשׁ, miqdash): This word means the holy place or temple, stressing the shock that even God’s own house is not a place of safety.

Why Lamentations 2:20 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that the suffering in Jerusalem was minor or ordinary; it shows the crisis was so extreme that it broke every social and religious boundary.
  • The verse emphasizes that the destruction affected everyone, from mothers and children to priests and prophets, and even reached into the sanctuary, the holiest place.
  • Lamentations 2:20 connects to the wider book by showing the depth of sorrow and the sense of abandonment, setting up the ongoing plea for God’s mercy and attention.

Where else these words appear

“done” Hebrew H5953 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 10:2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.
  • Judges 20:45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
  • Isaiah 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

“children” Hebrew H5768 · used in 20 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
  • Psalms 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
  • Lamentations 2:11 Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

“this” Hebrew H3541 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Numbers 6:23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
  • 1 Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

“consider” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Isaiah 22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.