Lamentations 5:4 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 5:4 mean?

Lamentations 5:4 describes how the people of Jerusalem, after the destruction of their city, are forced to pay for basic necessities like water and wood, which once were freely available. This verse highlights the hardship and humiliation they experience as even their most essential needs now come at a cost.

In this chapter, the survivors of Jerusalem’s fall are speaking, describing their suffering to God. The verse paints a picture of daily life under foreign control, where resources that used to be theirs by right are now only accessible through payment. This detail shows the depth of their loss and the reversal of their former security and freedom.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 5:4

• The word for "drunken" is שָׁתָה (shatah), which simply means to drink. Here, it emphasizes the act of having to pay even for water, something normally taken for granted.
• "Water" is מַיִם (mayim), the basic necessity of life. The fact that even water must be bought underlines the severity of their situation.
• "Money" is כֶּסֶף (kesef), meaning silver or money, stressing the economic hardship and the loss of self-sufficiency.
• "Wood" is עֵץ (etz), used for fuel and daily living. Having to buy wood shows how completely their lives have changed.
• "Sold" comes from the root בּוֹא (bo) and מְחִיר (mekhir), meaning to come or bring and price or sale. The phrase suggests that even the most basic resources are now commercialized, a sign of their subjugation.

Why Lamentations 5:4 matters

• This verse clears up any idea that the suffering was only spiritual or emotional; it was also practical and physical, affecting daily survival.
• The detail about buying water and wood emphasizes how total the loss of freedom and dignity was for the people after Jerusalem’s fall.
• Lamentations 5:4 connects to the wider passage by showing that the consequences of the city’s destruction touched every part of life, not just worship or leadership but even the most ordinary needs.