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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible

Lamentations 4:4

The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Famine;   Malice;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abundance-Want;   Famine;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bread;   Famine;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bread;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bread, Bread of Presence;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zedekiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Lamentations;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Famine and Drought;   Lamentations, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Acrostic;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Lord's Supper. (I.);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Bread;   Messiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hospitality;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The nursing baby’s tongueclings to the roof of his mouth from thirst.Infants beg for food,but no one gives them any.
Hebrew Names Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
King James Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
English Standard Version
The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them.
New Century Version
The babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. Children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.
Amplified Bible
The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for food, But no one gives it to them.
World English Bible
The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The tongue of the sucking childe cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst: the yong children aske bread, but no man breaketh it vnto them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The tongue of the infant cleaves To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
Legacy Standard Bible
The tongue of the nursing baby cleavesTo the roof of its mouth because of thirst;The infants ask for bread,But no one breaks it for them.
Berean Standard Bible
The nursing infant's tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.
Contemporary English Version
Babies are so thirsty that their tongues are stuck to the roof of the mouth. Children go begging for food, but no one gives them any.
Complete Jewish Bible
The tongue of the baby at the breast sticks to the roof of its mouth from thirst; young children are begging for bread, but no one is giving them any.
Darby Translation
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, no man breaketh it unto them.
Easy-to-Read Version
Babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths. Young children ask for bread, but no one gives them any.
George Lamsa Translation
The tongue of the suckling child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the children ask bread, but no one breaks the loaf and gives it to them.
Good News Translation
They let their babies die of hunger and thirst; children are begging for food that no one will give them.
Lexham English Bible
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to its palate in thirst. Children beg for food, no one lays it out before them.
Literal Translation
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to his palate in thirst. The young children ask bread, but there is no breaking for them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The tonges of the suckinge children, cleue to ye rofe of their mouthes for very thurst. The yonge children axe bred, but there is noman, that geueth it them.
American Standard Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
Bible in Basic English
The tongue of the child at the breast is fixed to the roof of his mouth for need of drink: the young children are crying out for bread, and no man gives it to them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, and none breaketh it unto them.
King James Version (1611)
The tongue of the sucking child cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst: the young children aske bread, and no man breaketh it vnto them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The tongues of the sucking chyldren cleaue to the roofe of their mouthes for very thyrst: the young chyldren aske bread, but there is no man that geueth it them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
DALETH. The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of its mouth for thirst: the little children ask for bread, and there is none to break it to them.
English Revised Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Deleth. The tonge of the soukynge childe cleued to his palat in thirst; litle children axiden breed, and noon was that brak to hem.
Update Bible Version
The tongue of the nursing child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
Webster's Bible Translation
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, [and] no man breaketh [it] to them.
New English Translation

ד (Dalet)

The infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth due to thirst; little children beg for bread, but no one gives them even a morsel.
New King James Version
The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
New Living Translation
The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them.
New Life Bible
The baby's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth because of thirst. The children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.
New Revised Standard
The tongue of the infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives them anything.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The tongue of the suckling, cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst, - Young children, have asked bread, there was none, to break, it to them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Daleth. The tongue of the sucking child hath stuck to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the little ones have asked for bread, and there was none to break it unto them.
Revised Standard Version
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them.
Young's Literal Translation
Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.
THE MESSAGE
Babies have nothing to drink. Their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. Little children ask for bread but no one gives them so much as a crust.

Contextual Overview

1 How dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones are spilled out At the corner of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against pure gold, How they are regarded as earthenware jars, The work of a potter's hands! 3 Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has proved herself cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.5 Those who used to eat delicacies Are made to tremble in the streets; Those who were raised in crimson clothing Embrace garbage heaps. 6 For the wrongdoing of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her. 7 Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They shined more than milk; They were more ruddy in body than pearls of coral, Their form was like lapis lazuli. 8 Their appearance is darker than soot, They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin is shriveled on their bones, It is dry, it has become like wood. 9 Better off are those killed by the sword Than those killed by hunger; For they waste away, stricken By the lack of the produce of the field. 10 The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Due to the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

tongue: Psalms 22:15, Psalms 137:6

the young: Lamentations 1:11, Lamentations 2:11, Lamentations 2:12, Deuteronomy 32:24, Matthew 7:9-11

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:25 - destroy 1 Kings 3:21 - give 2 Kings 25:3 - the famine Psalms 59:15 - for meat Isaiah 5:13 - honourable men are famished Isaiah 8:21 - hardly bestead Isaiah 32:12 - lament Isaiah 41:17 - their tongue Jeremiah 2:25 - Withhold Jeremiah 37:21 - until Jeremiah 47:3 - the fathers Jeremiah 52:6 - the famine Matthew 24:19 - General Mark 13:17 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
Then Cain left the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city, and named the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech took two wives for himself: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock.
Genesis 15:17
Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces.
Exodus 13:12
you shall devote to the LORD every firstborn of a womb, and every firstborn offspring of an animal that you own; the males belong to the LORD.
Leviticus 9:24
Then fire went out from the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell face downward.
Numbers 16:35
Fire also came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 18:12
"All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of what they give to the LORD, I have given them to you.
Numbers 18:17
"But the firstborn of an ox, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the LORD.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst,.... Through want of the milk of the breast, which is both food and drink unto it:

the young children ask bread; of their parents as usual, not knowing how the case was, that there was a famine in the city; these are such as were more grown, were weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts, and lived on other food, and were capable of asking for it:

[and] no man breaketh [it] unto them: distributes unto them, or gives them a piece of bread; not father, friend, or any other person; it not being in their power to do it, they having none for themselves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Lamentations 4:4. The tongue of the sucking childLamentations 2:12.


 
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