Lamentations 5:6 is the people of Judah admitting that, in their desperate hunger after Jerusalem’s fall, they had turned to other nations for food and security instead of relying on God’s provision. The verse is a confession within a communal prayer, spoken by the surviving Israelites in the voice of the whole nation to the Lord who had allowed the destruction.
We have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
Lamentations 5:6 (WEB)
What Lamentations 5:6 Means
The phrase “we have given our hands” describes a formal surrender or pledge. In the ancient world, extending the hands could mean submitting, making a bargain, or entering into service. The people are saying they placed themselves under the control of Egypt and Assyria, two major powers that had long threatened or dominated the region, in exchange for basic sustenance.
The purpose clause, “to be satisfied with bread,” is the heart of the verse. Their reason for submitting was not wealth or conquest but simple survival. Bread stood for everything needed to stay alive, and the people had bartered their dignity and independence to obtain it. The verse does not promise that this was a wise or successful strategy. It reads as a lament over a choice that left them more vulnerable, not less.
What the verse does not do is offer a neat moral lesson on its own. It records a painful memory and an admission of failure. Its power comes from its honesty. The people are naming what they did, not claiming it worked out well.
The Context of Lamentations 5:6
Lamentations is a collection of five poems mourning the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Traditionally it is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, though the book itself is anonymous. The audience is the surviving community, and the poems are written in the first person plural, so each reader is invited to speak the grief of the whole nation.
Chapter 5 is the closing prayer, and verses 3 through 9 describe the hardship of life after the city’s collapse: orphans and widows, water and wood that must be bought, enemies pressing in, and bread obtained at risk to life. Verse 6 sits at the center of this list of troubles, explaining how the people came to such dependence. Read in that setting, it shows that their suffering was not only the result of enemy violence but also of decisions made in fear and need.
Key Phrases in Lamentations 5:6
Psalm 62:5
My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him.
(WEB)
This psalm invites the soul to wait quietly on God alone, which stands in direct contrast to the people’s turning toward foreign powers. It shows the trust that Lamentations 5:6 reveals was missing.
Jeremiah 2:13
“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
(WEB)
Here the prophet describes Israel abandoning the living water of God and digging cisterns of their own. The image of seeking sustenance from other sources echoes the dependence on Egypt and Assyria in Lamentations 5:6.
A Short Prayer From Lamentations 5:6
Lord, I confess how quickly I reach for help that cannot truly feed me. When I am hungry, afraid, or worn down, I am tempted to trade my trust for whatever promises relief. Forgive me for the times I have chosen short-term security over your faithful care. Teach me to bring my needs to you first, and give me the patience to wait for your provision. Keep my hands open to receive from you alone. Amen.
