Lamentations 5:6 (ASV)

Passage

We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:4 We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us.

Lamentations 5:5 Our pursuers are upon our necks: We are weary, and have no rest.

Lamentations 5:6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities.

Lamentations 5:8 Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "given", "hand", "egyptians", "assyrians", "satisfied", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "given" and "hand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Our pursuers are upon our necks We..." into verse 7's "Our fathers sinned and are not And...", so "given" and "hand" belong inside that flow. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "given" and "hand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.