Lamentations 5:6 (WEB)

Passage

We have given our hands 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 to us.

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

Lamentations 5:6 We have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities.

Lamentations 5:8 Servants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Our pursuers are on our necks We..." into verse 7's "Our fathers sinned and are no more...", so "given" and "hands" 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 "hands" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.