John Gill Bible Commentary

And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons,.... Which was fulfilled at the siege of Samaria, in the times of Joram, Kg2 6:29; and at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, Lam 4:10; and though there is no instance of it at that time in the sacred records, the Jews (p) tells us of one Doeg ben Joseph, who died and left a little one with his mother, who was very fond of him; but at this siege slew him with her own hands, and ate him, with respect to which they suppose Jeremiah makes the lamentation, Lam 2:2; and of this also there was an instance at the last siege of Jerusalem, by Titus, when a woman, named Mary, of a considerable family, boiled her son, and ate part of him, and the rest was found in her house when the seditious party broke in upon her, as Josephus (q) relates: and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat; of which, though no instances are given, it is as reasonable to suppose it was done as the former. Some of the Jewish writers (r) think, that in this prediction is included, that children should eat their parents, as well as parents their children, as in Eze 5:10. (p) Torat Cohanim in Yalkut, par. 1. fol. 197. 1. (q) De Bello. Jud. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 4. (r) Torat Cohanim, ib.