Lamentations 5:10 — Word Study
WLCעוֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ כְּתַנּ֣וּר נִכְמָ֔רוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת רָעָֽב׃
BSAOur skinʻôwr [like blackened leather, heated] is as hotkâmar■ [scorching, burning] as an oventannûwr [furnace, place of fire] withpânîym feverzalʻâphâh [intense heat, passion] from [our] hungerrâʻâb [famine, lack of nourishment]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עוֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ | skin our | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| כְּתַנּ֣וּר | like an oven | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| נִכְמָ֔רוּ | they have grown hot | Verb, Niphal, perfect third person common plural |
| מִפְּנֵ֖י | because of | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct |
| זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת | [the] burning heat of | Noun common, feminine plural construct |
| רָעָֽב׃ | hunger | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger. |
| KJV | Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine. |
| ASV | Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine. |
| YLT | Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine. |
| WEB | Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine. |
| BBE | Our skin is heated like an oven because of our burning heat from need of food. |
The translations agree on the meaning of the Hebrew words, with no significant variations noted.
The main clause is supported by two prepositional phrases that explain the cause and source of the heat described.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbכָּמַר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Lamentations 5:10
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Lament of the Peoplegenerated
Lamentations 5:10 reflects the deep suffering of the people due to famine and its devastating effects on their bodies and spirits. The verse illustrates their anguish as they compare their skin to an oven, emphasizing the intense heat they feel from hunger. This lament is part of a larger expression of grief found throughout the book of Lamentations, where the community mourns their losses and seeks understanding of their plight.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:4 | He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered my bones. |
| 2 | Lamentations 4:8 | But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. |
| 3 | Job 30:30 | My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever. |
| 4 | Psalm 119:83 | Though I am like a wineskin dried up by smoke, I do not forget Your statutes. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נִכְמָ֔רוּ, nikh.Ma.rugenerated
The verb נִכְמָ֔רוּ (nikhamru) is in the Niphal stem, indicating a passive or reflexive action. It conveys the idea of becoming hot or heated, often in an emotional context. Here, it describes the intense physical sensation resulting from extreme hunger, suggesting a deep yearning or suffering.
This word emphasizes the emotional and physical impact of their situation, as the community feels not only the heat of hunger but also the passion of their distress. The use of this verb in the context of their lament highlights the severity of their condition.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In the Berean Standard Bible, the phrase is rendered as they have grown hot, which aligns with the KJV and ASV, both of which also convey the sense of becoming heated.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb נִכְמָ֔רוּ (nikhamru) governs the sentence, with several phrases providing additional context. The subject is the community, and the prepositional phrases elaborate on the cause of their heat and suffering.
The structure emphasizes the intensity of their experience, with the main verb leading the description of their condition and the prepositional phrases detailing the source of their distress.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the corresponding Greek word for נִכְמָ֔רוּ is not directly provided, but the translation reflects the same concept of heat and suffering. The choice of words in the Septuagint may indicate a focus on the emotional aspect of their lament.
The Greek translation captures the essence of the Hebrew lament, conveying the same sense of intense suffering experienced by the people.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 5:10 describes how the people's skin feels as hot as an oven because of their intense hunger. This verse captures their suffering and the physical effects of famine, illustrating the deep pain they are experiencing.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This metaphor illustrates the extreme physical discomfort and suffering caused by hunger, emphasizing the intensity of their situation.
The oven symbolizes extreme heat, paralleling the intense suffering the people feel due to famine.
This verse reflects the broader themes of grief, suffering, and the consequences of sin that permeate the book of Lamentations.
The lament teaches us about the reality of suffering and the importance of expressing pain and seeking understanding in difficult times.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I relate to the feelings of hunger and suffering expressed in this verse?
- What are some ways I can support those who are experiencing hunger or distress in my community?
- In what ways can I express my own feelings of pain or grief in a healthy manner?
- How does understanding the suffering of others help me grow in compassion and empathy?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Thomas Aquinas comments on this verse, noting the effects of famine as expressed through the imagery of heat.
Then is considered in Verse 10 the effects of famine. As stated: "our skin is hot as an oven." That is, dried up by hunger.Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 5 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 5:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOur skin was black like an oven, because of the terrible famine.
Read John Gill on Lamentations 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOur skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe want of bread caused leanness, and paleness, and ill colours in their faces.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 5:10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.Ver. 10. Our skin was black like an oven.] Or, As a chimney, being still beaten upon with the fire that is within it, Because of the terrible famine.] Propter procellas famis, because of the tempests of famine, which, like a violent storm, beareth down all before it.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(10) Our skin was black . . .-Better, fiery red, and for “terrible famine,” the fever-blast of famine. The words paint the hot fever of hunger rather than the livid paleness of exhaustion.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 5 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 10. Our skin was black - because of the terrible famine.] Because of the searching winds that burnt up every green thing, destroying vegetation, and in consequence producing a famine.
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10. The feverishness and wasting brought on by hunger is meant. black] or as mg. hot.
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 5 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleOur skin ... - Or, is fiery red like an oven because of the fever-blast “of famine.”
Read Albert Barnes on Lamentations 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.
Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.
Our skin is hot as an oven due to a fever from hunger.
Tyndale line
Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine.
Our skin is black like an oven because of the burning heat of famine.
Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
Our skinne was blacke like as an ouen because of the terrible famine.
Strictly literal
Our skin gloweth like an oven, because of the burning heat of the famine.
Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.
Our skin as an oven has been burning, || Because of the raging of the famine.
Our skin gloweth like an oven, because of the heat of famine.
Our skin has grown as hot as an oven because of the burning heat of hunger.
From the Latin
Our skin was burnt as an oven, by reason of the violence of the famine.
Simplified
Our skin is hot like an oven because of the fever caused by hunger.
Our skin is heated like an oven because of our burning heat from need of food.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls largely agree on the wording of this verse, with the scrolls showing partial restoration but maintaining the core message of suffering due to hunger. The Septuagint aligns closely with the Hebrew text, affirming the shared understanding of the lament.
עוֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ כְּתַנּ֣וּר נִכְמָ֔רוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת רָעָֽב׃
5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
עורי׳נו כתנור נכמרו מפני זלפות רעב
4 words on the leather — 2 partly restored.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Lamentations 5:10
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עוֹר (owr) means skin or hide, specifically referring to the skin of humans and the hides of animals. It is derived from a root that implies nakedness. The term appears frequently in the Old Testament, with 55 occurrences related to human skin and 44 to animal hides.
עוֹר 99 n.m. skin
of men (55 t.)
hide of animals (44 t.)
base
H5785 עוֹר skin . of men (55 t.)
. hide of men (44 t.)
5785 `owr ore
from 5783; skin (as naked); by implication, hide,
leather:--hide, leather, skin.
see HEBREW for 05783
עוֹר (or) — skin.
1) skin, hide
1a) skin (of men)
1b) hide (of animals)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bp
תַּנּוּר (tannuwr) refers to a portable stove or fire-pot, encompassing meanings like furnace and oven. It can also symbolize God's wrath or a metaphorical hunger for evil. The word is derived from a root meaning related to fire, and it appears in contexts associated with cooking and divine judgment.
תַּנּוּר n.m. portable stove or fire-pot
base
H8574 תַּנּוּר portable stove or fire-pot
8574 tannuwr tan-noor'
from 5216; a fire-pot:--furnace, oven.
see HEBREW for 05216
תַּנּוּר (tan.nur) — (Tower of) the Ovens.
Combined with mig.dal (מִגְדָּל "Tower" H4026I)
This name means furnace, oven
תַּנּוּר (tan.nur) — oven.
1) furnace, oven, fire-pot, (portable) stove
1a) for cooking
1b) of God's wrath, His furnace (fig)
1c) of hunger, desire for evil
1d) fire-pot
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
uv'-'-n.
See BREAD; FURNACE.
Oven
Heb. tannur, (Hos. 7:4). In towns there appear to have been public ovens. There was a street in Jerusalem (Jer. 37:21) called “bakers’ street” (the only case in which the name of a street in Jerusalem is preserved). The words “tower of the furnaces” (Neh. 3:11; 12:38) is more properly “tower of the ovens” (Heb. tannurim). These resemble the ovens in use among ourselves.
There were other private ovens of different kinds. Some were like large jars made of earthenware or copper, which were heated inside with wood (1 Kings 17:12; Isa. 44:15; Jer. 7:18)…
The eastern oven is of two kinds --fixed and portable. The former is found only in towns, where regular bakers are employed. (Hosea 7:4) The latter ia adapted to the nomad state, it consists of a large jar made of clay, about three feet high and widening toward the bottom, with a hole for the extraction of the ashes. Each household possessed such an article, (Exodus 8:3) and it was only in times of extreme dearth that the same oven sufficed for several families. (Leviticus 26:26) It was heated with dry twigs and grass, (Matthew 6:30) and the loaves were placed both inside and outside of it.
See BREAD.
כָּמַר (kamar) is a Hebrew verb primarily meaning to grow warm or hot, often in an emotional context. It can imply a sense of yearning or being deeply affected by passion, whether love or pity. The entries indicate that it can also suggest a physical reaction, such as shriveling due to heat.
[כָּמַר] vb. Niph. grow warm and tender, be or grow hot
base
H3648 [כָּמַר] Niph. grow warm and tender, be or grow hot
3648 kamar kaw-mar'
a primitive root; properly, to intertwine or contract, i.e.
(by implication) to shrivel (as with heat); figuratively, to
be deeply affected with passion (love or pity):--be black, be
kindled, yearn.
כָּמַר (ka.mar) — to grow warm.
1) to yearn, be kindled, be black (hot), grow warm and tender, be or grow hot, become hot, become emotionally agitated
1a) (Niphal)
1a1) to grow warm and tender
1a2) to be or grow hot
V-Niphal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Niphal · perfect third person common pluralHVNp3cp
The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.
[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces
face, faces
presence, person
technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
face of seraphim
face of animals
face (= surface) of ground
as adv.loc. before
for other phrases
with prepositions
base
H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces
. . presence, person
. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
. face of seraphim
. face of animals
. face (= surface) of ground
. as adv. loc. before
. for other phrases
. with prepositions
6440 paniym paw-neem'
plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh
{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);
used in a great variety of applications (literally and
figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a
preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),
against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),
+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,
face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er
time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +
honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +
meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,
open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,
presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right
forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,
X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.
: before/to/front
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.
: face
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…
Prep | N-cp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural constructHR/Ncmpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
זַלְעָפָה (zal`aphah) refers to a state of intense heat or fervor, often associated with fever, famine, or a burning wind. It conveys a sense of horror or terror as well. The term is derived from another Hebrew root, indicating its connection to consuming or overwhelming conditions.
זַלְעָפָה n.f. raging heat
of fever heat of famine
of burning wind
fig. of zeal
base
H2152 זַלְעָפָה, זִלְעָפָה
2152 zal`aphah zal-aw-faw'
or ziliaphaph {zil-aw-faw'}; from 2196; a glow (of wind or
anger); also a famine (as consuming):--horrible, horror,
terrible.
see HEBREW for 02196
זַלְעָפָה (zal.a.phah) — scorching.
burning heat, raging heat
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural constructHNcfpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
רָעָב (ra`ab) refers to famine and hunger, indicating a lack of food that can affect individuals or entire nations. It is derived from the root meaning to be hungry, and it encompasses both literal and figurative uses, such as famine caused by divine judgment. The entries consistently emphasize its association with severe food scarcity.
רָעָב 101 n.m. famine, hunger
base
H7458 רָעָב famine, hunger
7458 ra`ab raw-awb'
from 7456; hunger (more or less extensive):--dearth,
famine, + famished, hunger.
see HEBREW for 07456
רָעָב (ra.av) — famine.
1) famine, hunger
1a) famine (in land, nation)
1a1) of Jehovah's word (fig)
1b) hunger (of individuals)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
hun'-ger (ra`abh; limos (subs.), peinao (vb.):
(1) The desire for food, a physiological sensation associated with emptiness of the stomach, and dependent on some state of the mucous membrane;
(2) starvation as the effect of want of food, as Ex 16:3; Isa 49:10;
(3) to feel the craving for food as De 8:3; when used to indicate the condition due to general scarcity of food as Jer 38:9; Eze 34:29 it is replaced in the Revised Version (British and American) by "famine." The word is used to express the poverty which follows idleness and sloth (Pr 19:15). The absence of this…