NETBible | ט (Tet) Those who died by the sword 1 are better off than those who die of hunger, 2 those who 3 waste away, 4 struck down 5 from lack of 6 food. 7 |
NIV © |
Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. |
NASB © |
Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field. |
NLT © |
Those killed by the sword are far better off than those who die of hunger, wasting away for want of food. |
MSG © |
Better to have been killed in battle than killed by starvation. Better to have died of battle wounds than to slowly starve to death. |
BBE © |
Those who have been put to the sword are better off than those whose death is caused by need of food; for these come to death slowly, burned up like the fruit of the field. |
NRSV © |
Happier were those pierced by the sword than those pierced by hunger, whose life drains away, deprived of the produce of the field. |
NKJV © |
Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. |
KJV | [They that be] slain <02491> with the sword <02719> are better <02896> than [they that be] slain <02491> with hunger <07458>_: for these <01992> pine away <02100> (8799)_, stricken <01856> (8794) through for [want of] the fruits <08570> of the field <07704>_. {pine...: Heb. flow out} |
NASB © |
Better <2896> are those slain <2491> with the sword <2719> Than <4480> those slain <2491> with hunger <7458> ; For they pine <2100> away <2100> , being stricken <1856> For lack of the fruits <8570> of the field .<7706> |
LXXM | kaloi <2570> A-NPM hsan <1510> V-IAI-3P oi <3588> T-NPM traumatiai {N-NPM} romfaiav {N-GSF} h <2228> CONJ oi <3588> T-NPM traumatiai {N-NPM} limou <3042> N-GSM eporeuyhsan <4198> V-API-3P ekkekenthmenoi {V-RMPNP} apo <575> PREP genhmatwn {N-GPN} agrwn <68> N-GPM |
NET [draft] ITL | ט(Tet) Those who died <02491> by the sword <02719> are better off <02896> than those who die <02491> of hunger <07458> , those <01992> who waste away <02100> , struck down <01856> from lack of food <07704> <08570> |
HEBREW | o ydv <07704> tbwntm <08570> Myrqdm <01856> wbwzy <02100> Mhs <01992> ber <07458> yllxm <02491> brx <02719> yllx <02491> wyh <01961> Mybwj (4:9) <02896> |
NETBible | ט (Tet) Those who died by the sword 1 are better off than those who die of hunger, 2 those who 3 waste away, 4 struck down 5 from lack of 6 food. 7 |
NET Notes |
1 tn Heb “those pierced of the sword.” The genitive-construct denotes instrumentality: “those pierced by the sword” (חַלְלֵי־חֶרֶב, khalle-kherev). The noun חָלָל (khalal) refers to a “fatal wound” and is used substantivally to refer to “the slain” (Num 19:18; 31:8, 19; 1 Sam 17:52; 2 Sam 23:8, 18; 1 Chr 11:11, 20; Isa 22:2; 66:16; Jer 14:18; 25:33; 51:49; Lam 4:9; Ezek 6:7; 30:11; 31:17, 18; 32:20; Zeph 2:12). 2 tn Heb “those slain of hunger.” The genitive-construct denotes instrumentality: “those slain by hunger,” that is, those who are dying of hunger. 3 tn Heb “who…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun שֶׁהֵם (shehem, “who”) are those dying of hunger in the previous line: מֵחַלְלֵי רָעָב (mekhalle ra’av, “those slain of hunger”). 4 tn Heb “they flow away.” The verb זוּב (zuv, “to flow, gush”) is used figuratively here, meaning “to pine away” or “to waste away” from hunger. See also the next note. 5 tn Heb “pierced through and through.” The term מְדֻקָּרִים (mÿduqqarim), Pual participle masculine plural from דָּקַר (daqar, “to pierce”), is used figuratively. The verb דָּקַר (daqar, “to pierce”) usually refers to a fatal wound inflicted by a sword or spear (Num 25:8; Judg 9:54; 1 Sam 31:4; 1 Chr 10:4; Isa 13:15; Jer 37:10; 51:4; Zech 12:10; 13:3). Here, it describes people dying from hunger. This is an example of hypocatastasis: an implied comparison between warriors being fatally pierced by sword and spear and the piercing pangs of hunger and starvation. Alternatively “those who hemorrhage (זוּב [zuv, “flow, gush”]) [are better off] than those pierced by lack of food” in parallel to the structure of the first line. 6 tn The preposition מִן (min, “from”) denotes deprivation: “from lack of” something (BDB 580 s.v. 2.f; HALOT 598 s.v. 6). 7 tn Heb “produce of the field.” |