“They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.”
Happier were the slain by the sword than the slain by hunger; for these pine away, pierced by pangs of hunger, for lack of the produce of the field—the verse suggests that death by sword is preferable to death by starvation; those who were quickly killed were more fortunate than those who slowly starve. The comparison suggests different degrees of suffering: sword death is quick, but hunger death is prolonged anguish. Theologically, the verse suggests that not all deaths are equal; prolonged suffering is a particular cruelty. The phrase "pine away" suggests a slow, agonizing process; bodies fail gradually while consciousness persists. The verse expresses the inversion of fortune: those who die quickly are more fortunate than those who die slowly. This challenges the notion that any death in battle is a divine honor; slow death by starvation is worse.
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