### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ṭippuch**, represented by `{{H2949}}`, refers to something being a **span long** or connected to **nursing**. It is a very rare term, appearing only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the entire Bible, making its single usage particularly poignant and specific.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{H2949}}` is found in a lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. In a desperate plea, the prophet asks, "Shall the women eat their fruit, and children **of a span long**?" [[Lamentations 2:20]]. Here, the term is used to emphasize the extreme youth, size, and helplessness of the infant victims of a famine so severe that it led to cannibalism. It paints a visceral picture of the horrific consequences of the city's fall.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words from its context illuminate the scene's tragic nature:
* `{{H398}}` **ʼâkal** (to eat): Defined as a primitive root meaning to eat, consume, or devour. While it can be used for joyful feasting [[Nehemiah 8:10]], in [[Lamentations 2:20]] it describes a horrific act of survival.
* `{{H5768}}` **ʻôwlêl** (babe, (young) child, infant, little one): This word for young children is often found in contexts of extreme vulnerability, such as infants fainting from hunger in the streets [[Lamentations 2:19]] or being targeted in judgment [[Hosea 13:16]].
* `{{H6529}}` **pᵉrîy** (fruit): This word can refer to the literal fruit of a tree [[Genesis 3:6]] or, figuratively, to the consequences of one's actions [[Proverbs 18:21]]. In [[Lamentations 2:20]], it is used metaphorically to describe children, making their consumption by their own mothers a devastating perversion of life.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H2949}}` is derived entirely from its harrowing context in Lamentations.
* **The Depth of Suffering:** The term graphically illustrates the depths of human suffering and desperation under divine judgment. The description of infants as merely a "span long" removes any abstraction and confronts the reader with the raw reality of the tragedy.
* **Inversion of Natural Order:** The concept of "nursing," which is part of the word's root meaning, is grotesquely inverted. A mother's role as a life-giver and nurturer is destroyed, as she is driven to consume her own "fruit" `{{H6529}}`.
* **Symbol of Innocence Lost:** The "children of a span long" represent the most innocent and defenseless in the society, and their fate demonstrates the totality of the catastrophe and the severity of the people's transgressions that led to it.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H2949}}` is a term whose profound impact comes from its singular, shocking use. While it simply means "span long," its placement in [[Lamentations 2:20]] transforms it into a powerful symbol of ultimate suffering, innocence destroyed, and the horrifying consequences of judgment. It stands as a stark reminder of the breakdown of the natural and moral order in the face of overwhelming catastrophe.
TRV