The answer is: Boiled and ate them

Lam 4:10

In the haunting verses of Lamentations, we encounter the shattering consequences of despair and desperation encountered by the people during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. While it’s easy to view this as a distant tragedy, it beckons us to ponder the depths of human survival instinct when faced with annihilation. Imagine the siege as a societal breakdown, where food supplies diminish and moral lines blur under unfathomable stress. This text trifles with our perception of civilization, pushing us to reckon with the humanity eroded in extreme circumstances.

Interestingly, throughout history, other accounts echo similar circumstances across various cultures and eras where siege conditions pushed survival thresholds to the breaking point. Such acts remind us just how fragile and precious life can be, historically underscored by different severe famines that led to chilling acts of desperation documented not just in biblical times but in moments as recent as the Great Famine in Ireland or the Siege of Leningrad in World War II.

And if we peel back into biblical referees of maternity and compassion, mothers figure prominently—the ones who navigate cries and caring. To imagine such figures reduced to the harshest measures nudges us profoundly. Still, positivity shines forth through double-edged suffering; those extreme depths can awaken advocates for peace and empathy, compelling the generations that followed to value life and humanity in light of dire survival counts. The memory of past horrors can empower today's conversations about preventing human suffering and improving civil well-being, urging kindness even towards those stratified by hardship and despair.