Although famine had prevailed in Judah and Jerusalem before Jerusalem fell (see Jeremiah 37:21), the focus here is on the aftermath of the siege – the current situation as described in Lamentations. The people who remained in the country now suffered from a lack of bread. (This is also evident from Lamentations 1:4, which refers to the groaning of the priests.)
The surrounding farmlands were destroyed by the Babylonians. The farm labourers were either killed or captured.1 Therefore, the scarcity of food continued. While everyone was groan[ing],
some still had resources or treasures
to purchase food to survive.
The Hebrew verb forms (present participles) indicate something taking place in the present.2 The participles also express an indefinite state. So the famine brought upon by the siege continued. It is this continued state of affairs that is described.3
11 All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. “Look, O LORD, and see, for I am despised.”