Lamentations 3:7

7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me;

Lamentations 3:7 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 3:7

He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go out
When in prison, or in the dungeon, or during the siege of Jerusalem; though the phrase may only denote in general the greatness of his troubles, with which he was encompassed, and how inextricable they were; like a hedge about a vineyard, or a wall about a city, which could not easily be got over: he hath made my chain heavy;
his affliction intolerable. It is a metaphor taken from malefactors that have heavy chains put upon their legs, that they may not make their escape out of prison: or, "my brass" {g}; that is, chains, or a chain made of brass; so the Targum,

``he hath made heavy upon my feet fetters of brass.''

FOOTNOTES:

F7 (ytvxn) (calkon mou) Sept. "aes meum, [vel] chalybem meum", Piscator.

Lamentations 3:7 In-Context

5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation;
6 he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.
7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me;
8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;
9 he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.