Lamentations 3:7

7 He has 1walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my 2chain heavy.

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 encompassed me with bitterness and hardship.
6 In dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead.
7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Job 3:23; Job 19:8
  • 2. Jeremiah 40:4

Footnotes 1

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.