Lamentations 3:19-66

The Prophet’s Hope

19 Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.

20 Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.

21 Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the loving devotion ^[a] of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.

23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it upon him.

29 Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.

31 For the Lord will not cast us off forever.

32 Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.

33 For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.

34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,

35 to deny a man justice before the Most High,

36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit— of these the Lord does not approve.

God’s Justice

37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?

38 Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?

39 Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?

40 Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:

42 “We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.”

43 You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.

44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.

45 You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.

46 All our enemies open their mouths against us.

47 Panic and pitfall have come upon us— devastation and destruction.

48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,

50 until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.

51 My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

52 Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.

53 They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.

54 The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.

55 I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit.

56 You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”

57 You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”

58 You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.

59 You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!

60 You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.

61 O LORD, You have heard their insults, all their plots against me—

62 the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.

63 When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.

64 You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.

65 Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!

66 You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.

Lamentations 3:19-66 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 3

This chapter is a complaint and lamentation like the former, and on the same subject, only the prophet mixes his own afflictions and distresses with the public calamities; or else he represents the church in her complaints; and some have thought him to be a type of Christ throughout the whole; to whom various things may be applied. It is indeed written in a different form from the other chapters, in another sort of metre; and though in an alphabetical manner as the rest, yet with this difference, that three verses together begin with the same letter; so that the alphabet is gone through three times in it. Here is first a complaint of the afflictions of the prophet, and of the people, expressed by a rod, by darkness, by wormwood and gall, and many other things; and especially by the Lord's appearing against them as an enemy, in a most severe and terrible manner; shutting out their prayer; being as a bear and lion to them; and giving them up to the cruelty and scorn of their enemies, La 3:1-21; then follows some comfort taken by them, from the mercy, faithfulness, and goodness of God; from the usefulness of patience in bearing afflictions; and from the end of God in laying them upon men; and from the providence of God, by which all things are ordered, La 3:22-38; wherefore, instead of complaining, it would be better, it is suggested, to attend to the duties of examination of their ways, and of repentance, and of prayer, La 3:39-41; and a particular prayer is directed to, in which confession of sin is made, and their miseries deplored, by reason of the hidings of God's face, and the insults of their enemies, La 3:42-47; and then the prophet expresses his sympathy with his people under affliction, and declares what he himself met with from his enemies, La 3:48-54; and relates bow he called upon the Lord, and he heard and delivered him, La 3:55-58; and concludes with a request that he would judge his cause, and avenge him on enemies, La 3:59-66.

Footnotes

• [a] Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.