Lamentations 3:7

7 ¹He has walled me about so that ²I cannot escape; he has made my chains 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.''

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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 made my chains heavy;

8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;

9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.

Cross References

• 1. 3:7 Job 19:8
• 2. 3:7 Ps. 88:8