Lamentations 3

Great Is Your Faithfulness

1 ¹I am the man who has seen affliction under the ²rod of his wrath;

2 he has driven and brought me ³into darkness without any light;

3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.

4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; ⁴he has broken my bones;

5 ⁵he has besieged and enveloped me with ⁶bitterness and tribulation;

6 ⁷he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.

7 ⁸He has walled me about so that ⁹I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy;

8 though ¹⁰I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;

9 ¹¹he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.

10 ¹²He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding;

11 ¹³he turned aside my steps and ¹⁴tore me to pieces; ¹⁵he has made me desolate;

12 ¹⁶he bent his bow ¹⁷and set me as a target for his arrow.

13 He drove into my kidneys ¹⁸the arrows of his quiver;

14 ¹⁹I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, ²⁰the object of their taunts all day long.

15 ²¹He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with ²²wormwood.

16 ²³He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and ²⁴made me cower in ashes;

17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness^[a] is;

18 ²⁵so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD."

19 ²⁶Remember my affliction and my wanderings, ²⁷the wormwood and ²⁸the gall!

20 My soul continually remembers it ²⁹and is bowed down within me.

21 But this I call to mind, and ³⁰therefore I have hope:

22 ³¹The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;^{[b] 32}his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new ³³every morning; ³⁴great is your faithfulness.

24 ³⁵"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, ³⁶"therefore I will hope in him."

25 The LORD is good to those who ³⁷wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

26 ³⁸It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

27 ³⁹It is good for a man that he bear the yoke ⁴⁰in his youth.

28 Let him ⁴¹sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;

29 ⁴²let him put his mouth in the dust-- there may yet be hope;

30 ⁴³let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.

31 ⁴⁴For the Lord will not cast off forever,

32 but, though he ⁴⁵cause grief, ⁴⁶he will have compassion ⁴⁷according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

33 ⁴⁸for he does not willingly afflict or ⁴⁹grieve the children of men.

34 To crush underfoot all ⁵⁰the prisoners of the earth,

35 ⁵¹to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High,

36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit, ⁵²the Lord does not approve.

37 ⁵³Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?

38 ⁵⁴Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

39 ⁵⁵Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us test and examine our ways, ⁵⁶and return to the LORD!

41 ⁵⁷Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven:

42 ⁵⁸"We have transgressed and ⁵⁹rebelled, and you have not forgiven.

43 "You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, ⁶⁰killing without pity;

44 ⁶¹you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.

45 ⁶²You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples.

46 ⁶³"All our enemies open their mouths against us;

47 ⁶⁴panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and ⁶⁵destruction;

48 ⁶⁶my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 ⁶⁷"My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite,

50 ⁶⁸until the LORD from heaven looks down and sees;

51 my eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

52 ⁶⁹"I have been hunted ⁷⁰like a bird by those who were my enemies ⁷¹without cause;

53 ⁷²they flung me alive into the pit ⁷³and cast stones on me;

54 ⁷⁴water closed over my head; I said, ⁷⁵'I am lost.'

55 ⁷⁶"I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit;

56 ⁷⁷you heard my plea, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help!'

57 ⁷⁸You came near when I called on you; you said, ⁷⁹'Do not fear!'

58 "You have ⁸⁰taken up my cause, ⁸¹O Lord; you have ⁸²redeemed my life.

59 You have seen the wrong done to me, ⁸³O LORD; judge my cause.

60 You have seen all their vengeance, all ⁸⁴their plots against me.

61 ⁸⁵"You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all ⁸⁶their plots against me.

62 The lips and thoughts ⁸⁷of my assailants are against me all the day long.

63 ⁸⁸Behold their sitting and their rising; ⁸⁹I am the object of their taunts.

64 ⁹⁰"You will repay them,^[c] O LORD, ⁹¹according to the work of their hands.

65 You will give them^[d] dullness of heart; your curse will be^[e] on them.

66 You will pursue them^[f] in anger and ⁹²destroy them from under ⁹³your heavens, O LORD."^[g]

Lamentations 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

The faithful lament their calamities, and hope in God's mercies.

Verses 1-20 The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. It was an affliction that was misery itself; for sin makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. The struggle between unbelief and faith is often very severe. But the weakest believer is wrong, if he thinks that his strength and hope are perished from the Lord.

Verses 21-36 Having stated his distress and temptation, the prophet shows how he was raised above it. Bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse. We should observe what makes for us, as well as what is against us. God's compassions fail not; of this we have fresh instances every morning. Portions on earth are perishing things, but God is a portion for ever. It is our duty, and will be our comfort and satisfaction, to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord. Afflictions do and will work very much for good: many have found it good to bear this yoke in their youth; it has made many humble and serious, and has weaned them from the world, who otherwise would have been proud and unruly. If tribulation work patience, that patience will work experience, and that experience a hope that makes not ashamed. Due thoughts of the evil of sin, and of our own sinfulness, will convince us that it is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. If we cannot say with unwavering voice, The Lord is my portion; may we not say, I desire to have Him for my portion and salvation, and in his word do I hope? Happy shall we be, if we learn to receive affliction as laid upon us by the hand of God.

Verses 37-41 While there is life there is hope; and instead of complaining that things are bad, we should encourage ourselves with the hope they will be better. We are sinful men, and what we complain of, is far less than our sins deserve. We should complain to God, and not of him. We are apt, in times of calamity, to reflect on other people's ways, and blame them; but our duty is to search and try our own ways, that we may turn from evil to God. Our hearts must go with our prayers. If inward impressions do not answer to outward expressions, we mock God, and deceive ourselves.

Verses 42-54 The more the prophet looked on the desolations, the more he was grieved. Here is one word of comfort. While they continued weeping, they continued waiting; and neither did nor would expect relief and succour from any but the Lord.

Verses 55-66 Faith comes off conqueror, for in these verses the prophet concludes with some comfort. Prayer is the breath of the new man, drawing in the air of mercy in petitions, and returning it in praises; it proves and maintains the spiritual life. He silenced their fears, and quieted their spirits. Thou saidst, Fear not. This was the language of God's grace, by the witness of his Spirit with their spirits. And what are all our sorrows, compared with those of the Redeemer? He will deliver his people from every trouble, and revive his church from every persecution. He will save believers with everlasting salvation, while his enemies perish with everlasting destruction.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 20:18
• 2. Psalms 2:9
• 3. Isaiah 5:30
• 4. Psalms 51:8; Isaiah 38:13; Jeremiah 50:17
• 5. [Job 19:12]
• 6. ver. 19; Deuteronomy 29:18
• 7. Psalms 143:3
• 8. Job 19:8
• 9. Psalms 88:8
• 10. Job 19:7; Job 30:20; Psalms 22:2
• 11. [See ver. 7 above]
• 12. See Hosea 13:8
• 13. [Jeremiah 18:15]
• 14. [See ver. 10 above]
• 15. Lamentations 1:13
• 16. Lamentations 2:4
• 17. [Job 16:12]
• 18. Job 6:4; Psalms 38:2
• 19. See Jeremiah 20:7
• 20. ver. 63; Job 30:9; Psalms 69:12
• 21. [Isaiah 51:17, 21]
• 22. Jeremiah 9:15
• 23. [Proverbs 20:17]
• 24. See Jeremiah 6:26
• 25. [Psalms 9:18]
• 26. [Lamentations 1:9, 11, 20]
• 27. [See ver. 15 above]
• 28. ver. 5
• 29. Psalms 42:6; Psalms 44:25
• 30. [Psalms 42:5, 11]
• 31. [Malachi 3:6]
• 32. [Malachi 3:6]
• 33. Job 7:18
• 34. Psalms 36:5
• 35. Psalms 16:5; Psalms 73:26
• 36. [See ver. 21 above]
• 37. Psalms 130:6; [Isaiah 30:18]
• 38. Psalms 130:5, 7; Micah 7:7
• 39. [Matthew 11:29]
• 40. [Ecclesiastes 12:1]
• 41. Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 2:10; Isaiah 3:26
• 42. Job 42:6
• 43. Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 5:39
• 44. Psalms 103:9
• 45. Lamentations 1:5
• 46. Psalms 103:8
• 47. Psalms 106:45
• 48. [Hebrews 12:6, 10]
• 49. [Hebrews 12:11]
• 50. [Psalms 107:10]
• 51. [Habakkuk 1:13]
• 52. [See ver. 35 above]
• 53. [Psalms 33:9]
• 54. Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6
• 55. Proverbs 19:3
• 56. Joel 2:12, 13
• 57. Psalms 25:1; Psalms 119:48
• 58. See Daniel 9:5
• 59. Psalms 78:17
• 60. Lamentations 2:2, 17, 21
• 61. ver. 8; [Lamentations 2:1]
• 62. [1 Corinthians 4:13]
• 63. Lamentations 2:16, 17
• 64. Isaiah 24:17; Jeremiah 48:43
• 65. Isaiah 51:19
• 66. Lamentations 1:16; See Jeremiah 13:17
• 67. [See ver. 48 above]
• 68. Psalms 14:2; Isaiah 63:15
• 69. Lamentations 4:18
• 70. Psalms 11:1
• 71. See Psalms 35:19
• 72. Jeremiah 37:16; Jeremiah 38:6, 9, 10
• 73. [Daniel 6:17]
• 74. Psalms 69:2
• 75. Psalms 88:5; [Ezekiel 37:11]
• 76. Psalms 130:1
• 77. [Psalms 130:2]
• 78. [James 4:8]
• 79. See Joshua 1:9
• 80. Psalms 119:154
• 81. [1 Samuel 24:15]
• 82. Psalms 119:154
• 83. Psalms 35:22, 23
• 84. See Jeremiah 11:19
• 85. Lamentations 5:1
• 86. [See ver. 60 above]
• 87. Psalms 18:39, 48
• 88. [Psalms 139:2]
• 89. See ver. 14
• 90. See Jeremiah 11:20
• 91. Psalms 28:4; [2 Timothy 4:14]
• 92. [Deuteronomy 25:19; Jeremiah 10:11]
• 93. Psalms 8:3

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew good
• [b]. Syriac, Targum; Hebrew Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off
• [c]. Or Repay them
• [d]. Or Give them
• [e]. Or place your curse
• [f]. Or Pursue them
• [g]. Syriac (compare Septuagint, Vulgate); Hebrew the heavens of the Lord

Chapter Summary

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.