Lamentations 3:16

16 He ground my face into the gravel. He pounded me into the mud.

Lamentations 3:16 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 3:16

He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones
With gritty bread, such as is made of corn ground with new millstones, the grit of which mixes with the flour; or with stony bread, as Seneca ^F14 calls a benefit troublesome to others; with bread that has little stones mixed with it, by eating of which the teeth are broken, as Jarchi observes: the phrase signifies afflictions and troubles, which are very grievous and disagreeable, like gravel in the mouth, as sin in its effects often proves, ( Proverbs 20:17 ) ; he hath covered me with ashes;
as mourners used to be; the word rendered "covered" is only used in this place. Aben Ezra renders it, "he hath defiled me"; and Jarchi and Ben Melech, from the Misnah, "he hath pressed me", without measure; see ( Luke 6:38 ) ; and so the Targum,

``he hath humbled me:''

but the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, render it, "he hath fed me with ashes"; which version is defended by Castel ^F15 and Noldius ^F16, and best agrees with the preceding clause; the sense is the same with ( Psalms 102:9 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 "Pane lapidoso", Seneca De Beneficiis, l. 7.
F15 Lexic. Polyglott, col. 1791.
F16 Concordant. Ebr. Part. p. 168. No. 763.

Lamentations 3:16 In-Context

14 Everyone took me for a joke, made me the butt of their mocking ballads.

15 He forced rotten, stinking food down my throat, bloated me with vile drinks.

16 He ground my face into the gravel. He pounded me into the mud.

17 I gave up on life altogether. I've forgotten what the good life is like.

18 I said to myself, "This is it. I'm finished. God is a lost cause." It's a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God