Lamentations 5:22

22 But thou casting away hast cast away us; thou art wroth against us greatly. (But thou casting away hath cast us away; thou still hath great anger against us.)

Lamentations 5:22 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 5:22

But thou hast utterly rejected us
That looks as if they had no hope, and were in despair of having their petitions granted; since God had entirely rejected them from being his people, and would never more have mercy on them; but the words may be rendered, "though thou hast in rejecting rejected us" ^F5; or else, "unless thou hast utterly rejected us" ^F6; or rather by an interrogation, "for wilt thou utterly reject", or "despise us?" ^F7 surely thou wilt not; such is thy grace and goodness: thou art very wroth against us;
thou hast been, and still continuest to be: or, "wilt thou be exceeding wroth against us?" ^F8 or continue thy wrath to extremity, and for ever? thou wait not; it is not consistent with, thy mercy and grace, truth and faithfulness; and so it is an argument of faith in prayer, and not an expression of despondency; though the Jews, because they would not have the book end in what is sorrowful and distressing, repeat the foregoing verse; and the like method they take at the end of Ecclesiastes, and the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi, as Jarchi observes.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 (wntoam oam Ma yk) "quamvis detestatione detestatus es nos", Targ.
F6 "Nisi forte repudiando repudiasti nos", Calvin.
F7 "Nam an omnino sperneres nos?" Junius & Tremellius.
F8 (dam-de wnyle tpuq) "effervesceres contra nos admodum?" Junius & Tremellius.

Lamentations 5:22 In-Context

20 Why shalt thou forget us [into] without end, shalt thou forsake us into [the] length of days? (Why hast thou forgotten us for so long, shalt thou abandon us forever?)

21 Lord, convert thou us to thee, and we shall be converted; make thou new our days, as at the beginning. (Lord, turn thou us back to thee, and we shall come back to thee; renew thou our days, like at the beginning.)

22 But thou casting away hast cast away us; thou art wroth against us greatly. (But thou casting away hath cast us away; thou still hath great anger against us.)