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LAMENTATIONS 3

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

*BRIEF OUTLINE

1. God's wrath, Lam. 3:1-18
   
   
2. Hope in God's love and faithfulness, Lam. 3:19-38
   
   
3. Awareness of sin, both personal and corporate, Lam. 2:39-42
   
   
4. Sin's consequences, Lam. 3:43-54
   
   
5. Call for help and vengeance on the invaders, Lam. 3:55-66
   

*I do not remember where I got this outline, or if I wrote it.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. This lament does not mention specifically the fall of Jerusalem or the Temple (unless Lam. 3:5 is literal and not idiomatic).
   
   
2. It is a person speaking on behalf of the feelings of the nation.

   This is where many commentators see this chapter reflecting the life of Jeremiah ("I," "my," "a man"), as well as the troubles of Judah ("us" of Lam. 3:40-48).

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:1-18
 ¹I am the man who has seen affliction
 Because of the rod of His wrath.
 ²He has driven me and made me walk
 In darkness and not in light.
 ³Surely against me He has turned His hand
 Repeatedly all the day.
 ⁴He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away,
 He has broken my bones.
 ⁵He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship.
 ⁶In dark places He has made me dwell,
 Like those who have long been dead.
 ⁷He has walled me in so that I cannot go out;
 He has made my chain heavy.
 ⁸Even when I cry out and call for help,
 He shuts out my prayer.
 ⁹He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;
 He has made my paths crooked.
 ¹⁰He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
 Like a lion in secret places.
 ¹¹He has turned aside my ways and torn me to pieces;
 He has made me desolate.
 ¹²He bent His bow
 And set me as a target for the arrow.
 ¹³He made the arrows of His quiver
 To enter into my inward parts.
 ¹⁴I have become a laughingstock to all my people,
 Their mocking song all the day.
 ¹⁵He has filled me with bitterness,
 He has made me drunk with wormwood.
 ¹⁶He has broken my teeth with gravel;
 He has made me cower in the dust.
 ¹⁷My soul has been rejected from peace;
 I have forgotten happiness.
 ¹⁸So I say, "My strength has perished,
 And so has my hope from the Lord."

3:1-18 The author expresses his personal pain, yet faith in YHWH, in the first verses of this acrostic lament. See Brief Outline at the beginning of the chapter.

3:1 "affliction" Usually this NOUN (BDB 777) is used of the rich oppressing the poor, but here it is YHWH chastising His faithless community by Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C.

▣ "rod" This was a shepherd's rod (BDB 986) used for discipline (i.e., 2 Sam. 7:14; Job 9:34; 21:9; Ps. 2:9; 89:30-37; Pro. 10:13; 13:24; 22:15; 23:13,14; 26:3; 29:15). Here it refers to national affliction of YHWH's people by pagan nations invading the Promised Land.

1. Assyria ‒ Isa. 10:5; 30:31
2. Babylon ‒ Jer. 50:23; 51:20; Habakkuk 1-2

Eschatologically the imagery is used of the reign of Messiah (cf. Ps. 2:9; Isa. 11:4; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15).

▣ "wrath" In Lamentations this is always YHWH's wrath (BDB 720, cf. Ps. 78:49; 85:3; 90:9,11; Isa. 9:19; 10:6; 13:9,13; 14:6; 16:6; Jer. 7:29; 48:30; Lam. 2:2; Ezek. 7:19; 21:31; 22:21,31; 38:19; Hos. 5:10; 13:11; Amos 1:1; Hab. 3:8; Zeph. 1:15,18).

SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN

3:2 "driven" This VERB (BDB 624, KB 675, Qal PERFECT) is often used of driving animals. This pastoral imagery is reenforced by the use of "rod" in Lam. 3:16.

However, in a non-judgment context, the VERB can be used positively of God's leadership (i.e., Ps. 23:2; Isa. 49:10; 63:14). God's people are depicted as His sheep!

The VERB is also used of prisoners being led away to exile and slavery (cf. 1 Sam. 30:2; Isa. 20:4). In some places it is the Lord Himself to whom the exile is attributed (cf. Deut. 4:27; 28:27).

▣ "walk" This is a biblical idiom for daily life.

▣ "In darkness and not in light" This imagery could refer to

1. depression of one's spirit, cf. Ps. 143:2-4
2. Sheol, cf. Lam. 3:6,53; Job 10:21-22; 17:13; 18:18; Ps. 88:11-12
3. no wisdom or knowledge of God, resulting in judgment, Job 5:14; 12:25; 38:15; Amos 5:18-20

SPECIAL TOPIC: SHEOL

3:3 The author accuses YHWH of attacking him continually (Lam. 3:3b).

This verse has two words for "turn" (lit. "he returns, he turns," BDB 996, BDB 245), which, like the IMPERFECT VERB, expresses repeated actions.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND

3:4 The verse is physical imagery for a depressed spirit (cf. Ps. 31:9-10; 38:2-8).

1. flesh to waste away
2. skin to waste away
3. bones broken (cf. Ps. 32:3; 102:3-5)

Like Lam. 3:2, this may refer to Sheol, implying the author was at the point of death (cf. Lam. 3:6).

▣ "He has broken my bones" Bones (BDB 782) are used (4 times in Lamentations) in several senses.

1. positively
   1. physical strength or health ‒ Job 20:11; 21:23-24; Pro. 3:8; 15:30; Isa. 58:11; 66:14; Lam. 4:7
   2. divine protection ‒ Ps. 34:19-20; 35:9-10
2. negatively
   1. shaking bones as symbol of fear ‒ Job 4:14; Jer. 23:9; Hab. 3:16
   2. emotional or physical pain ‒ Job 30:17,30; 33:19; Ps. 31:10; 32:3; 42:10; Lam. 1:13
   3. illness ‒ Job 19:20; 33:21; Ps. 6:2; 38:3; 102:5; Lam. 3:4; 4:8
   4. divine judgment ‒ Ps. 51:8; Isa. 38:13; Lam. 3:4
   5. divine defeat ‒ Ps. 53:5; 141:7; Jer. 8:1-2; Ezek 6:5

3:5 "He has besieged me" YHWH has "besieged" (BDB 124, KB 139, Qal PERFECT) the author's spirit, as Babylon had besieged and "encompassed" (BDB 668, KB 722, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw) Jerusalem. No way of escape!

The NJB translates Lam. 3:5 with an emendation as "He has besieged me and made hardship a circlet round my head," which follows the LXX. See UBS Text Project, p. 343.

▣ "and encompassed me" This VERB (BDB 668, KB 722, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw) basically means "to surround." Here it may be

1. parallel to besiege (i.e., surrounding a city)
2. the VERB is used in imagery of enclosure
   1. nets ‒ Job 19:6
   2. dogs ‒ Ps. 22:16
   3. water ‒ Ps. 88:17
   4. bitterness ‒ Lam. 3:5
3. similar imagery using (BDB 685)
   1. the wicked ‒ Ps. 17:11
   2. bulls ‒ Ps. 22:12
   3. the nations ‒ Ps. 118:10-12

▣ "bitterness" This (BDB 912) refers to a bitter, poisonous herb (cf. Deut. 29:18; 32:32,33; Ps. 69:21; Jer. 8:14; 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:19; Amos 6:12).

The JPSOA emends the word to read "misery." The AB, p. 54, suggests "poverty" (cf. Pro. 6:11; 30:8).

▣ "hardship" This (BDB 521) means "a weariness," "a burden," "a hardship," here caused by foreign invaders.

1. Assyria ‒ Neh. 9:32
2. Babylon ‒ Lam. 3:5

It is used in Exod. 18:8; Num. 20:14 for the problem with the nations during the exodus and wilderness wandering period.

3:6 See notes at "darkness" in Lam. 3:2. This verse is very much like Ps. 143:3.

3:7 "He has walled me in" This is similar imagery to "narrow places" in Lam. 1:3; see notes there.

Jerusalem thought their walls would protect them but they were "walled in" by YHWH Himself to destruction.

3:8 The imagery of walls or barriers continues, from the physical wall to the emotional walls. The author feels there is a wall to his prayer (cf. Lam. 3:44; Job 3:23; 19:8; Ps. 18:41; 22:2; Pro. 1:28; Jer. 7:16).

The usual imagery for this is "hide Your face" (cf. Job 19:7; 30:20; Ps. 13:1; 22:1; 44:24; 88:14; 89:46; Isa. 59:2; Hab. 1:2).

3:9 The imagery of a wall or blocked road continues. The author feels abandoned and unheard by God.

3:10-11 God not only has blocked and made difficult his life, He has become as an animal attacker (cf. Isa. 38:13; Jer. 15:3; Hos. 13:8). This imagery occurs often.

1. bear (BDB 179, cf. Isa. 59:11)
2. lion (BDB 71, cf. Job 16:9,12; Ps. 10:9; 22:13

They often appear together, cf. 1 Sam. 17:34,36,37; Pro. 28:15; Amos 5:19.

The VERB "lying in wait" (BDB 70, KB 83, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is usually used of the wicked ambushing faithful followers (cf. Ps. 10:8,9; 17:12; 64:4), but only here is it used of God ambushing.

God, the great shepherd (Psalm 23), is now the attacker. This was the predicted action of covenant disobedience (cf. Lev. 26:22; Deut. 32:24c). The instrument of protection, "the rod" (Lam. 3:1), has been replaced with the imagery of the very animal it once protected. What powerful, horrible imagery!

SPECIAL TOPIC: LIONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

3:11 "He has turned aside my ways" This is the only occurrence of the Polel stem of this VERB (BDB 693, KB 747). Robert Gondis, in his commentary, pp. 176-177, suggests an emendation

from סור ‒ "turn aside" (VERB)

to סיר ‒ "thorn" (BDB 696 II, a NOUN, cf. Hos. 2:8)

The resulting translation would be "He has hedged my way with thorns" (similar imagery in Lam. 3:7).

This seems a good possibility to me because of the strong language of Lam. 3:3-10, 12-18.

▣ "torn me to pieces" This VERB (BDB 832, KB 979, Piel IMPERFECT with waw) occurs only here. What does it mean?

1. If one connects it to an animal attack (lion, bear), then NASB fits.
2. If one compares it to trying to push through a hedge of thorns, then "shredded me to pieces" fits well (Gondis' emendation).

▣ "He has made me desolate" Desolate (BDB 1030, NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 169, #5) denotes the author's sense of being deserted and abandoned by YHWH. What a hopeless and terrible feeling!

Notice the use of the root

1. Jerusalem's gateways desolate ‒ Lam. 1:4
2. the author himself, Lam. 1:3; 3:11
3. the author's children, Lam. 1:16
4. the wealthy of Jerusalem, Lam. 4:5
5. Mount Zion, Lam. 5:18 (cf. Jer. 12:11)

3:12-13 YHWH is depicted as "the Divine Warrior" (cf. Isa. 59:17). Normally He fights on Israel/Judah's behalf but now He fights against them (i.e., Holy War reversal).

Divine arrows are depicted as

1. instruments of Holy War on Israel's behalf ‒ Ps. 18:14; 45:5; 144:5-8; Hab. 3:8-15
2. judgment for sinners ‒ Deut. 32:24-25; Ps. 38:2-3

3:12 "set me as a target" Wow! This is powerful imagery (cf. Job 7:20; 16:12-13). The imagery of arrows hitting their mark is found in Ps. 38:2; Lam. 2:4. YHWH has become an enemy (reversal of Holy War) and He is a good archer!

3:13 "arrows" This is literally the typical Hebrew idiom using "son of. . ." (BDB 129 CONSTRUCT BDB 80).

▣ "inward parts" This is literally "kidneys" (BDB 480). See notes on "liver" (BDB 458) at Lam. 2:11 (cf. Job 16:13). All of the inward organs were viewed as the seat of emotions (cf. Ps. 73:21; Pro. 23:16).

3:14 "laughingstock" If Jeremiah is the author, he mentions this very thing in Jer. 20:7. This was not a minor issue to ANE people (cf. Lam. 1:7; Ps. 22:6,7; 123:3-4; Lam. 3:63).

SPECIAL TOPIC: SHAME

▣ "mocking song" This is paralleled in Lam. 3:63; Job 30:9; Ps. 69:12. He/they have become a joke (cf. Job 12:4; 30:1).

The UBS Text Project, p. 344, gives the NASB translation a "B" rating (some doubt). The JPSOA translation seems justified in light of the ridicule by the surrounding nations. The author himself stands for the nation (cf. Lam. 2:15-16).

3:15 "bitterness. . .wormwood" These were poisonous (cf. Job 20:14; Jer. 9:14; 23:15). In this context they refer to "bitterness" (i.e., of one's soul).

Notice the VERBS used.

1. filled ‒ BDB 959, KB 1302, Hiphil PERFECT, cf. Lam. 3:30; Jer. 31:14; 44:17; 46:10; 50:10,19
2. sated ‒ BDB 924, KB 1194, Hiphil PERFECT, cf. Jer. 31:14,25; 46:10

They are used together, here and in Jer. 31:14; 46:10.

3:16 This verse is difficult to interpret because the VERBS are rare.

1. crushed ‒ BDB 176, KB 203, found only here and Ps. 119:20
2. cower ‒ BDB 499, KB 495, only here

The imagery of judgment as damaged teeth is also found in Job 4:10; Ps. 3:7; 58:6; Pro. 20:17. It could refer to

1. eating bread with grit in it (cf. Pro. 20:17, i.e., traveling to exile or sweeping up the last few grains during famine to bake bread)
2. pushing one's face into the ground (idiom of defeat and submission)

3:17 "soul" This is the Hebrew nephesh (BDB 659), which denotes the whole person; see notes online at Ezek. 18:4.

There are two other words used in this lament which refer to a person.

1. adam (BDB 149), cf. Lam. 3:39
2. "life" (BDB 313), cf. Lam. 3:53,58

▣ "has been rejected from peace" The LXX makes YHWH the subject who acts on the author, following Lam. 3:4-16.

▣ "peace" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SPECIAL TOPIC: SHALOM (peace).

This term (BDB 375) has several connotations.

1. peace and prosperity (paralleled with peace, as here) ‒ Deut. 23:6; Ezra 9:12
2. part of "cursings and blessings" of Deut. 28:11; 30:9
3. prosperity and happiness ‒ Eccl. 7:14
4. good ‒ Eccl. 6:6; Jer. 18:20; 24:6; 32:42
5. welfare ‒ Neh. 2:10
6. often contrasted "evil not good" ‒ Jer. 21:10; 39:16; 44:27

3:18 The author had lost all

1. strength or endurance (BDB 664)
2. hope (BDB 404), cf. Lam. 3:21; Ps. 39:7; Pro. 10:28; 11:7

Thank God for Lam. 3:18,21,24,29 (BDB 876, cf. Jer. 31:17)! Because of God's unchanging character (cf. Mal. 3:6), there will be hope.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

▣ "hope" The root "wait"/"hope" is used several times in this context.

1. Lam. 3:18, the NOUN "hope" ‒ BDB 404, cf. Ps. 39:8
2. Lam. 3:21, VERB ‒ BDB 403, KB 407, Hiphil IMPERFECT, cf. 2 Kgs. 6:33; Job 32:11; Ps. 38:15; 42:5,11; 43:5; 130:5; Mic. 7:7
3. Lam. 3:24 ‒ same as #2
4. Lam. 3:26, ADJECTIVE (BDB 404) used as a VERB, found only here

Hope/wait expresses a faith worldview that trusts in YHWH's mercy and limited anger (cf. Ps. 103:8-14; 130:5-8).

▣ "the Lord" The title for God, YHWH, appears in Lam. 3:1-18 only in verse 18. Its absence in 3:1-18 may be due to

1. its poetic, acrostic needs
2. its adding to the author's sense of being abandoned by God

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:19-39
 ¹⁹Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
 ²⁰Surely my soul remembers
 And is bowed down within me.
 ²¹This I recall to my mind,
 Therefore I have hope.
 ²²The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
 For His compassions never fail.
 ²³They are new every morning;
 Great is Your faithfulness.
 ²⁴"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
 "Therefore I have hope in Him."
 ²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
 To the person who seeks Him.
 ²⁶It is good that he waits silently
 For the salvation of the Lord.
 ²⁷It is good for a man that he should bear
 The yoke in his youth.
 ²⁸Let him sit alone and be silent
 Since He has laid it on him.
 ²⁹Let him put his mouth in the dust,
 Perhaps there is hope.
 ³⁰Let him give his cheek to the smiter,
 Let him be filled with reproach.
 ³¹For the Lord will not reject forever,
 ³²For if He causes grief,
 Then He will have compassion
 According to His abundant lovingkindness.
 ³³For He does not afflict willingly
 Or grieve the sons of men.
 ³⁴To crush under His feet
 All the prisoners of the land,
 ³⁵To deprive a man of justice
 In the presence of the Most High,
 ³⁶To defraud a man in his lawsuit—
 Of these things the Lord does not approve.
 ³⁷Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
 Unless the Lord has commanded it?
 ³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
 That both good and ill go forth?
 ³⁹Why should any living mortal, or any man,
 Offer complaint in view of his sins?

3:19-38 This begins a new topic in the lament.

3:19 "Remember" This IMPERATIVE (BDB 269, KB 269, Qal IMPERATIVE or INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT, LXX) could refer to

1. the author himself (Lam. 3:20a; 21a implies the author)
2. YHWH, "He" of Lam. 3:2-17

Notice the things to be remembered.

1. my affliction (BDB 777, cf. Lam. 3:1)
2. my wandering (BDB 924, REB); in Lam. 1:7 and Isa. 58:7 it refers to homelessness (NRSV), but here possibly to restless straying; JPSOA translates it as "misery" to match the first NOUN, "a distress" (BDB 777)
3. wormwood ‒ BDB 542, cf. Lam. 3:15
4. bitterness ‒ BDB 912, cf. Lam. 3:5

3:20 "Surely my soul remembers" This is an intensified grammatical structure, an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 269, KB 269).

What is to be remembered is stated in Lam. 3:22-26.

The Masoretic scholars suggest the Hiphil stem (Qere), which means "be depressed," but the Qal stem (MT, BDB 1001) means "sink down" or "bow down." UBS Text Project, p. 346, gives it a "C" rating (considerable doubt).

3:21-26 The NASB Study Bible, p. 1151, calls these lines of poetry "the theological high point of the book of Lamentations."

3:21 "mind" This is literally "heart."

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEART

▣ The "hope" is based on the character of Israel's God.

1. lovingkindness (BDB 338)
2. compassions (BDB 933), originally strong feelings of love between family members

Both are never ceasing (cf. Mal. 3:6; the online notes there mention they relate to):

1. God's covenant faithfulness, cf. Lam. 3:22-23
2. God's purpose, cf. Ps. 33:11
3. God's character, cf. Psalm 127; James 1:17

SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed)

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

The MT has "we are not consumed" but the LXX, NKJV, Targums, Peshitta see a different root (BDB 1070, KB 1752, Qal PERFECT), so either

1. God's mercies are never ending (emendation found in LXX and Targums)
2. because of God's mercy and lovingkindness we are not consumed (MT) or "cease to be"

See a brief note in NET Bible, p. 1468, #6.

This VERB is used here negated and in Lam. 4:22, where it refers to the punishment of Judah's iniquity as complete and finished.

3:23 What a great truth (cf. Zeph. 3:5). I think this is the same truth as Ps. 103:8-14! YHWH's lovingkindness and compassion are linked to His faithfulness.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH, AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT

3:24 "The Lord is my portion" Originally this word "portion" (BDB 324) referred to

1. YHWH being the inheritance of the priests and Levites (i.e., no land allotment), cf. Num. 18:20
2. the people of Israel were YHWH's special inheritance, cf. Deut. 32:9; Jer. 10:16; 51:19
3. the phrase came to be an affirmation of faith for every covenant member, cf. Ps. 16:5; 73:26; 119:57; 142:5; Lam. 3:24

▣ "I have hope in Him" This VERB (BDB 403, KB 407, Hiphil IMPERFECT) has the connotation of "wait patiently" (cf. 2 Kgs. 6:33; Ps. 38:15; 42:5,11; 43:5; 130:5; Mic. 7:7). Faith was expressed by trusting that God would act in His own time and way and in accordance with His unchanging character of love, mercy, grace, and willingness to forgive and restore!

In Lam. 3:25 another root for "wait" (BDB 875, KB 1082, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is used in parallel.

Biblical faith is in a Person. It is a personal relationship, not a creed (doctrines) or moral lifestyle (commandments) but a daily communication (prayer and reading His revelation). Faithful followers hope in Him because they know Him!

3:25 Notice the two criteria for YHWH's positive response (i.e., good to those who. . ., cf. Ps. 86:5; 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1,29)

1. "wait for Him," which is parallel to Lam. 3:24b, cf. Isa. 8:17; 25:9; 33:2; 40:31; the word denotes "wait eagerly" or even "crave"
2. "seek Him," this VERB (BDB 205) is parallel to BDB 134, cf. Jer. 13:29. There is an element of sincere personal response necessary for the covenant relationship. Not all the descendants of Abraham seek YHWH. See full note online at Amos 5:4.

It is interesting to note that the word "good" (BDB 373, KB 370) is the first word of Lam. 3:25,26,27. "Good" is God's purpose for creation (Gen. 1:31). This would invoke the "blessings" of Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30; Psalm 1:1.

The opposite of good (the current fallen nature of creation and humanity) is seen in Lam. 3:34-36. This is not the world God intended it to be. See John Wenham, The Goodness of God.

3:26 "the salvation of the Lord" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT Term).

▣ "he waits silently" There is no VERB in this verse. An ADJECTIVE (BDB 404) used as a VERB ("wait," is found only here, although the VERB is used in Lam. 3:21,24, BDB 403, KB 407, Hiphil IMPERFECT).

3:27-30 There is a series of IMPERFECTS used as JUSSIVES which describe what a faithful follower should do under YHWH's judgment.

1. bear the yoke in/from his youth (i.e., start early)
2. sit alone (imagery of being forsaken, cf. Lam. 1:1)
3. be silent (cf. Lam. 2:10)
4. put his mouth in the dust (cultural idiom of submission)
5. give his cheek to the smiter
6. be filled with reproach

3:29 "Perhaps there is hope" The unexpressed object is YHWH, which is unusual (cf. Job 5:16; 6:8; 11:18; Pro. 23:18). This hope relates to

1. the character of YHWH
2. the repentance of His people

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE IN THE OT

3:31 This is such a wonderful promise of restoration and renewal (cf. Ps. 77:7; 85:4-7; 103:8-14; Isa. 57:16). This is a basic characteristic of the unchanging, merciful God (i.e., limited punishment, Ps. 103:8-14)! He does discipline His children but it is for their restoration and good (cf. Deut. 8:5; Pro. 3:11; Heb. 12:5-13; Rev. 3:19).

YHWH's anger over covenant disobedience is like a father's anger over children doing dangerous activities (cf. Heb. 12:5-13). The goal of discipline is always restoration (except Hell). This verse has only one line of poetry. A line has been omitted. The MT is not the oldest OT manuscript. Even though there is a missing line, the thrust of the context provides the divine message for us. See a new book about how oral societies pass on their traditions: John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy, The Lost World of Scripture, which helps modern people understand the manuscript issues of the Hebrew Bible.

3:32 Lamentations 3:32 relates the truth of the preceding verse. YHWH will have

1. compassion ‒ BDB 933; it comes from the word "womb" (i.e., tender loving care), cf. Ps. 78:38; Hos. 11:8-9
2. lovingkindness ‒ BDB 338, cf. Jer. 9:24; 31:3; 33:11; Lam. 3:22

For both of these wonderful character aspects of God see SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT) and SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed).

▣ "He causes grief" This VERB (BDB 387, KB 385) is used several times in Lamentations (and only two other places, Job 19:2; Isa. 51:23).

1. Lam. 1:4 ‒ Jerusalem is grieved because no one comes on feast days (Niphal PARTICIPLE)
2. Lam. 1:5 ‒ YHWH Himself has caused Judah's grief (Hiphil PERFECT)
3. Lam. 1:12 ‒ same as #2
4. Lam. 3:22 ‒ same as #2
5. Lam. 3:33 ‒ YHWH does not grieve the sons of men from His heart (Piel IMPERFECT with waw)

YHWH, Israel's creator, parent, shepherd, and defender, has now become her adversary (i.e., reversal of Holy War!). This was not only shocking but devastating to the worldview of the descendants of Abraham and YHWH's promises to David (cf. 2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17).

Thank God for Lam. 3:32b-c! YHWH's judgment is time sensitive. It does not last forever (cf. Ps. 103:8-14; 130:5-8).

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT PROMISES TO THE PATRIARCHS

3:33 God's judgment is the direct result of the rejection of His love. Judgment is designed to cause fallen mankind to repent and seek God. It is one aspect of parental discipline (cf Heb. 12:5-11). It is for our benefit, not just an outburst of emotional release on God's part (cf. Ezek. 18:23,32; 2 Pet. 3:9). It is purposeful and always in response to destructive rebellion.

This is such an important theological verse. It speaks directly to the merciful character of God (cf. Lam. 3:32). The context from Lam. 3:21-25,31 is positive, so it is difficult to see how Lam. 3:34-38 seems to be negative. Robert Gordis, in his commentary, pp. 181-183, suggests that Lam. 3:34-38 is all parallel, which shows the things, "the Most High" will not do.

1. to crush prisoners
2. to pervert justice
3. to do harm to a good man

He bases #3 on an emendation by Ehrlich. See my following notes on another option for interpreting Lam. 3:37-38.

3:33-36 These verses describe

1. some of the sinful things that humans do to fellow humans (NJB, JPSOA)
   1. Lam. 3:34 ‒ violence, war, slavery
   2. Lam. 3:35 ‒ deprive justice (cf. Exod. 23:6,8; Deut. 16:19; 24:17; 27:19; Ps. 140:12; Amos 2:7)
   3. Lam. 3:36 ‒ deprive legal process (i.e., bribery, partiality), cf. Jer. 22:3
2. YHWH knows when His people are hurting and their covenant rights denied or violated (TEV)

All three (a, b, c) are INFINITIVES.

3:34 "land" This word (BDB 75, KB 90) has a wide semantic field and must be interpreted in context.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH (OT)

3:35 "Most High" This is the Hebrew title Elyon (BDB 751, cf. 3:38). This is a more general name for deity in the ANE, like El.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, B.

3:36-39 The NRSV and NJB make all these verses questions. The JPSOA makes Lam. 3:37-39a question, as does the NASB of Lam. 3:37-39b. However, there is no textual marker in the MT.

3:36 The main VERB linked to the three INFINITIVES in Lam. 3:34-36a is "see" (NASB, "approve," BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal PERFECT). God does see what is happening to Judah and He does not approve. He sent both Assyria and Babylon to judge His people, but they went too far and will themselves now be judged (cf. Lam. 3:59-66).

3:37-38 These verses address the theological issue of the sovereignty of YHWH.

1. He controls history
2. He brings cursing and blessing in response to disobedience or obedience to His covenant (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-29; 30:1,15,19; 36:1,15,19; Ps. 1:1)

In the OT all causality is attributed to YHWH in order to demonstrate His sovereignty (cf. 2 Chr. 20:6; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 14:24-27; 43:13; 45:7; 54:16; Jer. 18:11; Lam. 3:33-38; Amos 3:6; 4:6-11).

The author is pleading with YHWH, the all-knowing God of compassion (Lam. 3:32,33), to act on Judah's behalf. When He chooses to act, no one can thwart His will (cf. Jer. 31:28; 32:42; Zech. 8:14-17).

3:37 This may reflect Ps. 33:9,11a. God's words and plans, not mankind's, stand!

3:39-42 These verses are united in "awareness of sin, both personal and corporate," see Brief Outline at the beginning of the chapter.

3:39 This is an affirmation of the sinfulness of all humans (cf. Rom. 3:9-18,23) because of the Fall.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FALL (Genesis 3 in the NT)

▣ "offer complaint" This VERB (BDB 59, KB 72, Hithpolel IMPERFECT) is found only here and in Num. 11:1.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:40-66
 ⁴⁰Let us examine and probe our ways,
 And let us return to the Lord.
 ⁴¹We lift up our heart and hands
 Toward God in heaven;
 ⁴²We have transgressed and rebelled,
 You have not pardoned.
 ⁴³You have covered Yourself with anger
 And pursued us;
 You have slain and have not spared.
 ⁴⁴You have covered Yourself with a cloud
 So that no prayer can pass through.
 ⁴⁵You have made us mere offscouring and refuse
 In the midst of the peoples.
 ⁴⁶All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
 ⁴⁷Panic and pitfall have befallen us,
 Devastation and destruction;
 ⁴⁸My eyes run down with streams of water
 Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
 ⁴⁹My eyes pour down unceasingly,
 Without stopping,
 ⁵⁰Until the Lord looks down
 And sees from heaven.
 ⁵¹My eyes bring pain to my soul
 Because of all the daughters of my city.
 ⁵²My enemies without cause
 Hunted me down like a bird;
 ⁵³They have silenced me in the pit
 And have placed a stone on me.
 ⁵⁴Waters flowed over my head;
 I said, "I am cut off!"
 ⁵⁵I called on Your name, O Lord,
 Out of the lowest pit.
 ⁵⁶You have heard my voice,
 "Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,
 From my cry for help."
 ⁵⁷You drew near when I called on You;
 You said, "Do not fear!"
 ⁵⁸O Lord, You have pleaded my soul's cause;
 You have redeemed my life.
 ⁵⁹O Lord, You have seen my oppression;
 Judge my case.
 ⁶⁰You have seen all their vengeance,
 All their schemes against me.
 ⁶¹You have heard their reproach, O Lord,
 All their schemes against me.
 ⁶²The lips of my assailants and their whispering
 Are against me all day long.
 ⁶³Look on their sitting and their rising;
 I am their mocking song.
 ⁶⁴You will recompense them, O Lord,
 According to the work of their hands.
 ⁶⁵You will give them hardness of heart,
 Your curse will be on them.
 ⁶⁶You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
 From under the heavens of the Lord!

3:40-41 These verses offer three steps (COHORTATIVES) for how a covenant person (or people) can approach God.

1. let us examine our ways ‒ lit. "search," BDB 344, KB 341, Qal COHORTATIVE
   1. humans ‒ Ps. 119:59; Lam. 3:40; 2 Cor. 13:5
   2. YHWH ‒ Ps. 139:1,23-24; Pro. 20:27
2. let us probe our ways ‒ BDB 350, KB 347, Qal COHORTATIVE; another word for "search" (i.e., self-examination)
3. let us return to the Lord ‒ BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal COHORTATIVE; this is a common word for repentance; here it denotes a turning back to God. Notice the following examples of its use:
   1. Israel/Judah will not return ‒ Isa. 9:13; 10:21; Jer. 3:7; Hos. 5:4; 7:10
   2. if only she would ‒ 1 Kgs. 8:33,48; 2 Chr. 30:9; Jer. 4:1; 7:12-14
   3. she will return ‒ 2 Chr. 15:4; Isa. 31:6-7; Hos. 3:5
   4. a call from God ‒ Jer. 7:22; Hos. 6:1; 14:1-2
4. let us lift up our hearts and hands toward God in heaven ‒ BDB 669, KB 724, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense, cf. Ps. 25:1; 28:2; 86:4; 141:2; 143:8. This imagery is drawn from the heave offering where the worshiper or priest lifts the gift/offering with their hand to God. But here, they lift up themselves to God (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).

SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE IN THE OT

3:41 "Toward God in heaven" This PREPOSITION (אל, BDB 39) and the name for Deity (אל, BDB 42) are spelled the same, just different vowel pointing.

▣ "heart" The MT has the PLURAL (LXX, Peshitta, Vulgate), which fits better the author speaking on behalf of the nation.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEART

3:42 This is the author's confession of sin on behalf of the nation (cf. Ps. 106:6; Jer. 14:20; Dan. 9:5).

1. transgressed ‒ BDB 833; KB 981, Qal PERFECT; this is the only use of this VERB in Lamentations, but it is used in Jer. 2:8,29; 3:13; 33:8; the NOUN is used in Lam. 1:5,14,22 (and Jer. 5:6), cf. Neh. 9:26
2. rebelled ‒ BDB 598, KB 632, Qal PERFECT; this is used of Israel/Judah in Num. 20:10; Ps. 78:8; Isa. 63:10; Jer. 4:17; 5:23; 6:28; Lam. 1:20

These activities and attitudes are what caused YHWH to take His own people out of the Promised Land (cf. Jer. 4:14-18; 5:20-29; Ezekiel 5; Hos. 13:15-16). He did this to the Canaanites and now to His people (cf. Gen. 15:12-31).

3:43-47 YHWH has cut Himself off from His covenant people.

1. not pardoned, Lam. 3:43, cf. Deut. 29:10-21; 2 Kgs. 24:1-7; Jer. 5:4-6
2. covered Himself with anger (KB 754 III), Lam. 3:43 (i.e., so no prayer can pass through, Lam. 3:44b)
3. pursued, Lam. 3:43
4. slain, Lam. 3:43
5. not spared, Lam. 3:43 (cf. Lam. 2:3,17,21)
6. hidden (lit. "covered," cf. 3:43) Himself with a cloud, Lam. 3:44 (cf. Lam. 2:1)
7. does not hear their prayers, Lam. 3:44 (cf. 3:8)
8. made them offscouring (BDB 695, KB 749), found only here but related to the VERB "to scrape," cf. Ezra 26:4; Lam. 3:45
9. made refuse (BDB 549, KB 539), found only here (possibly "rubbish"), Lam. 3:45
10. object of disgust (possibly related to Lam. 1:11 [despised]); hissing (cf. Lam. 2:15,16, see notes there), Lam. 3:46
11. Lam. 3:47 lists four things that have befallen the Judeans.
    1. panic (BDB 809, see note below)
    2. pitfall (BDB 809, see note below)
    3. devastation (BDB 981, see note below)
    4. destruction (BDB 991)

3:46 This is a gesture of contempt (cf. Job 16:10; Ps. 22:13; Lam. 2:16; 3:46).

3:47 "panic" The term (BDB 808) shows how the God who called Judah into being, protected her, fought for her, is now her enemy.

1. used of her opponents ‒ Deut. 2:25; 11:25
2. part of the cursing and blessing sections of Deuteronomy 27-30, esp. Deut. 28:67
3. became a reality ‒ Lam. 3:47; Jer. 30:5

▣ "pit" This term (BDB 809, a sound word play on the word above) denotes an animal trap.

"Panic" and "pitfall" were used by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah as word play proverbs of God's judgment (cf. Isa. 24:17-18; Jer. 48:42-43).

▣ "devastation" This rare term (BDB 981, KB 1381) is found only here. It may mean "the sound of battle." There is another obvious sound play between "devastation" and "destruction."

▣ "destruction" This term (BDB 991, KB 1405, #4) possibly means "collapse" or "crush," cf. Jer. 4:17; 50:23; Lam. 3:48; 4:10. In Lam. 2:13 it may refer to sea waves "breaking" on the shore.

3:48-51 These verses (though involving both the Hebrew consonants Pe and Ain) are linked by the imagery of sight and weeping.

1. my eyes, Lam. 3:48 (the author's weeping), cf. Lam. 1:2,16; 2:11,18-19
2. my eyes, Lam. 3:49 (cf. Lam. 1:2,16; 2:11,18-19)
3. until the Lord looks down, Lam. 3:50 (i.e., takes notice, cf. Lam. 1:9,11,12,20; 2:20; 3:63)
4. my eyes, Lam. 3:51 (the author's weeping)

3:50 This is anthropomorphic language.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE

3:51 This is a difficult verse to understand. The TEV catches the thought, "my heart is grieved when I see what has happened to the women of the city."

1. became involved in fertility worship
2. sexually violated by invaders
3. sold into slavery by Babylonian conquerors

3:53-54 These verses (i.e., the Hebrew consonant Zade) give the reasons for the author's distress and grief.

1. his (corporate sense) enemies have hunted him down (intensive form, INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and PERFECT VERB of the same root, BDB 844, KB 1010)
2. they have buried him (or cast Judah into a pit, cf. Lam. 3:55)
   1. stoned him (Peshitta, NRSV, JPSOA)
   2. placed a stone ("boulder," REB) over the opening (MT, LXX, NASB, TEV, NJB)
3. they drowned Judah and he died (lit. "cut off," cf. Ps. 69:1-2; 88:5-6; Isa. 53:8)

3:53 "silenced" This VERB (BDB 856, KB 1035, Qal PERFECT) is literally "put to an end" (LXX has "put to death"; JPSOA has "they have ended my life").

This VERB (BDB 392, KB 389, Piel IMPERFECT with waw) occurs only three times in the OT.

1. Jer. 50:14, of shooting arrows at Babylon
2. Lam. 3:54
   1. placing a stone over a cistern
   2. stoning someone thrown into a pit
3. Zech. 1:21, of destroying the "horns" (power) of post-exilic Judah's surrounding national enemies

3:54 "Waters flowed over my head" This is imagery for

1. death and Sheol (cf. 2 Sam. 22:5-6; Ps. 18:4-5; 89:1-2,14-15; Jonah 2:5-6)
2. distress (cf. Job 27:20; Ps. 42:7; 66:12; 88:7; 124:4-5; Isa. 43:2)

SPECIAL TOPIC: WATERS

3:55-57 This is the Hebrew letter Qoph. This set of poetic lines changes the discussion from YHWH's judgment to a plea for His mercy. The covenant nation turns to their covenant God.

1. "I called on Your name, O YHWH" ‒ Lam. 3:55
2. "Out of the lowest pit" ‒ Lam. 3:55, BDB 92 and 1066, which refers to Sheol (i.e., Ps. 28:1; 30:4; 143:7; Isa. 38:18; Ezek. 26:20; 32:25,29,30)
3. "You have heard my voice" ‒ Lam. 3:56 (the NOUN in Lam. 3:56c, "cry," [BDB 926, NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1071, #3]) means an appeal for deliverance from Sheol.
4. "You have drawn near and said, 'Do not fear.'" ‒ Lam. 3:57, cf. Deut. 4:7; Ps. 34:18; 119:151; 145:18; His presence removes all fear

The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1598, suggests these PERFECT VERBS are used as IMPERATIVES OF REQUEST for YHWH's future actions, instead of the normal function of the PERFECT TENSE as past action. This fits the context better.

SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: CALL ON THE NAME (Isa. 12:4)

SPECIAL TOPIC: FEAR

3:59-60 These verses are the letter Resh. They have a legal connotation of YHWH's actions in court (i.e., justice in court).

1. "You pleaded my case" (i.e., Judah), Lam. 3:58, cf. Jer. 50:34; 51:36; Mic. 7:9
2. "You have redeemed my life," Lam. 3:58; it is used here in the sense of saved, similar to OT term, salvation
3. "Judge my case," Lam. 3:59 ‒ BDB 1047, KB 1627, Qal IMPERATIVE, a prayer request, cf. Ps. 9:4; 26:1; 35:24; 43:1
4. the evidence is clear to men and to God, Lam. 3:60 (thought continues in Lam. 3:61-63, which is the Hebrew letter Shin)

SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM

SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT)

3:60 Notice the inclusive language of Lam. 3:60-62 (i.e., 4 "alls," BDB 481). YHWH has seen His people's oppression.

1. all the enemy's vengeance, Lam. 3:60
2. all their schemes, Lam. 3:60b, 61b
3. their whispering all day long, Lam. 3:62

3:63 "their sitting and rising" This imagery describes YHWH's complete and full knowledge of the invaders' lives. This imagery is also found in Deut. 6:7; 11:19; and Ps. 139:3; Isa. 37:28. In Job 14:16; 31:4, people claim God does not see, but He surely does. Our lives are an open book to the Creator God, who is above time and space!

▣ "I am their mocking song" This NOUN (BDB 618) occurs only here, but is related to a different form of the same root in Lam. 3:14.

3:64-66 The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Taw. It expresses the author's desire that YHWH will judge the Babylonians in the same way He judged Judah.

1. "according to the work of their hands," Lam. 3:64, see full note online at Jer. 17:10; 32:19
2. "harden their hearts," Lam. 3:65; this NOUN (BDB 171) is found only here; it is related to "shield" and means a covering or hard shell around the heart. The Arabic root may mean "make them mad or confused."
3. "curse them," Lam. 3:65
4. "pursue them in anger," Lam. 3:66
5. "totally destroy them," Lam 3:66

3:66 "The heavens of the Lord!" This phrase is found only here. The Peshitta has "under Your heavens, O Lord"; LXX has "beneath the sky, O Lord."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. How is this lament different from the others in Lamentations?
2. Did the Judeans see the source of their problems as other ANE powers or YHWH? Why?
3. Is this lament about Jeremiah or Judah?
4. Why is Lam. 3:21-24 called the theological heart of the whole book?
5. What experience is Lam. 3:25-30 referring to? How is there hope? (3:31)
6. Explain what Lam. 3:32 means.
7. Does Lam. 3:34-36 refer to human or Divine action?
8. Why is Lam. 3:42 crucial to the book of Lamentations?
9. Describe what the author wants YHWH to do to Judah's invaders.

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