Lamentations 3:22–29

Footnotes

1. 52 It is difficult to capture the nuances of the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed). When used of the Lord it is often connected to his covenant loyalty. This is the only occasion when the plural form of חֶסֶד (khesed) precedes the plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim, “mercy, compassion”). The plural forms, as with this one, tend to be in late texts. The plural may indicate several concrete expressions of God’s kindnesses or may indicate the abstract concept of his kindness.
2. 53 The reads תָמְנוּ (tamnu) “indeed we are [not] cut off,” Qal perfect 1st person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “be finished”): “[Because of] the kindnesses of the Lord, we are not cut off.” However, the ancient versions (, , Aramaic ) and many medieval Hebrew preserve the alternate reading תָּמּוּ (tammu), Qal perfect 3rd person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “to be finished”): “The kindnesses of the Lord never cease.” The external evidence favors the alternate reading. The internal evidence supports this as well, as the parallel B-line suggests: “his compassions never come to an end.” Several English versions follow the : “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (, ), “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed” (). Other English versions follow the alternate textual tradition: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (, ), “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease” (), “The kindness of the Lord has not ended” () and “The Lord’s unfailing love still continues” ().
3. 54 The plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim) may denote the abstract concept of mercy, several concrete expressions of mercy, or the plural of intensity: “great compassion.” See §7.4.3a.
4. 55 Heb “they are new.”
5. 56 The adjective רַב (rav) has a broad range of meanings: (1) quantitative: “much, numerous, many (with plurals), abundant, enough, exceedingly” and (2) less often in a qualitative sense: “great” (a) of space and location, (b) “strong” as opposed to “weak” and (c) “major.” The traditional translation, “great is thy faithfulness,” is less likely than the quantitative sense: “your faithfulness is abundant” [or, “plentiful”]. is on target in its translation: “Ample is your grace!”
6. 57 Heb “My soul said …” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= I).
7. 58 Heb “wait for him”
8. 59 Heb “to the soul …” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= “the soul who seeks him”) for the whole person (= “the person who seeks him”).
9. 60 Heb “waiting and silently.” The two adjectives וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם (véyakhil védumam, “waiting and silently”) form a hendiadys: The first functions verbally and the second functions adverbially: “to wait silently.” The adjective דוּמָם (dumam, “silently”) also functions as a metonymy of association, standing for patience or rest ( ). This metonymical nuance is captured well in less literal English versions: “wait in patience” () and “wait patiently” (, ). The more literal English versions do not express the metonymy as well: “quietly wait” (, , ), “waits silently” (), “wait quietly” (, , ).
10. 61 Heb “deliverance of the Lord.” In the genitive-construct, the genitive יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) denotes source, that is, he is the source of the deliverance: “deliverance from the Lord.”
11. 62 See note at on the Hebrew term for “man” here.
12. 63 Heb “that he bear.”
13. 64 Jeremiah is referring to the painful humiliation of subjugation to the Babylonians, particularly to the exile of the populace of Jerusalem. The Babylonians and Assyrians frequently used the phrase “bear the yoke” as a metaphor: their subjects were made as subservient to them as yoked oxen were to their masters. Because the Babylonian exile would last for seventy years, only those who were in their youth when Jerusalem fell would have any hope of living until the return of the remnant. For the middle-aged and elderly, the yoke of exile would be insufferable; but those who bore this “yoke” in their youth would have hope.
14. 65 Heb “in his youth.” The preposition ב (bet) functions in a temporal sense: “when.”
15. 66 Heb “him.” The speaking voice in this chapter continues to be that of the גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”). The image of female Jerusalem in chs. 1–2 was fluid, being able to refer to the city or its inhabitants, both female and male. So too the “defeated soldier” or “everyman” (see note at on “man”) is fluid and can represent any member of the Jewish community, male and female. This line especially has a proverbial character which can be extended to any person, hence the translation. But masculine pronouns are otherwise maintained reflecting the Hebrew grammatical system and the speaking voice of the poem.
16. 67 Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17. 68 Heb “has laid it on him.” The verb נָטַל (natal) is used 4 times in Biblical Hebrew; the related noun refers to heaviness or a burden. The entry of 642 is outdated while נטל is acceptable for the Qal. See D. R. Hillers, Lamentations (), . Hillers’ suggestion of a stative meaning for the Qal is followed here, though based on 2 Sam 24:12 “impose” is also possible.
18. 69 Heb “Let him put his mouth in the dust.”