Lamentations 3:34–66

Footnotes

1. 78 Heb “prisoners of earth/land.” The term ארץ may refer to (1) the earth or (2) a country or (3) the promised land in particular (as well as other referents). “Earth” is chosen here since the context presents God’s general principles in dealing with humanity. Given the historical circumstances, however, prisoners from the land of Israel are certainly in the background.
2. 79 The speaking voice is still that of the גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”), but the context and line are more universal in character.
3. 80 Heb “to turn away a man’s justice,” that is, the justice or equitable judgment he would receive. See the previous note regarding the “man.”
4. 81 The reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the note at 1:14.
5. 82 Heb “the Lord does not see.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) is here used in reference to mental observation and approval: “to gaze at” with joy and pleasure (e.g., 2 Kgs 10:16; Mic 7:9; Jer 29:32; Isa 52:8; Job 20:17; 33:28; Pss 54:7; 106:5; 128:5; Son 3:11; 6:11; Eccl 2:1). If the line is parallel to the end of v. 35 then a circumstantial clause “the Lord not seeing” would be appropriate. The infinitives in 34–36 would then depend on the verbs in v. 33; see D. R. Hillers, Lamentations (), .
6. 83 Heb “Who is this, he spoke and it came to pass?” The general sense is to ask whose commands are fulfilled. The phrase “he spoke and it came to pass” is taken as an allusion to the creation account (see Gen 1:3).
7. 84 The reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the note at 1:14.
8. 85 Heb “From the mouth of the Most High does it not go forth, both evil and good?”
9. 86 The Hebrew word here is אָדָם (’adam) which can mean “man” or “person.” The second half of the line is more personalized to the speaking voice of the defeated soldier using גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”). See the note at .
10. 87 Kethib reads the singular חֶטְאוֹ (khet’o, “his sin”), which is reflected in the . Qere reads the plural חֲטָאָיו (khata’ayv, “his sins”) which is preserved in many medieval Hebrew and reflected in the other early versions (Aramaic , , Latin ). The external and internal evidence are not decisive in favor of either reading. Heb “concerning his punishment.” The noun חֵטְא (khet’) has a broad range of meanings: (1) “sin,” (2) “guilt of sin” and (3) “punishment for sin,” which fits the context of calamity as discipline and punishment for sin (e.g., Lev 19:17; 20:20; 22:9; 24:15; Num 9:13; 18:22, 32; Isa 53:12; Ezek 23:49). The metonymical (cause-effect) relation between sin and punishment is clear in the expressions חֵטְא מִשְׁפַט־מָוֶת (khet’ mishpat-mavet, “sin deserving death penalty,” Deut 21:22) and חֵטְא מָוֶת (khet’ mavet, “sin unto death,” Deut 22:26). The point of this verse is that the punishment of sin can sometimes lead to death; therefore, any one who is being punished by God for his sins, and yet lives, has little to complain about.
11. 88 Heb “Let us test our ways and examine.” The two verbs וְנַחְקֹרָה … נַחְפְּשָׂה (nakhpésah … vénakhqorah, “Let us test and let us examine”) form a verbal hendiadys in which the first functions adverbially and the second retains its full verbal force: “Let us carefully examine our ways.”
12. 89 The reads the singular noun לְבָבֵנוּ (lévavenu, “our heart”) but the ancient versions (, Aramaic , Latin ) and many medieval Hebrew read the plural noun לְבָבֵינוּ (lévavenu, “our hearts”). Hebrew regularly places plural pronouns on singular nouns used as a collective (135 times on the singular “heart” and only twice on the plural “hearts”). The plural “hearts” in any Hebrew construction is actually rather rare. The renders similar Hebrew constructions (singular “heart” plus a plural pronoun) with the plural “hearts” about 1/3 of the time, therefore it cannot be considered evidence for the reading. The may have been influenced by the . Although a distributive sense is appropriate for a much higher percentage of passages using the plural “hearts” in the , no clear reason for the differentiation in the has emerged. Likely the singular Hebrew form is original but the meaning is best represented in English with the plural.
13. 90 The Heb emphasiszes the pronoun “We—we have sinned.…” Given the contrast with the following, it means “For our part, we have sinned.…” A poetic reading in English would place vocal emphasis on “we” followed by a short pause.
14. 91 Heb “We have revolted and we have rebelled.” The two verbs פָשַׁעְנוּ וּמָרִינוּ (pasha’nu umarinu, “we have revolted and we have rebelled”) form a verbal hendiadys in which the synonyms emphasize the single idea.
15. 92 The Heb emphasiszes the pronoun “You—you have not forgiven.” Given the contrast with the preceding, it means “For your part, you have not forgiven.” A poetic reading in English would place vocal emphasis on “you” followed by a short pause.
16. 93 Heb “covered.” The object must be supplied either from the next line (“covered yourself”) or from the end of this line (“covered us”).
17. 94 Heb “offscouring and refuse.” The two nouns סְחִי וּמָאוֹס (sékhi uma’os) probably form a nominal hendiadys, in which the first noun functions as an adjective and the second retains its full nominal sense: “filthy refuse,” i.e., “filthy scum.”
18. 95 Heb “in the midst of.”
19. 96 Heb “open wide their mouths.”
20. 97 The similar sounding nouns פַּחַד וָפַחַת (pakhad vafakhat, “panic and pitfall”) are an example of paronomasia.
21. 98 Similar to the paronomasia in the preceding line, the words הַשֵּׁאת וְהַשָּׁבֶר (hashe’t véhashaver, “devastation and destruction”) form an example of alliteration: the beginning of the words sound alike.
22. 99 Heb “canals.” The phrase “canals of water” (eye water = tears) is an example of hyperbole. The English idiom “streams of tears” is also hyperbolic.
23. 100 Heb “my eyes flow down with canals of water.”
24. 101 Heb “the daughter of my people,” or “the Daughter, my people.”
25. 102 Heb “because of the destruction of [the daughter of my people].”
26. 103 Heb “my eye flows.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for the “tears” which flow from one’s eyes.
27. 104 Heb “without stopping.” The noun הַפוּגָה (hafugah, “stop”) is a (word that occurs only once in Hebrew scriptures). The form of the noun is unusual, probably being derived from the denominative Hiphil verbal stem of the root פּוּג (pug, “to grow weary, ineffective; numb, become cold”).
28. 105 The phrase “what has happened” is added in the translation for smoother English style and readability.
29. 106 Heb “my eye causes grief to my soul.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for that which one sees with the eyes.
30. 107 Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
31. 108 Heb “at the sight of all the daughters of my city.” It is understood that seeing the plight of the women, not simply seeing the women, is what is so grievous. To make this clear, “suffering” was supplied in the translation.
32. 109 Heb “without cause.”
33. 110 The construction צוֹד צָדוּנִי (tsod tsaduni, “they have hunted me down”) is emphatic: Qal infinitive absolute of the same root of Qal perfect 3rd person common plural + 1st person common singular suffix.
34. 111 Heb “my life.”
35. 112 Heb “I said,” meaning “I said to myself” = “I thought.”
36. 113 Heb “I was about to be cut off.” The verb נִגְזָרְתִּי (nigzarti), Niphal perfect 1st person common singular from גָּזַר (gazar, “to be cut off”), functions in an ingressive sense: “about to be cut off.” It is used in reference to the threat of death (e.g., Ezek 37:11). To be “cut off” from the hand of the living means to experience death (Ps 88:6).
37. 114 Heb “from a pit of lowest places.”
38. 115 The verb could be understood as a precative, “hear my plea,” parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”
39. 116 Heb “my voice.”
40. 117 The preposition ל (lamed) continues syntactically from “my plea” in the previous line (e.g. Ex 5:2; Josh 22:2; 1 Sam 8:7; 12:1; Jer 43:4).
41. 118 The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered.
42. 119 The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).
43. 120 The reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) as in the following verse. See the note at 1:14.
44. 121 This verb, like others in this stanza, could be understood as a precative (“Plead”).
45. 122 Heb “the causes of my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
46. 123 Heb “Please judge my judgment.”
47. 124 The reads לִי (li, “to me”); but many medieval Hebrew and the ancient versions (Aramaic , , Latin ) all reflect a of עָלָי (’alay, “against me”).
48. 125 The verb could be understood as a precative (“Hear”).
49. 126 Heb “the lips of my assailants and their thoughts.”
50. 127 Heb “their rising and their sitting.” The two terms שִׁבְתָּם וְקִימָתָם (shivtam véqimatam, “their sitting and their rising”) form a merism: two terms that are polar opposites are used to encompass everything in between. The idiom “from your rising to your sitting” refers to the earliest action in the morning and the latest action in the evening (e.g., Deut 6:7; Ps 139:3). The enemies mock Jerusalem from the moment they arise in the morning until the moment they sit down in the evening.
51. 128 Heb “Please cause to return.” The imperfect verb תָּשִׁיב (tashiv), Hiphil imperfect 2nd person masculine singular from שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”), functions in a volitional sense, like an imperative of request. The Hiphil stem of שׁוּב (shuv, in the Hiphil “to cause to return”) often means “to make requital, to pay back” (e.g., Judg 9:5, 56; 1 Sam 25:39; 1 Kgs 2:32, 44; Neh 3:36; Prov 24:12, 29; Hos 12:3; Joel 4:4, 7) ( 999 שׁוּב 4.a).
52. 129 Heb “recompense to them.” The noun גְּמוּל (gémul, “dealing, accomplishment”) has two metonymical (cause-effect) meanings: (1) positive “benefit” and (2) negative “retribution, requital, recompense,” the sense used here (e.g., Pss 28:4; 94:2; 137:8; Prov 19:17; Isa 35:4; 59:18; 66:6; Jer 51:6; Lam 3:64; Joel 4:4, 7). The phrase תָּשִׁיב גְּמוּל (tashiv gémul) means “to pay back retribution” (e.g., Joel 4:4, 7), that is, to return the deeds of the wicked upon them as a display of talionic or poetic justice.
53. 130 Heb “their hands.” The term “hand” is a synecdoche of part (= hands) for the whole person (= they).
54. 131 Heb “according to the work of their hands.”
55. 132 The noun מְגִנַּה (méginnah) is a . Its meaning is debated; earlier lexicographers suggested that it meant “covering” ( 171 ), but more recent lexicons suggest “shamelessness” or “insanity” ( ). The translation is based on the term being parallel to “curse” and needing to relate to “heart.” Cf. “anguish of heart.”
56. 133 Heb “pursue.” The accusative direct object is implied in the Hebrew, and inserted in the translation.