Logos Bible Study

Lamentations 3:46–59

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פ (Pe)

3:46All our enemies have gloated over us;96

3:47Panic and pitfall97 have come upon us,

devastation and destruction.98

3:48Streams99 of tears flow from my eyes100

because my people101 are destroyed.102

ע (Ayin)

3:49Tears flow from my eyes103 and will not stop;

there will be no break104

3:50until the Lord looks down from heaven

and sees what has happened.105

3:51What my eyes see106 grieves me107—

all the suffering of the daughters in my city.108

ץ (Tsade)

3:52For no good reason109 my enemies

hunted me down110 like a bird.

3:53They shut me111 up in a pit

and threw stones at me.

3:54The waters closed over my head;

I thought112 I was about to die.113

ק (Qof)

3:55I have called on your name, O Lord,

from the deepest pit.114

3:56You heard115 my plea:116

“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”117

3:57You came near118 on the day I called to you;

you said,119 “Do not fear!”

ר (Resh)

3:58O Lord,120 you championed121 my cause,122

you redeemed my life.

3:59You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;

pronounce judgment on my behalf!123

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Footnotes

  1. 96 Heb “open wide their mouths.”
  2. 97 The similar sounding nouns פַּחַד וָפַחַת (pakhad vafakhat, “panic and pitfall”) are an example of paronomasia.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 100 Heb “my eyes flow down with canals of water.”
  6. 101 Heb “the daughter of my people,” or “the Daughter, my people.”
  7. 102 Heb “because of the destruction of [the daughter of my people].”
  8. 103 Heb “my eye flows.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for the “tears” which flow from one’s eyes.
  9. 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”).
  10. 105 The phrase “what has happened” is added in the translation for smoother English style and readability.
  11. 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.
  12. 107 Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
  13. 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.
  14. 109 Heb “without cause.”
  15. 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.
  16. 111 Heb “my life.”
  17. 112 Heb “I said,” meaning “I said to myself” = “I thought.”
  18. 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).
  19. 114 Heb “from a pit of lowest places.”
  20. 115 The verb could be understood as a precative, “hear my plea,” parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”
  21. 116 Heb “my voice.”
  22. 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).
  23. 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.
  24. 119 The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).
  25. 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.
  26. 121 This verb, like others in this stanza, could be understood as a precative (“Plead”).
  27. 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).
  28. 123 Heb “Please judge my judgment.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“All our enemies

open their mouths against us;

panic and pitfall have come upon us,

devastation and destruction;

my eyes flow with rivers of tears

because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

“My eyes will flow without ceasing,

without respite,

until the Lord from heaven

looks down and sees;

my eyes cause me grief

at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

“I have been hunted like a bird

by those who were my enemies without cause;

they flung me alive into the pit

and cast stones on me;

water closed over my head;

I said, ‘I am lost.’

“I called on your name, O Lord,

from the depths of the pit;

you heard my plea, ‘Do not close

your ear to my cry for help!’

You came near when I called on you;

you said, ‘Do not fear!’

“You have taken up my cause, O Lord;

you have redeemed my life.

You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;

judge my cause.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“All our enemies have opened their mouths

wide against us.

We have suffered terror and pitfalls,

ruin and destruction.”

Streams of tears flow from my eyes

because my people are destroyed.

My eyes will flow unceasingly,

without relief,

until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.

What I see brings grief to my soul

because of all the women of my city.

Those who were my enemies without cause

hunted me like a bird.

They tried to end my life in a pit

and threw stones at me;

the waters closed over my head,

and I thought I was about to perish.

I called on your name, Lord,

from the depths of the pit.

You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears

to my cry for relief.”

You came near when I called you,

and you said, “Do not fear.”

You, Lord, took up my case;

you redeemed my life.

Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.

Uphold my cause!

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“All our enemies

open their mouths against us.

We have experienced panic and pitfall,

devastation and destruction.”

My eyes flow with streams of tears

because of the destruction of my dear people.

My eyes overflow unceasingly,

without end,

until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.

My eyes bring me grief

because of the fate of all the women in my city.

For no reason, my enemies

hunted me like a bird.

They smothered my life in a pit

and threw stones on me.

Water flooded over my head,

and I thought, “I’m going to die!”

I called on your name, Lord,

from the depths of the pit.

You heard my plea:

Do not ignore my cry for relief.

You came near whenever I called you;

you said, “Do not be afraid.”

You championed my cause, Lord;

you redeemed my life.

Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;

judge my case.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“All our enemies

have spoken out against us.

We are filled with fear,

for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.”

Tears stream from my eyes

because of the destruction of my people!

My tears flow endlessly;

they will not stop

until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.

My heart is breaking

over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.

My enemies, whom I have never harmed,

hunted me down like a bird.

They threw me into a pit

and dropped stones on me.

The water rose over my head,

and I cried out, “This is the end!”

But I called on your name, Lord,

from deep within the pit.

You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!

Hear my cry for help!”

Yes, you came when I called;

you told me, “Do not fear.”

Lord, you have come to my defense;

you have redeemed my life.

You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord.

Be my judge, and prove me right.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

All our enemies

have opened their mouth against us.

Fear and a pit have come upon us,

desolation and destruction.

Channels of water run down my eyes

because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eyes have poured down unceasingly

without respite,

until Yahweh looks down

and sees from heaven.

My eyes inflict my soul

because of all the daughters of my city.

My enemies hunt me without cause,

like a bird.

They have silenced me in a pit,

they have thrown a stone at me.

Water has flown over my head,

I said, “I am cut off.”

I have called your name, O Yahweh,

from the depths of the pit.

You have heard my cry, “Do not shut your ear

to my cry for help, for my relief!”

You came near on a day when I called you,

you said, “Do not fear!”

O Lord, you have pleaded for my cause,

you have redeemed my life.

You have seen my injustice, O Yahweh;

judge my case.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

Till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.

Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.

Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.

Public Domain