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” (, , ).
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.”
62 See note at on the Hebrew term for “man” here.
63 Heb “that he bear.”
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.
65 Heb “in his youth.” The preposition ב (bet) functions in a temporal sense: “when.”
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.
67 Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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 The entry of 642 is outdated while נטל is acceptable for the Qal.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.
69 Heb “Let him put his mouth in the dust.”
70 Heb “to the smiter.”
71 The reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the note at 1:14.
72 The verse is unusually short and something unrecoverable may be missing.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear

the yoke in his youth.

Let him sit alone in silence

when it is laid on him;

let him put his mouth in the dust—

there may yet be hope;

let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,

and let him be filled with insults.

For the Lord will not

cast off forever,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

it is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is young.

Let him sit alone in silence,

for the Lord has laid it on him.

Let him bury his face in the dust—

there may yet be hope.

Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,

and let him be filled with disgrace.

For no one is cast off

by the Lord forever.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

It is good to wait quietly

for salvation from the Lord.

It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is still young.

Let him sit alone and be silent,

for God has disciplined him.

Let him put his mouth in the dust —

perhaps there is still hope.

Let him offer his cheek

to the one who would strike him;

let him be filled with disgrace.

For the Lord

will not reject us forever.

NLTNew Living Translation

So it is good to wait quietly

for salvation from the Lord.

And it is good for people to submit at an early age

to the yoke of his discipline:

Let them sit alone in silence

beneath the Lord’s demands.

Let them lie face down in the dust,

for there may be hope at last.

Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them

and accept the insults of their enemies.

For no one is abandoned

by the Lord forever.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

It is good to wait in silence

for the salvation of Yahweh.

It is good for a man who carries

the yoke of his childhood.

Let him sit alone and be silent

when he has laid it on him.

Let him put his mouth in the dust;

perhaps there is hope.

Let him give a cheek to his smiter,

let him be filled with disgrace.

For the Lord will not reject

forever.

KJV 1900King James Version

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

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