Logos Bible Study

Lamentations 3:48–51

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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

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Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. 100 Heb “my eyes flow down with canals of water.”
  3. 101 Heb “the daughter of my people,” or “the Daughter, my people.”
  4. 102 Heb “because of the destruction of [the daughter of my people].”
  5. 103 Heb “my eye flows.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for the “tears” which flow from one’s eyes.
  6. 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”).
  7. 105 The phrase “what has happened” is added in the translation for smoother English style and readability.
  8. 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.
  9. 107 Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).
  10. 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.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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.

NLTNew Living Translation

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.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

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.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.