King James Version
Lamentations 3
66 verses with commentary
Hope in the Lord's Faithfulness
I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
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KJV Study Commentary
Chapter 3 shifts to a singular voice: "I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath" (<em>ani ha-gever raah oni be-shevet avrato</em>, אֲנִי הַגֶּבֶר רָאָה עֳנִי בְּשֵׁבֶט עֶבְרָתוֹ). The term <em>gever</em> (גֶּבֶר) means "strong man, warrior"—suggesting one who should be able to endure. Yet even the strong are helpless before divine wrath. "Affliction" (<em>oni</em>, עֳנִי) den...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **I am the man.**—The lamentation is one of more intense personality. For that very reason it has been the true inheritance of all mourners, however widely different in time, country, circumstance, whose sorrows have approximated to that intensity.
**The rod of his wrath.**—The “wrath” is obviously that of Jehovah (comp. Proverbs 22:8; Isaiah 10:5), but there is something significant in the fa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. Zimri--**perhaps the Zabra mentioned by Ptolemy between Mecca and Medina. Zimran also, as Dedan, was one of Abraham's sons by Keturah (Ge 25:2).
**Elam--**properly, west of Persia; but used for Persia in general.
He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
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KJV Study Commentary
The individual testimony continues: "He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light" (<em>otani nahag vayelech choshekh velo-or</em>, אוֹתִי נָהַג וַיֵּלֶךְ חֹשֶׁךְ וְלֹא־אוֹר). The verb <em>nahag</em> (נָהַג, "led, brought") suggests purposeful guidance—but toward darkness, not light. This inverts the exodus pattern where God led Israel by a pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:2...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Into darkness.**—The moral darkness of perplexity as well as misery. The cry of the mourner was like that of Ajax (Hom. *Il. *xvii. 647), “Slay me if thou wilt, but slay me in the light.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. Sheshach--**Babylon; as the parallelism in Jr 51:41 proves. In the Cabalistic system (called Athbash, the first Hebrew letter in the alphabet being expressed by the last) Sheshach would exactly answer to Babel. Jeremiah may have used this system (as perhaps in Jr 51:41) for concealment at the time of this prediction, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, while Nebuchadnezzar was before Jerusalem....
Read full commentary →Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
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This verse continues the individual lament of chapter 3: <strong>"Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day."</strong> The Hebrew <em>ak bi yashov</em> (אַךְ בִּי יָשׁוּב) emphasizes personal focus—"surely against <em>me</em>"—reflecting the speaker's sense of being singled out for divine displeasure. The verb <em>yashov</em> (יָשׁוּב, "turn, return") suggests God ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Against me is he turned.**—Better, *against me He turneth His hand again and again, *the first verb being one of frequentative action, and giving that significance to the second.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. rise no more--**The heathen nations in question should fall to rise no more. The Jews should fall but for a time, and then rise again. Therefore, the epithet is given, "the God of Israel."
My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
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KJV Study Commentary
Bodily affliction described: "My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones" (<em>bilah besari ve-ori shibbar atsmotai</em>). The verb <em>balah</em> (בָּלָה, "made old, wore out") describes premature aging—suffering ages one beyond years. "Broken bones" (<em>shibbar atsmotai</em>) suggests deep, structural damage. Bones represent strength and framework; their breaking indicates c...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Hath he made old.**—Better, *He hath wasted, *the verb describing the wear and tear of life rather than the effects of age. “Flesh,” “skin,” “bones,” are grouped together as representing the whole being of the mourner.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. if they refuse to take the cup--**No effort of theirs to escape destruction will avail.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
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Siege imagery: "He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail" (<em>banah alai vayakaf rosh utla'ah</em>). The verb <em>banah</em> (בָּנָה, "built") suggests constructing siege works—towers, ramps, and walls used in ancient warfare to surround and starve cities. "Compassed" (<em>yakaf</em>, יָקַף) means encircled, surrounded with no escape. "Gall" (<em>rosh</em>, רֹאשׁ) is poi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **He hath builded.**—The attack of sorrow is presented under the figure of a siege. In the next clause the figure is dropped. “Gall” stands, as in Jeremiah 8:14, for bitterest sorrow. “Travel” is the old English form of “travail,” the two forms, originally identical, being now used with different meanings.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
29. If I spared not Mine elect people on account of sin, much less will I spare you (Eze 9:6; Ob 16; Lu 23:31; 1Pe 4:17).
**be unpunished--**"be treated as innocent."
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
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KJV Study Commentary
Dwelling in darkness like the dead (Psalm 143:3, Ephesians 2:1). Sin brings spiritual death; only Christ raises to life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **He hath set me in dark places.**—A verbal reproduction of Psalm 143:3. The “dark places” are those of hell or Hades. For *dead of old *read *dead eternally *or *dead for ever, *the adverb looking forward rather than back.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. roar--**image from a destructive lion (Is 42:13; Joe 3:16).
**upon his habitation--**rather, "His pasturage"; keeping up the image of a lion roaring against the flock in the pasture. The roar was first to go forth over Judea wherein were "the sheep of His pasture" (Psa 100:3), and thence into heathen lands.
**shout ... tread ... grapes--**(Jr 48:33; Is 16:9, 10).
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.
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KJV Study Commentary
Imprisoned by God: "He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy" (<em>gadar ba'adi velo etse hikbid nechoshti</em>). The verb <em>gadar</em> (גָּדַר, "hedged, walled in") describes building a barrier. Job 3:23 and 19:8, Hosea 2:6 use similar imagery for being blocked by God. "I cannot get out" (<em>lo etse</em>) emphasizes helplessness. "He hath made my chain heavy"...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **He hath hedged.**—From the darkness of Hades we pass to that of the prison-house, in which the mourner is “hedged” or confined, bound with a heavy chain (literally, *brass*)*.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. controversy--**cause at issue (Mi 6:2).
**plead with all flesh--**(Is 66:16). God shows the whole world that He does what is altogether just in punishing.
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
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KJV Study Commentary
Prayer seems futile: "Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer" (<em>gam ki-ez'ak va'ashavea satam tefilati</em>, גַּם כִּי־אֶזְעַק וַאֲשַׁוֵּעַ שָׂתַם תְּפִלָּתִי). The verbs <em>za'ak</em> (זָעַק, "cry out") and <em>shava</em> (שָׁוַע, "cry for help") indicate desperate pleading, yet God "shuts out" (<em>satam</em>, שָׂתַם) prayer. This echoes Psalm 88:14: "LORD, why castest thou off...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **He shutteth out my prayer**—*i.e.,* stops it so that it does not reach the ear of Jehovah; and it is Jehovah himself who does this.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. from the coasts--**rather, "from the uttermost regions." Like a storm which arises in one region and then diffuses itself far and wide, so God's judgments shall pass "from nation to nation," till all has been fulfilled; no distance shall prevent the fulfilment.
**not be lamented--**(Jr 16:4, 6).
**neither gathered--**to their fathers, in their ancestral tombs (Jr 8:2).
**dung--**(Psa 8...
Read full commentary →He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
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God blocks paths with stones, making ways crooked. Divine sovereignty controls our direction. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust Him.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **He hath inclosed.**—Yet another figure of resourceless misery follows. A massive wall of stone runs across the mourner’s way. When he turns aside into by-paths, they are turned and twisted in labyrinthine confusion, and lead nowhither.
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
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KJV Study Commentary
God as bear or lion lying in wait (Hosea 13:7-8, Amos 3:12). Dangerous imagery showing terror of judgment. Yet He remains covenant God.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **As a bear . . . as a lion.**—The figure found in Hosea 13:8; Amos 5:19, is specially characteristic of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 4:7; Jeremiah 5:6; Jeremiah 49:19; Jeremiah 50:44). We are reminded of Dante (*Inferno, *i. 31-51).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. shepherds--**princes (Jr 22:22). Here he returns to the Jews and their rulers, using the same image as in Jr 25:30, "pasture" (see on Jr 25:30).
**wallow yourselves--**Cover yourselves as thickly with ashes, in token of sorrow, as one who rolls in them (Jr 6:26; Eze 27:30) [Maurer].
**principal--**leaders. The Septuagint translates "rams," carrying out the image (compare Is 14:9, Margin;...
Read full commentary →He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
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God pulls victim off path like predator dragging prey. Total helplessness before divine power. Romans 9:19-21 addresses sovereignty questions.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **He hath turned aside.**—The terror caused by the lion turns the traveller from his path, and there is no other; and then comes the attack by which he is torn in pieces.
**He hath made me desolate.**—Better, *made me astonied, *as in Ezra 9:3. The verb (which occurs forty times in Jeremiah’s prophecies and three times in Lam.), paints the stupefaction of terror.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
35. Literally, "Flight shall fail the shepherds ... escaping (shall fail) the principal," &c. (Am 2:14). The leaders will be the first objects for slaughter; escape by flight will be out of their power.
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
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KJV Study Commentary
God as archer with speaker as target. Job 6:4, 16:12-13 use similar imagery. Divine arrows represent judgments that pierce deeply.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **He hath bent his bow.**—(Comp. Job 16:12.) The figure is changed, but there is a natural sequence of thought. The lion suggests the huntsman. but he appears on the scene not to save the victim, but to complete the work of destruction.
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. arrows: Heb. sons
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KJV Study Commentary
Arrows pierce kidneys (vital organs). Judgment strikes at core of life. Yet God is precise surgeon, not random destroyer.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The arrows of his quiver.**—Literally, *children. *The other side of the analogy appears in Psalm 127:5.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**37. habitations--**rather, carrying out the image "pastures" (see on Jr 25:30). The pasturages where, peaceably and without incursion of wild beasts, the flocks have fed, shall be destroyed; that is, the regions where, heretofore, there was peace and security (alluding to the name Salem, or Jerusalem, "possessing peace").
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
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KJV Study Commentary
Mockery from own people intensifies pain. Job experienced similar (Job 12:4, 30:1, 9). Being song of drunkards (Psalm 69:12).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **I was a derision.**—The personal experience of the prophet breaks through the succession of imagery. The arrows that pierced to the quick were the taunts of the mockers who derided him (Jeremiah 20:7). “Their song.” (Comp. Job 30:9.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38. his covert--**the temple, where heretofore, like a lion, as its defender, by the mere terror of His voice He warded off the foe; but now He leaves it a prey to the Gentiles [Calvin].
**fierceness of ... oppressor--**rather, as the Hebrew, for "oppressor" is an adjective feminine, the word "sword" is understood, which, in Jr 46:16; 50:16, is expressed (indeed, some manuscripts and the Septu...
Read full commentary →He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. bitterness: Heb. bitternesses
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KJV Study Commentary
Continued suffering described: "He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood" (<em>hisbi'ani ba-merurim hirvani la'anah</em>, הִשְׂבִּעַנִי בַמְּרוּרִים הִרְוַנִי לַעֲנָה). The verb <em>sava</em> (שָׂבַע, "filled, satisfied") normally describes positive satiation (Psalm 103:5, 107:9), but here it's perverted—filled not with good things but <em>merurim</em> (מְרוּרִים, "...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Bitterness.**—The Hebrew gives the plural, *bitternesses. *With these, the sorrows which are as the bitter herbs of life (the same word meets us in Exodus 12:8, and Numbers 9:11), the mourner had been filled even to satiety, even as he had been made drunk with wormwood.
He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. covered: or, rolled me in the ashes
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KJV Study Commentary
Teeth broken on gravel, trampled in ashes. Humiliation and degradation imagery. From prince to prisoner, beauty to ashes.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **He hath also broken my teeth.**—The metaphor of food is continued. The mourner eats bread that is gritty, as if made of sand instead of flour. (Comp. Proverbs 20:17.) Here, again, we are reminded of Dante (*Parad. *xvii. 58), when he speaks of the bitterness of the bread which comes as the grudging gift of strangers.
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. prosperity: Heb. good
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Soul removed from peace, forgetting prosperity. Depression when blessing seems permanently lost. Yet verse 21 turns toward hope.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Thou hast removed my soul far off from peace.**—The verb is found in this sense in Psalm 88:14. By some critics it is taken as passive, and in the 3rd person feminine. *My soul loathes peace, i.e., *has lost even the desire of better things; or, *My soul is despised of peace, i.e., *is shut out from it. But the Authorised version is preferable.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 26 Jr 26:1-24. Jeremiah Declared Worthy of Death, but by the Interposition of Ahikam Saved; the Similar Cases of Micah and Urijah Being Adduced in the Prophet's Favor.
The prophecies which gave the offense were those given in detail in the seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters (compare Jr 26:6 here with Jr 7:12, 14); and summarily referred to here [Maurer], probably pronounced at one of th...
Read full commentary →And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
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Strength and hope perished—nadir before turning. Darkest before dawn. Despair precedes hope in structure.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **I said, My strength.**—The sorrow of the mourner comes to the very verge of despair. There was “no help for him from his God;” even that hope had left him. But, as the sequel shows, this despair was the beginning of a reaction. The very name of Jehovah (no longer Adonai) reminded him of the everlasting mercies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. if so be--**expressed according to human conceptions; not as if God did not foreknow all contingencies, but to mark the obstinacy of the people and the difficulty of healing them; and to show His own goodness in making the offer which left them without excuse [Calvin].
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. Remembering: or, Remember
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KJV Study Commentary
Before the famous hope passage (3:22-23), the speaker dwells on suffering: "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall" (<em>zochor oni umrudi la'anah varosh</em>, זְכָר־עָנְיִי וּמְרוּדִי לַעֲנָה וָרֹאשׁ). This isn't wallowing but honest acknowledgment. <em>La'anah</em> (לַעֲנָה, wormwood) is an intensely bitter plant; <em>rosh</em> (רֹאשׁ, gall) likely refers to poisono...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Remembering.**—The verb, which is rendered by the Authorised version as a gerundial infinitive, is better taken as an imperative, *Remember mine affliction; *the prayer being addressed to Jehovah. The two terms of the first clause are taken from Lamentations 1:7. The mourner begins his prayer, as it were, by a recapitulation of his sufferings. (Comp. Psalm 69:21.)
My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. humbled: Heb. bowed
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KJV Study Commentary
Soul bowed down within—self-humbling before God. Opposite of pride. Necessary posture for receiving mercy.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **My soul hath . . .**—The verb, as in Lamentations 3:17, may be either in the second person or the third; the former gives, *Thou wilt surely remember that my soul is humbled. *Psalm 42:4 supports the Authorised version.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. prophets--**the inspired interpreters of the law (Jr 26:4), who adapted it to the use of the people.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. recall: Heb. make to return to my heart
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KJV Study Commentary
The pivotal turn: "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope" (<em>zot ashiv el-libi al-ken ochil</em>, זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל־לִבִּי עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל). After twenty verses of dark lament, the word <em>ochil</em> (אוֹחִיל, "I have hope") appears. The verb <em>yashuv</em> (יָשׁוּב, "recall, bring back") suggests deliberate mental action—choosing to remember truth despite feelings. This models bibli...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **This I recall to my mind.**—Better, *This will I recall. *The first gleam of hope breaks through the darkness. The sorrow has not been in vain; it has brought humility, and out of humility springs hope.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. like Shiloh--**(see on Jr 7:12, 14; 1Sa 4:10-12; Psa 78:60).
**curse--**(Jr 24:9; Is 65:15).
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed</strong> (חַסְדֵי יְהוָה כִּי לֹא־תָמְנוּ, chasde YHWH ki lo-tamnu)—After 21 verses of anguish, this pivotal turn introduces the book's theological center. 'Chesed' (mercies/lovingkindness) is covenant loyalty—God's commitment to His promises despite Israel's faithlessness. <strong>We are not consumed</strong> (lo-tamnu) acknowledges jud...
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(22) **It is of the Lord’s mercies.**—It is, perhaps, part of the elaborate art of this poem that Lamentations 3:22-42, which form its centre, and that of the whole book, represent the highest point of trust to which the mourner attains, being both preceded and followed by words of lamentation.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They are new every morning</strong> (חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים, chadashim labqarim)—God's mercies are 'renewed' daily like the manna in the wilderness, emphasizing daily dependence and fresh provision. 'Morning' (boqer) carries connotations of hope after darkness, new beginnings after night's despair. <strong>Great is thy faithfulness</strong> (רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ, rabbah emunatekha)—'Emunah' i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **They are new.**—The subject of the sentence is found in the “compassions” of the preceding verse. With the dawn of every day there dawn also the mercies of Jehovah.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. priests--**The captain (or prefect) of the temple had the power of apprehending offenders in the temple with the sanction of the priests.
**prophets--**the false prophets. The charge against Jeremiah was that of uttering falsehood in Jehovah's name, an act punishable with death (De 18:20). His prophecy against the temple and city (Jr 26:11) might speciously be represented as contradicting G...
Read full commentary →The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is my portion</strong> (חֶלְקִי יְהוָה, chelqi YHWH)—'Portion' (cheleq) refers to the land inheritance each Israelite tribe received, except Levites who received 'the LORD as their portion' (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9). Jeremiah, a Levitical priest, claims this priestly inheritance. When temple, city, land, and freedom are lost, the covenant relationship remains. <strong>Sait...
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(24) **The Lord.**—An inversion of the sentence gives a closer and more emphatic rendering: *My portion is Jehovah. *The phrase is a reminiscence from Psalm 16:5; Psalm 73:26; Psalm 142:5; Psalm 119:57, the thought resting primarily on Numbers 18:20.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is good unto them that wait for him</strong> (טוֹב יְהוָה לְקוָֹו, tov YHWH leqovav)—'Wait' (qavah) means to wait with expectation, like a cord stretched taut in tension. God's goodness (tov) is experienced not immediately but through patient endurance. <strong>To the soul that seeketh him</strong> (לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ, lenefesh tidrshenu)—'Seek' (darash) implies diligent inqu...
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(25) **The Lord is good.**—The alliterative form of the Hebrew makes “good” the first word of this and the two following verses, the adjective being predicated, first of the essential character of Jehovah, and then of the conditions in man on which the manifestation of that character depends.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. princes--**members of the Council of State or Great Council, which took cognizance of such offenses.
**heard--**the clamor of the popular tumult.
**came up--**from the king's house to the temple, which stood higher than the palace.
**sat--**as judges, in the gate, the usual place of trying such cases.
**new gate--**originally built by Jotham ("the higher gate," 2Ki 15:35) and now rec...
Read full commentary →It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait</strong> (טוֹב וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם לִתְשׁוּעַת יְהוָה, tov veyachil vedunam litshuot YHWH)—Three key terms: 'good' (tov) affirms the value of the posture; 'hope' (yachil, from same root as verse 24) is expectant waiting; 'quietly' (dumam) means silently, without complaining or questioning. <strong>For the salvation of the LORD</strong> ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Quietly wait.**—Literally, *wait in silence: i.e. *abstain from murmurs and complaints.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
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KJV Study Commentary
This wisdom proverb appears within Lamentations' context: "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth" (<em>tov la-gever ki-yisa ol bi-neurav</em>, טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי־יִשָּׂא עֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו). The term <em>gever</em> (strong man) from verse 1 reappears. The "yoke" (<em>ol</em>, עֹל) metaphorically represents burden, discipline, labor, or submission to authority.
Why is bearing the y...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Bear the yoke in his youth.**—The words have been pressed *“*with a strange literalism” in favour of the view that the Lamentations were written in the youth of Jeremiah and on the death of Josiah. It may fairly be contended, on the other hand, that the tone of the maxim is that of one who looks back from the experience of age on the passionate complaints of his earlier years (Jeremiah 15:1...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Lord sent me--**a valid justification against any laws alleged against him.
**against ... against--**rather, "concerning." Jeremiah purposely avoids saying, "against," which would needlessly irritate. They had used the same Hebrew word (Jr 26:11), which ought to be translated "concerning," though they meant it in the unfavorable sense. Jeremiah takes up their word in a better sense, implyi...
Read full commentary →He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Sitting alone in silence—contemplative suffering. Not complaining but submitting. Accepting yoke leads to peace.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **He sitteth alone . . .**—Better, *Let him sit alone, and keep silence when He *(Jehovah) *hath laid it *(the yoke) *upon him; *and so in the next verses, *Let him put his mouth . . .* *Let him give his cheek.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. (Jr 26:3, 19).
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
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KJV Study Commentary
Putting mouth in dust—ultimate submission and humility. If perhaps there is hope. Like Abraham (Genesis 18:27).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **He putteth his mouth in the dust . . .**—The outward image is that of the prostration of an Eastern subject before a king: his very face laid in the dust, so that he cannot speak.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14. Jeremiah's humility is herein shown, and submission to the powers that be (Ro 13:1).
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
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Turning the other cheek—accepting insult without retaliation. Jesus teaches this (Matthew 5:39, Luke 6:29). Redemptive suffering.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **He giveth his cheek . . .**—The submission enjoined reaches its highest point—a patience like that of Job 16:10; we may add, like that of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:39.) It was harder to accept the Divine chastisement when it came through human agents. Not so had Jeremiah once taught and acted (Jeremiah 20:1-6; Jeremiah 28:15). (Comp. Isaiah 1:6.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. bring ... upon yourselves--**So far will you be from escaping the predicted evils by shedding my blood, that you will, by that very act, only incur heavier penalties (Mt 23:35).
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
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KJV Study Commentary
Three verses present profound theology of divine discipline. Verse 31: "For the Lord will not cast off for ever" (<em>ki lo yiznaḥ le-olam Adonai</em>, כִּי לֹא יִזְנַח לְעוֹלָם אֲדֹנָי). The verb <em>zanach</em> (זָנַח) means to reject, cast away, spurn. Though judgment appears to be abandonment, it's temporary, not permanent. God's covenant faithfulness ensures eventual restoration.
Verse 32: "...
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(31) **For the Lord . . .**—The counsels of submission are followed by the grounds of hope. The first, a quotation from Psalm 77:7, had been of old a favourite thought of the writer’s (Jeremiah 3:5; Jeremiah 3:12). The second (Lamentations 3:32) rests on the fact that compassion underlies chastisement (Psalm 30:5; Job 5:18; Isaiah 54:8); the third (Lamentations 3:33) on the truth that the primary ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. princes ... all the people--**The fickle people, as they were previously influenced by the priests to clamor for his death (Jr 26:8), so now under the princes' influence require that he shall not be put to death. Compare as to Jesus, Jeremiah's antitype, the hosannas of the multitude a few days before the same people, persuaded by the priests as in this case, cried, Away with Him, crucify Hi...
Read full commentary →But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
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Complementing verse 31-33, this verse affirms: "But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies" (<em>ki im-hogah verikham ke-rov khasadav</em>, כִּי אִם־הוֹגָה וְרִחַם כְּרֹב חֲסָדָיו). The structure is "if...then": if God causes grief, then He will have compassion. It's not "if" in the sense of doubt, but "even if/though." The verb <em>racham</em>...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. Compare Gamaliel's interposition (Ac 5:34, &c.).
**elders--**some of the "princes" mentioned (Jr 26:16) those whose age, as well as dignity, would give weight to the precedents of past times which they adduce.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. willingly: Heb. from his heart
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KJV Study Commentary
A crucial theological statement: <strong>"For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."</strong> The Hebrew <em>ki lo innah mi-libbo</em> (כִּי לֹא עִנָּה מִלִּבּוֹ) literally means "for not from his heart does he afflict." The term <em>lev</em> (לֵב, "heart") represents the center of will, desire, and emotion. This verse reveals that affliction is not God's primary desire or ...
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(33) **Not . . .** **willingly.**—Literally, *not from the heart, *as being the centre of volition as well as emotion
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. (Mi 3:12).
**Morasthite--**called so from a village of the tribe Judah.
**Hezekiah--**The precedent in the reign of such a good king proved that Jeremiah was not the only prophet, or the first, who threatened the city and the temple without incurring death.
**mountain of the house--**Moriah, on which stood the temple (peculiarly called "the house") shall be covered with woods instead of ...
Read full commentary →To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
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This verse begins a series (verses 34-36) listing actions God does not approve: <strong>"To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth."</strong> The Hebrew <em>le-dakkeh tahat raglaw kol asirei-arets</em> describes oppressive action against the helpless. The verb <em>dakah</em> (דָּכָא) means to crush, pulverize, or oppress—the same term used in Isaiah 53:5 for the Messiah being "bruised...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34-36) **To crush . . .**—The triplet of verses forms one sentence dependent upon the final clause, “The Lord approveth not,” literally, *doth not look on. *By some critics the literal meaning is kept in the form of a question: *Doth not the Lord look on this? *The fact that the righteous judgment of God is against those who, unlike Him, cause wilful and needless suffering is another ground of ho...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19. Hezekiah, so far from killing him, was led "to fear the Lord," and pray for remission of the sentence against Judah (2Ch 32:26).
**Lord repented--**(Ex 32:14; 2Sa 24:16).
**Thus--**if we kill Jeremiah.
To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, the most High: or, a superior
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KJV Study Commentary
Continuing the list of disapproved actions: <strong>"To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High."</strong> The Hebrew <em>le-hattot mishpat gaver neged penei Elyon</em> addresses perversion of justice. The verb <em>natah</em> (נָטָה, "turn aside, pervert") suggests bending or twisting what should be straight. <em>Mishpat</em> (מִשְׁפַּט) means justice, judgment, or legal rig...
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20. As the flight and capture of Urijah must have occupied some time, "the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim" (Jr 26:1) must not mean the very beginning, but the second or third year of his eleven years' reign.
**And ... also--**perhaps connected with Jr 26:24, as the comment of the writer, not the continuation of the speech of the elders: "And although also a man that prophesied ... Urijah .....
Read full commentary →To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. approveth not: or, seeth not
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The series concludes: <strong>"To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not."</strong> The Hebrew <em>le-awet adam be-rivo Adonai lo ra'ah</em> uses <em>awat</em> (עָוַת), meaning to make crooked, pervert, or subvert. <em>Riv</em> (רִיב) means lawsuit, dispute, or legal case. The phrase describes twisting someone's legal case against them—judicial corruption.<br><br>The climax comes with ...
Read full commentary →Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
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A rhetorical question asserting divine sovereignty: <strong>"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?"</strong> The Hebrew <em>mi zeh amar vatehi Adonai lo tsivvah</em> (מִי זֶה אָמַר וַתֶּהִי אֲדֹנָי לֹא צִוָּה) establishes that nothing occurs apart from God's sovereign decree. The question expects the answer: "No one." Human words have no power to bring event...
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(37-39) New grounds of patient faith are given: (1) In an echo from Psalm 33:9, affirming the sovereignty of God. The evil which He permits is under the control of this loving purpose; and (2) as far as it is not absolute evil, may be said to come from Him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. Jehoiakim sent ... into Egypt--**He had been put on the throne by Pharaoh of Egypt (2Ki 23:34). This explains the readiness with which he got the Egyptians to give up Urijah to him, when that prophet had sought an asylum in Egypt. Urijah was faithful in delivering his message, but faulty in leaving his work, so God permitted him to lose his life, while Jeremiah was protected in danger. The p...
Read full commentary →Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
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Another rhetorical question deepening divine sovereignty: <strong>"Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?"</strong> The Hebrew <em>mi-pi Elyon lo tetse hara'ot vehatov</em> (מִפִּי עֶלְיוֹן לֹא תֵצֵא הָרָעוֹת וְהַטּוֹב) asserts that both calamities and blessings proceed from God's mouth. The term <em>Elyon</em> (עֶלְיוֹן, "Most High") emphasizes God's supreme authority ove...
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**23. graves of the common people--**literally, "sons of the people" (compare 2Ki 23:6). The prophets seem to have had a separate cemetery (Mt 23:29). Urijah's corpse was denied this honor, in order that he should not be regarded as a true prophet.
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? complain: or, murmur
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A rhetorical question challenges self-pity: "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" (<em>mah yitonen adam chai gever al-cheta'av</em>, מַה־יִּתְאוֹנֵן אָדָם חַי גֶּבֶר עַל־חֲטָאָיו). The term <em>chai</em> (חַי, "living") is significant—the very fact of continued existence demonstrates mercy. Under strict justice, sinners deserve death (Romans 6:23); life itse...
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(39) **Wherefore doth a living man . . .**—Better, *Why doth a man who lives? i.e., *whose life is spared him (comp. Jeremiah 45:5), with all its possibilities of good, complain of sufferings which, however unjust as far as those who cause them are concerned, are, in relation to the sufferer, the just punishment of his own sins?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. Ahikam--**son of Shaphan the scribe, or royal secretary. He was one of those whom King Josiah, when struck by the words of the book of the law, sent to inquire of the Lord (2Ki 22:12, 14). Hence his interference here in behalf of Jeremiah is what we should expect from his past association with that good king. His son, Gedaliah, followed in his father's steps, so that he was chosen by the Bab...
Read full commentary →Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
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<strong>Let us search and try our ways</strong> (נַחְפְּשָׂה דְרָכֵינוּ וְנַחְקֹרָה, nachpesah derakeinu venachqorah)—Two intensive Hebrew verbs: 'search' (chaphas) means to dig, investigate thoroughly; 'try' (chaqar) means to examine, test. The plural 'us' shifts from individual (verses 25-39) to corporate—Israel must collectively examine its covenant violations. <strong>And turn again to the LOR...
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(40) **Let us search . . .**—Warnings against murmurs are followed by counsels which point to a more excellent way. Suffering calls a man to self-scrutiny. We should seek to know the sins which it is meant to punish and correct.**
To the Lord.**—The preposition is an emphatic one: *even to the Lord. *There is to be no halting half-way in the work of conversion.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
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The appropriate response to verses 39-40's call to self-examination: "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens" (<em>nisa levabeinu el-kapayim el-El ba-shamayim</em>, נִשָּׂא לְבָבֵנוּ אֶל־כַּפָּיִם אֶל־אֵל בַּשָּׁמָיִם). The gesture combines upraised hands (common prayer posture, Psalm 28:2, 63:4, 134:2, 141:2, 1 Timothy 2:8) with uplifted heart—the internal attitude matchi...
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(41) **With our hands.**—Literally, *to our hands. *There is, as it were, a psychological analysis of prayer. Men can by an act of will, lift up the heart as the centre of affection: this, in its turn, prompts the outward act of the uplifted hands of supplication; God is the final object to whom the prayer is addressed.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 27 Jr 27:1-22. The Futility of Resisting Nebuchadnezzar Illustrated to the Ambassadors of the Kings, Desiring to Have the King of Judah Confederate with Them, under the Type of Yokes. Jeremiah Exhorts Them and Zedekiah to Yield.
**1. Jehoiakim--**The prophecy that follows was according to this reading given in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, fifteen years before it was published in the reig...
Read full commentary →We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
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Confession: we have transgressed and rebelled. Owning sin, not just complaining. Prerequisite for restoration.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **We have transgressed . . .**—The verses that follow (Lam 3;42-47) give the prayer which answers to the call of Lamentations 3:41. Both pronouns are emphatic: The suppliant has sinned and God has not yet pardoned, in the sense of ceasing to punish.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. bonds--**by which the yoke is made fast to the neck (Jr 5:5).
**yokes--**literally, the carved piece of wood attached at both ends to the two yokes on the necks of a pair of oxen, so as to connect them. Here the yoke itself. The plural is used, as he was to wear one himself, and give the others to the ambassadors; (Jr 27:3; 28:10, 12) proves that the symbolical act was in this instance (tho...
Read full commentary →Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
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God covered Himself with anger, pursuing and slaying without pity. Divine wrath fully displayed. Yet verses 31-33 promise mercy.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43) **Thou hast covered with anger.**—Better, as in the next verse, *Thou hast covered thyself. *Wrath is as the garment in which God wraps Himself to execute His righteous judgments. In Lamentations 3:44 the wrath is represented more definitely as a cloud through which the prayers of the afflicted cannot pass.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. And send them to the king of Edom, &c.--**Appropriate symbol, as these ambassadors had come to Jerusalem to consult as to shaking off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. According to Pherecydes in Clement of Alexandria [Miscellanies, 567], Idanthura, king of the Scythians, intimated to Darius, who had crossed the Danube, that he would lead an army against him, by sending him, instead of a letter,...
Read full commentary →Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
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A painful lament about unanswered prayer: <strong>"Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through."</strong> The Hebrew <em>sakota ve-anan lakh me-avor tefillah</em> (סַכּוֹתָ בֶעָנָן לָךְ מֵעֲבוֹר תְּפִלָּה) uses striking imagery. God has covered (<em>sakah</em>, סָכַךְ, "to screen, cover") Himself with a cloud (<em>anan</em>, עָנָן) so that prayer (<em>tefillah</...
Read full commentary →Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.
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<strong>Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse</strong> (סְחִי וּמָאוֹס תְּשִׂימֵנוּ, sechi uma'os tesimenu)—'Offscouring' (sechi) is scrapings, scum skimmed off; 'refuse' (ma'os) is rejected, despised. Paul uses similar language in 1 Corinthians 4:13 (perikatharma, peripsema—garbage, scum of the earth). <strong>In the midst of the people</strong> (בְּקֶרֶב הָעַמִּים, beqerev ha'amim)—amo...
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(45) **In the midst of the people.**—Literally, *peoples: i.e., *the heathen nations of the world. A like phrase meets us in 1Corinthians 4:13.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. God here, as elsewhere, connects with the symbol doctrine, which is as it were its soul, without which it would be not only cold and frivolous, but even dead [Calvin]. God's mention of His supreme power is in order to refute the pride of those who rely on their own power (Is 45:12).
**given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me--**(Psa 115:15, 16; Da 4:17, 25, 32). Not for his merits, but of My...
Read full commentary →All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
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<strong>All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.</strong> This brief but poignant verse captures the experience of mockery and contempt that accompanied Jerusalem's destruction. The Hebrew phrase "opened their mouths" (<em>patsu alenu pihem</em>, פָּצוּ עָלֵינוּ פִּיהֶם) is a vivid idiom describing wide-mouthed derision, scornful speech, and verbal assault. It appears elsewhere in Scri...
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**6. beasts of the field--**not merely the horses to carry his Chaldean soldiers, and oxen to draw his provisions [Grotius]; not merely the deserts, mountains, and woods, the haunts of wild beasts, implying his unlimited extent of empire [Estius]; but the beasts themselves by a mysterious instinct of nature. A reproof to men that they did not recognize God's will, which the very beasts acknowledge...
Read full commentary →Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.
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A devastating summary of judgment's impact: <strong>"Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction."</strong> The Hebrew <em>pachad vafachat hayah lanu hashe'et vehashaver</em> (פַּחַד וָפַחַת הָיָה לָנוּ הַשֵּׁאת וְהַשָּׁבֶר) uses two word pairs that create alliteration and intensify the horror. <em>Pachad</em> (פַּחַד, "fear, terror") and <em>pachat</em> (פַּחַת, "pit, snare, trap...
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(47) **Fear and a snare.**—A quotation from Jeremiah 48:43, and Isaiah 24:17.
**Desolation.**—Better, *devastation. *The Hebrew noun is not found elsewhere, but the cognate verb in Isaiah 37:26 is rendered “to lay waste.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. son ... son's son--**(2Ch 36:20). Nebuchadnezzar had four successors--Evil-merodach, his son; Neriglissar, husband of Nebuchadnezzar's daughter; his son, Labosodarchod; and Naboned (with whom his son, Belshazzar, was joint king), son of Evil-merodach. But Neriglissar and Labosodarchod were not in the direct male line; so that the prophecy held good to "his son and his son's son," and the inte...
Read full commentary →Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
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Intense grief expressed through tears: <strong>"Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people."</strong> The Hebrew <em>palgei-mayim terad eini al-shever bat-ammi</em> (פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם תֵּרַד עֵינִי עַל־שֶׁבֶר בַּת־עַמִּי) uses vivid imagery. <em>Palgei-mayim</em> (פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם) means "streams of water" or "rivulets"—not mere tears but torrents. The v...
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(48) **Mine eye . . .**—A stronger utterance of the thought of Lamentations 1:16; Lamentations 2:18; Psalm 119:136.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. until I have consumed them by his hand--**until by these consuming visitations I have brought them under his power.
Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,
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The weeping continues relentlessly: <strong>"Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission."</strong> The Hebrew <em>eini niggerah velo-tidom mi-ein hafugot</em> (עֵינִי נִגְּרָה וְלֹא תִדְמֹה מֵאֵין הֲפֻגוֹת) emphasizes unceasing tears. <em>Niggerah</em> (נִגְּרָה) means to flow, pour down, be poured out. <em>Velo-tidom</em> (וְלֹא תִדְמֹה) means "and not cease" or "without s...
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(49) **Trickleth down.**—Better, *poureth down.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. ye--**the Jews especially, for whom the address to the rest was intended.
**enchanters--**augurs [Calvin], from a root, the "eyes," that is, lookers at the stars and other means of taking omens of futurity; or another root, a "fixed time," observers of times: forbidden in the law (Le 19:26; De 18:10, 11, 14).
Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
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Hope emerges through persistent prayer: <strong>"Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven."</strong> The Hebrew <em>ad-yashkif veyare YHWH mishamayim</em> (עַד־יַשְׁקִיף וְיֵרֶא יְהוָה מִשָּׁמָיִם) expresses patient waiting for divine intervention. <em>Yashkif</em> (יַשְׁקִיף, "look down") and <em>yare</em> (יֵרֶא, "see") together emphasize God's attention turning toward His suffering peopl...
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**10. to remove you--**expressing the event which would result. The very thing they profess by their enchantments to avert, they are by them bringing on you. Better to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, and remain in your land, than to rebel, and be removed from it.
Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. mine heart: Heb. my soul because: or, more than all
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<strong>Mine eye affecteth mine heart</strong> (עֵינִי עוֹלְלָה לְנַפְשִׁי, eini olelah lenafshi)—'Affecteth' (alal) means to deal severely with, to cause pain. The eye's witnessing causes soul-deep anguish. <strong>Because of all the daughters of my city</strong> (מִכֹּל בְּנוֹת עִירִי, mikol benot iri)—'daughters' likely refers to women and children of Jerusalem, though could mean surrounding vi...
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(51) **Affecteth.**—Better, *harmeth, *or *causeth grief to.*
**The daughters of my city.**—The words have been understood (1) of the maidens of Jerusalem (comp. Lamentations 1:4; Lamentations 1:18; Lamentations 2:20-21); and (2) of the daughter-towns which looked to it as their metropolis. Of these (1) is preferable.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. serve ... till it--**The same Hebrew root expresses "serve" and "till," or "cultivate." Serve ye the king of Babylon, and the land will serve you [Calvin].
Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
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Personal persecution described: <strong>"Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause."</strong> The Hebrew <em>tsod tsedunim oyevai chinnam katsippor</em> uses hunting imagery. <em>Tsod tsedunim</em> ("hunting, they hunted me") emphasizes relentless pursuit. <em>Chinnam</em> (חִנָּם, "without cause, gratuitously") asserts the persecution was undeserved. The comparison to a bird (<em>ka...
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(52) **Without cause . . .**—The words connect themselves in the Hebrew with “mine enemies” (comp. Psalm 35:7; Psalm 35:19; Psalm 69:4), and it has been inferred from this that Jeremiah speaks not of the Chaldeans as enemies of his nation, but of those who were individually his persecutors. The hypothesis receives some confirmation from the apparent reference in the “dungeon” and the “waters” to t...
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**12. I spake also--**translate, "And I spake," &c. Special application of the subject to Zedekiah.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery darkens: <strong>"They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me."</strong> The Hebrew <em>tsamequ vabbor chayayi vayyaddu-even bi</em> describes being trapped and sealed in a pit. <em>Tsamequ</em> (צָמְתוּ) means to destroy, exterminate, or cut off. <em>Vabbor</em> (וַבּוֹר, "in the pit/cistern") refers to an underground chamber, often used for imprisonment or exec...
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(53) **Cast a stone upon me.**—The words admit of two meanings: (1) that they cast stones at him; (2) that they placed a stone over the opening of his dungeon so as to prevent escape.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. Why ... die--**by running on your own ruin in resisting Nebuchadnezzar after this warning (Eze 18:31).
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
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KJV Study Commentary
Drowning in despair: <strong>"Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off."</strong> The Hebrew <em>tsafu-mayim al-roshi amarti nigzarti</em> (צָפוּ־מַיִם עַל־רֹאשִׁי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְזָרְתִּי) continues the pit imagery. <em>Tsafu</em> (צָפוּ) means to overflow, flood, or cover. Waters rising above the head (<em>al-roshi</em>, עַל־רֹאשִׁי) indicate drowning—the ultimate drowning sensatio...
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**14. lie--**(Jr 14:14).
I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon</strong> (קָרָאתִי שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה מִבּוֹר תַּחְתִּיּוֹת, qarati shimkha YHWH mibor tachtiyot)—'Low dungeon' literally translates 'pit of the lowest parts' (bor tachtiyot), evoking Sheol, the grave, deepest extremity. 'Called upon thy name' (qarati shimkha) is covenant language—invoking YHWH's revealed character and promises. Prayer fro...
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(55) **Out of the low dungeon.**—Here, again, we have to choose between a literal reference to Jeremiah’s sufferings or a figurative interpretation. The phrase is the same as that of Psalm 88:6.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. in my name--**The devil often makes God's name the plea for lies (Mt 4:6; 7:22, 23; Jr 27:15-20, the test whereby to know false prophets).
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's response asserted: <strong>"Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry."</strong> The Hebrew <em>koli shamata al-talem aznekha lervacha leshavati</em> (קוֹלִי שָׁמָעְתָּ אַל־תַּעְלֵם אָזְנְךָ לְרַוְחָתִי לְשַׁוְעָתִי) begins with confident assertion: <em>koli shamata</em> (קוֹלִי שָׁמָעְתָּ, "my voice you have heard"). The perfect tense indicates completed action...
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(56) **Thou hast heard . . . hide not thine . . .**—There is something eminently suggestive in the sequence of the two clauses. The recollection that prayer was answered in the past, prompts its utterance in the present. Historically, the words may point to the intervention of Ebed-melech in Jeremiah 38:7.
**At my breathing**—*i.e.,* the “sighs” or “sobs” of the mourner.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. The "vessels" had been carried away to Babylon in the reign of Jeconiah (2Ki 24:13); also previously in that of Jehoiakim (2Ch 36:5-7).
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
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KJV Study Commentary
Divine response remembered: <strong>"Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not."</strong> The Hebrew <em>karavta beyom ekraeka amarta al-tira</em> (קָרַבְתָּ בְּיוֹם אֶקְרָאֶךָּ אָמַרְתָּ אַל־תִּירָא) describes God's responsive approach. <em>Karavta</em> (קָרַבְתָּ, "you drew near") indicates active movement toward the one praying. God doesn't merely hear from a d...
Read full commentary →O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
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KJV Study Commentary
Grateful testimony: <strong>"O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life."</strong> The Hebrew <em>ravta Adonai rivei nafshi ga'alta chayayi</em> (רַבְתָּ אֲדֹנָי רִיבֵי נַפְשִׁי גָּאַלְתָּ חַיָּי) uses legal and redemption imagery. <em>Ravta</em> (רַבְתָּ, "you have pleaded") comes from <em>riv</em> (רִיב), meaning to plead a case, contend, or advocate. God acts as...
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(58) **Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul—***i.e., *Jehovah had appeared as the advocate, or next-of-kin protector, of the prophet in the persecutions which were aimed against his life. Another personal reference to the prophet’s sufferings. (Comp. Jeremiah 26:8-17; Jeremiah 37:14; Jeremiah 38:4.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. at Jerusalem--**that is, in other houses containing such vessels, besides the house of God and the king's palace. Nebuzara-dan, captain of the guard under Nebuchadnezzar, carried all away (2Ki 25:13-17; 2Ch 36:18). The more costly vessels had been previously removed in the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jeconiah.
O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause</strong> (רָאִיתָה יְהוָה עַוָּתָתִי שָׁפְטָה מִשְׁפָּטִי, ra'itah YHWH avatati shoftah mishpati)—'Thou hast seen' (ra'itah) appeals to God as witness. 'My wrong' (avatati) is the injustice done to me, my oppression. 'Judge thou my cause' (shoftah mishpati)—a legal appeal for vindication. Jeremiah appeals to the righteous Judge to vindic...
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19. (Jr 52:17, 20, 21).
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's comprehensive observation affirmed: <strong>"Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me."</strong> The Hebrew <em>raita kol-nikmatam kol-machshevotam li</em> (רָאִיתָ כָּל־נִקְמָתָם כָּל־מַחְשְׁבֹתָם לִי) emphasizes divine omniscience. <em>Raita</em> (רָאִיתָ, "you have seen") repeats from verse 59, stressing God's observation. <em>Kol</em> (כָּל, "all") appears...
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(60) **All their imaginations . . .**—Same word as the “devices” of Jeremiah 11:19; Jeremiah 18:18, to which the writer obviously refers.
Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me;
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KJV Study Commentary
Continued appeal to God's awareness: <strong>"Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me."</strong> The Hebrew <em>shamata cherpatam YHWH kol-machshevotam ali</em> (שָׁמַעְתָּ חֶרְפָּתָם יְהוָה כָּל־מַחְשְׁבֹתָם עָלָי) shifts from seeing (verse 60) to hearing. <em>Shamata</em> (שָׁמַעְתָּ, "you have heard") acknowledges God's awareness of spoken reproach. <em>Che...
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(61) **Thou hast heard.**—The verb governs the “lips*” *of the next verse as well as the “reproaches” of this. In the last clause we note the emphasis of iteration, the natural dwelling on what was prominent in the prophet’s thoughts.
The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.
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KJV Study Commentary
Enemies' continual harassment: <strong>"The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day."</strong> The Hebrew <em>siftei kameiai vehegyonam ali kol-hayyom</em> (שִׂפְתֵי קָמַי וְהֶגְיוֹנָם עָלַי כָּל־הַיּוֹם) describes relentless verbal assault. <em>Siftei</em> (שִׂפְתֵי, "lips") represents speech. <em>Kameiai</em> (קָמַי, "those who rise up against me") identifi...
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(62) **The lips . . . **The organs of speech are used boldly for the words which they uttered, and so stand parallel with “reproaches” in Lamentations 3:61.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. until ... I visit them--**in wrath by Cyrus (Jr 32:5). In seventy years from the first carrying away of captives in Jehoiachin's reign (Jr 29:10; 2Ch 36:21).
**restore them--**by the hand of Cyrus (Ezr 1:7). By Artaxerxes (Ezr 7:19).
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
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KJV Study Commentary
Complete mockery: <strong>"Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick."</strong> The Hebrew <em>shivtam vekimatam habbita ani manginatam</em> (שִׁבְתָּם וְקִימָתָם הַבִּיטָה אֲנִי מַנְגִּינָתָם) describes comprehensive mockery. "Their sitting down, and their rising up" (<em>shivtam vekimatam</em>, שִׁבְתָּם וְקִימָתָם) is a Hebrew idiom meaning all their activities, constant...
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(63) **Their sitting down, and their rising up . . .**—The two words, as in Deuteronomy 6:7; Deuteronomy 11:19; Psalm 139:2; include the whole daily and hourly conduct of those spoken of.
**I am their musick.**—The noun, though not identical, is cognate with that of Psalm 69:12, of which the complaint is, as it were, an echo.
Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
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KJV Study Commentary
Appeal for divine retribution: <strong>"Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands."</strong> The Hebrew <em>tashiv lahem gemul YHWH kema'aseh yedeihem</em> (תָּשִׁיב לָהֶם גְּמוּל יְהוָה כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם) requests God execute justice. <em>Tashiv</em> (תָּשִׁיב, "render, return") means to pay back or recompense. <em>Gemul</em> (גְּמוּל) means recompense, dealin...
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(64) **Render unto them . . .**—The words are noticeable as being taken from Psalm 28:4, and reproduced by St. Paul in 2Timothy 4:14.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 28 Jr 28:1-17. Prophecies Immediately Following Those in the Twenty-seventh Chapter. Hananiah Breaks the Yokes to Signify that Nebuchadnezzar's Yoke Shall Be Broken. Jeremiah Foretells that Yokes of Iron Are to Succeed Those of Wood, and that Hananiah Shall Die.
**1. in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah--**The Jews often divided any period into two halves, the beginning and the end. ...
Read full commentary →Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. sorrow: or, obstinacy of heart
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KJV Study Commentary
The imprecatory prayer continues: <strong>"Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them."</strong> The Hebrew <em>titten lahem megginnat-lev ta'alatekha lahem</em> (תִּתֵּן לָהֶם מְגִנַּת־לֵב תַּאֲלָתְךָ לָהֶם) requests inner anguish. <em>Megginnat-lev</em> (מְגִנַּת־לֵב) means literally "shield of heart" or "covered heart"—interpreted as either hardness of heart leading to judgment, or anxiety/...
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(65) **Sorrow of heart**—Literally, *covering, *with a sense like that of the “veil upon the heart” of 2Corinthians 3:15, and so signifying the blindness of obstinacy. The imperatives in both Lamentations 3:65-66 are better rendered as futures—*Thou shalt give; Thou shalt persecute.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. broken the yoke--**I have determined to break: referring to Jeremiah's prophecy (Jr 27:12).
Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
The imprecatory prayer concludes with finality: <strong>"Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD."</strong> The Hebrew <em>tirdof be-af vetashmideim mitachat shemei YHWH</em> (תִּרְדֹּף בְּאַף וְתַשְׁמִידֵם מִתַּחַת שְׁמֵי יְהוָה) requests complete judgment. <em>Tirdof</em> (תִּרְדֹּף, "pursue, persecute") means to chase down relentlessly—the same verb used earlier w...
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(66) **From under the heavens of the Lord.**—The phrase is exceptional, but it is obviously equivalent to the whole world, considered as God’s kingdom.
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. two full years--**literally, "years of days." So "a month of days," that is, all its days complete (Ge 29:14, Margin; Ge 41:1). It was marvellous presumption to speak so definitely without having any divine revelation.