Lamentations 3 Study Notes: Hope in God’s Faithful Mercy
A man who has suffered greatly under God’s anger describes his darkness and despair. He then recalls the LORD’s loyal love and mercies renewed each day, urges patient waiting, repentance, and trust in God’s rule over all things, tells how God heard him from the pit, and asks Him to repay his enemies.
General
What does the man teach in 3:37-38 about where events come from?
Answer: Nothing happens unless the Lord ordains it, both trouble and good
The man asks who can speak and see it happen without the Lord’s decree (3:37), and whether both calamity and good do not come from the Most High’s command (3:38). The expected answer is clear: God rules over everything that happens, including the disaster that fell on Jerusalem. He is never the author of sin, which comes from people, and James insists that God tempts no one to do evil (James 1:13); yet nothing happens outside His decree. Isaiah records God saying He brings both prosperity and calamity (Isaiah 45:7), Amos asks whether disaster strikes a town apart from the LORD (Amos 3:6), and Job asked whether we should receive only good from God and never trouble (Job 2:10). The next verse draws the practical lesson: no sinner has grounds to complain (3:39).
- Lamentations 3:37-38 (BSB)“Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”The man asks whether anything comes to pass apart from the Lord’s decree, adversity and good alike.
- Isaiah 45:7 (BSB)“I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.”God declares that He brings both prosperity and calamity.
- Amos 3:6 (BSB)“If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?”Amos asks whether disaster strikes a town apart from the LORD.
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job accepted that both good and adversity come from God, and his words were blameless.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God is never the source of temptation to evil.
Theological
What doctrine of providence does 3:37-38 assert?
Answer: Nothing happens unless the Lord ordains it, both trouble and good
The rhetorical questions of 3:37-38 assert God’s providence over every event: no spoken word is fulfilled without the Lord’s command, and both trouble and good proceed from the Most High’s decree. God’s decree encompasses calamity as well as blessing (Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6), and Job’s refusal to receive only good from God expresses the same faith (Job 2:10). Yet God is not the author of sin and tempts no one (James 1:13); human agents remain accountable, as 3:34-36 has just affirmed. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility stand together, and the conclusion drawn is humble submission rather than complaint (3:39).
- Lamentations 3:37-38 (BSB)“Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”The man asks whether anything comes to pass apart from the Lord’s decree, adversity and good alike.
- Isaiah 45:7 (BSB)“I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.”God declares that He brings both prosperity and calamity.
- Amos 3:6 (BSB)“If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?”Amos asks whether disaster strikes a town apart from the LORD.
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job accepted that both good and adversity come from God, and his words were blameless.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God is never the source of temptation to evil.
General
True or False: In 3:27-30 the man advises the sufferer to strike back at whoever insults him.
Answer: False
This is false. The man says carrying a yoke while still young is good, as is sitting alone and silent when the LORD has placed it on him (3:27-28). The sufferer is to bow low to the ground, since there may yet be hope, and to let the one who hits him strike his cheek, enduring disgrace (3:29-30). Rather than fighting back, he accepts hardship as coming from God’s hand and waits for Him. Hard discipline can be good: a psalmist says his affliction was a benefit to him so he could learn God’s statutes (Psalm 119:71), and Hebrews teaches that God disciplines His children for their good (Hebrews 12:10-11). Jesus taught His followers to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), and in His own suffering He answered abuse without striking back, entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge (1 Peter 2:23).
- Lamentations 3:27-30 (BSB)“It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it upon him. Let him bury his face 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 reproach.”The sufferer is counseled to carry the yoke, sit in silence, humble himself, and endure blows and reproach.
- Psalm 119:71 (BSB)“It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.”A psalmist says his affliction was good for him because it taught him God’s statutes.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God’s painful discipline is for His children’s good and produces righteousness.
- Matthew 5:39 (BSB)“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus taught His followers not to strike back but to turn the other cheek.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Christ refused to strike back when abused and committed Himself to the just Judge.
Theological
True or False: 3:27-30 counsels the afflicted to resist and retaliate against those who strike and reproach him.
Answer: False
This is false. The counsel is submission under God’s hand: bearing the yoke in youth is good, as is solitary silence, because the LORD has imposed it (3:27-28), to humble oneself in the dust in hope, and to offer the cheek to the smiter and absorb reproach (3:29-30). Affliction received from God is formative discipline (Psalm 119:71; Hebrews 12:10-11). The pattern anticipates Christ’s teaching on non-retaliation (Matthew 5:39) and His own example of entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge when He suffered (1 Peter 2:23).
- Lamentations 3:27-30 (BSB)“It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it upon him. Let him bury his face 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 reproach.”The sufferer is counseled to carry the yoke, sit in silence, humble himself, and endure blows and reproach.
- Psalm 119:71 (BSB)“It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.”A psalmist says his affliction was good for him because it taught him God’s statutes.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God’s painful discipline is for His children’s good and produces righteousness.
- Matthew 5:39 (BSB)“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus taught His followers not to strike back but to turn the other cheek.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”Christ refused to strike back when abused and committed Himself to the just Judge.
General
In 3:39-42, what does the man call the people to do instead of complaining?
Answer: Search their ways and turn again to God in confession
Since suffering comes under God’s rule, the man asks why any mortal should grumble, given his own sins (3:39). Instead he calls the community to look carefully at their own conduct and turn again to God (3:40), lifting heart and hands upward to God with an honest confession of sin and rebellion (3:41-42). Repentance means turning away from sin and back to God, not merely feeling sorry. Isaiah urged the wicked to abandon their ways and come home to the LORD, who shows mercy and forgives generously (Isaiah 55:7), and David asked God to search him and see whether any wicked way was in him (Psalm 139:23-24). Even this returning depends on God’s grace, as Ephraim asked God to restore him so that he could return (Jeremiah 31:18).
- Lamentations 3:39-40 (BSB)“Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins? Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.”No sinner has grounds to complain; the people should examine their conduct and return to God.
- Lamentations 3:41-42 (BSB)“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: “We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.””They are to raise heart and hand heavenward and confess their sin and rebellion.
- Isaiah 55:7 (BSB)“Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”Isaiah calls the wicked to abandon their ways and come back to the LORD, who shows mercy and pardons.
- Psalm 139:23-24 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”David asks God to search his heart and expose anything offensive in him.
- Jeremiah 31:18 (BSB)“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.”Ephraim asks God to restore him so that he can return, showing that turning back depends on God.
Theological
What response to judgment do 3:39-42 commend in place of complaint?
Answer: Search their ways and turn again to God in confession
Given God’s sovereignty over adversity, complaint by a sinner under just punishment is out of place (3:39). The fitting response is self-examination and returning to God (3:40), with heart and hands raised to God and an honest confession of transgression and rebellion (3:41-42). Genuine repentance includes both forsaking sin and coming back to God, who pardons generously (Isaiah 55:7), and invites God’s searching of the heart (Psalm 139:23-24). Yet repentance is itself a gift of grace: Ephraim’s prayer asks God to restore him so that he may return (Jeremiah 31:18).
- Lamentations 3:39-40 (BSB)“Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins? Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.”No sinner has grounds to complain; the people should examine their conduct and return to God.
- Lamentations 3:41-42 (BSB)“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: “We have sinned and rebelled; You have not forgiven.””They are to raise heart and hand heavenward and confess their sin and rebellion.
- Isaiah 55:7 (BSB)“Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”Isaiah calls the wicked to abandon their ways and come back to the LORD, who shows mercy and pardons.
- Psalm 139:23-24 (BSB)“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”David asks God to search his heart and expose anything offensive in him.
- Jeremiah 31:18 (BSB)“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.”Ephraim asks God to restore him so that he can return, showing that turning back depends on God.
General
Before his turn to hope, what does the man conclude in 3:18?
Answer: That his strength and the hope he had from God had died
After describing how God seemed to besiege, trap, and break him (3:1-16), the man says peace has been taken from him and he can no longer remember what it is to prosper (3:17). He concludes that his strength is gone and that the hope he had from God has died (3:18). Remembering his misery and bitterness humbles him and weighs his soul down (3:19-20). Scripture does not hide such moments of despair: a psalmist asks whether the Lord will reject forever and whether His loving devotion has vanished (Psalm 77:7-9), and another talks to his own downcast soul and tells it to hope in God (Psalm 42:5). The low point here sets up the turn that follows in 3:21.
- Lamentations 3:17-18 (BSB)“My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.””Deprived of peace, the man concludes that his strength and hope have perished.
- Lamentations 3:19-20 (BSB)“Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.”Remembering his misery bows his soul down within him.
- Psalm 77:7-9 (BSB)““Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah”A psalmist voices the same fear that God’s loving devotion and compassion have ended.
- Psalm 42:5 (BSB)“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.”A psalmist addresses his own downcast soul and urges it to hope in God.
Theological
What conclusion does the man reach in 3:18, just before the turn of 3:21?
Answer: That his strength and the hope he had from God had died
The catalog of divine hostility (3:1-16) culminates in the loss of peace and of any memory of prosperity (3:17), and then in the verdict that his strength and his expectation from the LORD have perished (3:18). The memory of affliction bows his soul within him (3:19-20). Scripture gives such despair honest voice (Psalm 77:7-9; Psalm 42:5), and here it forms the dark background for the deliberate act of remembrance in 3:21.
- Lamentations 3:17-18 (BSB)“My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.””Deprived of peace, the man concludes that his strength and hope have perished.
- Lamentations 3:19-20 (BSB)“Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.”Remembering his misery bows his soul down within him.
- Psalm 77:7-9 (BSB)““Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah”A psalmist voices the same fear that God’s loving devotion and compassion have ended.
- Psalm 42:5 (BSB)“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.”A psalmist addresses his own downcast soul and urges it to hope in God.
General
What does the man’s soul say in 3:24?
Answer: The LORD is his share, so he will put his hope in Him
Having remembered God’s mercy, the man speaks to himself: the LORD is his portion, so he will set his hope on Him (3:24). A portion was a person’s share of an inheritance, especially land. The priests of Israel received no land, because the LORD Himself was their portion (Numbers 18:20). With his city in ruins around him, he still has God, and God is enough to hope in. Psalmists said the same: the LORD is their chosen portion (Psalm 16:5), and though body and heart fail, God is their portion forever (Psalm 73:26).
- Lamentations 3:24 (BSB)““The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.””The man’s soul names the LORD as his portion and resolves to hope in Him.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”The priests had no land because the LORD Himself was their portion and inheritance.
- Psalm 16:5 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.”David calls the LORD his chosen portion and cup.
- Psalm 73:26 (BSB)“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”Asaph confesses that though body and heart fail, God is his portion forever.
Theological
What confession grounds the man’s hope in 3:24?
Answer: The LORD is his share, so he will put his hope in Him
The man’s soul confesses that the LORD is his portion and therefore resolves to hope in Him (3:24). The language of portion recalls the inheritance of Aaron’s priestly line, which received no territorial share because the LORD Himself was their allotment (Numbers 18:20). Stripped of land, city and temple, the sufferer finds that God Himself remains his inheritance, the same confession made in Psalm 16:5 and Psalm 73:26. Hope rests on possessing God, not His gifts.
- Lamentations 3:24 (BSB)““The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.””The man’s soul names the LORD as his portion and resolves to hope in Him.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”The priests had no land because the LORD Himself was their portion and inheritance.
- Psalm 16:5 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.”David calls the LORD his chosen portion and cup.
- Psalm 73:26 (BSB)“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”Asaph confesses that though body and heart fail, God is his portion forever.
General
How does the speaker of chapter 3 introduce himself in 3:1?
Answer: As one who has known suffering beneath God’s angry rod
Chapter 3 shifts to a single voice: a man who has known deep suffering under God’s rod of anger (3:1). He describes God driving him into darkness, striking him again and again all day long, wearing down his body, and walling him in (3:2-7). He is not named, and his language is intensely personal even as the whole nation suffers around him. Other sufferers in Scripture used similar words: a psalmist felt God’s wrath lying heavy on him in the depths (Psalm 88:6-7), and Job said God had made him a target for His archers (Job 16:12-13), much as this man says God aimed His arrows at him (3:12). Many Christians have seen in this afflicted man a foreshadowing of Christ, who bore God’s wrath for His people.
- Lamentations 3:1-3 (BSB)“I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light. Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.”The speaker introduces himself as a man afflicted under God’s wrath, driven into darkness and struck again and again.
- Lamentations 3:12 (BSB)“He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.”He says God made him the target of His arrows.
- Psalm 88:6-7 (BSB)“You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths. Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah”Another sufferer describes God’s wrath pressing on him in the depths.
- Job 16:12-13 (BSB)“I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target; His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground.”Job likewise felt that God had made him a target and pierced him without mercy.
Theological
How does the man describe himself as the lament of chapter 3 opens (3:1)?
Answer: As one who has known suffering beneath God’s angry rod
The third poem is voiced by an individual who identifies himself as one who has endured affliction beneath the rod of divine wrath (3:1). His complaint attributes his darkness, repeated blows, wasting and confinement directly to God (3:2-7), using language shared with other laments of the righteous sufferer (Psalm 88:6-7; Job 16:12-13), including the image of God’s arrows (3:12). The individual voice gathers up the nation’s experience in personal form. Many Christians have seen in this man of affliction a foreshadowing of Christ, who bore the wrath due to His people.
- Lamentations 3:1-3 (BSB)“I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light. Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long.”The speaker introduces himself as a man afflicted under God’s wrath, driven into darkness and struck again and again.
- Lamentations 3:12 (BSB)“He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.”He says God made him the target of His arrows.
- Psalm 88:6-7 (BSB)“You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths. Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah”Another sufferer describes God’s wrath pressing on him in the depths.
- Job 16:12-13 (BSB)“I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target; His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground.”Job likewise felt that God had made him a target and pierced him without mercy.
General
In 3:21-23, what does the man call to mind that gives him hope?
Answer: That the LORD’s loving devotion and mercies never fail
At his lowest point the man makes a deliberate choice to remember something, and that memory gives him hope (3:21). It is because of the LORD’s loving devotion, His loyal love grounded in His covenant (the binding commitment He made to His people), that His people have not been wiped out, for His compassion does not run out (3:22). His mercies are fresh each morning, and His faithfulness is great (3:23). Nothing in his circumstances had changed; his hope rested on the character of God. Malachi gives the same reason Israel survives: the LORD is unchanging, so Jacob’s descendants were not destroyed (Malachi 3:6). Paul writes that God stays faithful even to the faithless, because He cannot be untrue to Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), and a psalm praises a loving devotion that stretches as high as the sky (Psalm 36:5).
- Lamentations 3:21-23 (BSB)“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The man recalls the LORD’s loving devotion, unfailing mercies renewed each morning, and great faithfulness.
- Malachi 3:6 (BSB)““Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”God’s unchanging character is the reason Jacob’s descendants were not wiped out.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 (BSB)“if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”God stays faithful even to the faithless because He is true to His own nature.
- Psalm 36:5 (BSB)“Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.”The psalmist praises the vast reach of the LORD’s loving devotion and faithfulness.
Theological
What ground of hope does the man recall in 3:21-23?
Answer: That the LORD’s loving devotion and mercies never fail
The turn of the chapter is a deliberate act of recollection (3:21). Its content is the LORD’s covenant loyalty: His loving devotion is the reason His people are not consumed, His mercies do not run out, they are renewed each morning, and His faithfulness is great (3:22-23). Hope is grounded not in circumstances, which remain unchanged, but in God’s unchanging character, the same ground Malachi gives for Jacob’s preservation (Malachi 3:6). God’s faithfulness does not depend on the faithfulness of His people, for He cannot be false to His own nature (2 Timothy 2:13), and His loving devotion is boundless (Psalm 36:5). The verse locates the people’s survival in the LORD, not in themselves: they are not consumed because His loving devotion holds them (3:22). This is the ground of the perseverance of God’s people: He keeps them.
- Lamentations 3:21-23 (BSB)“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The man recalls the LORD’s loving devotion, unfailing mercies renewed each morning, and great faithfulness.
- Malachi 3:6 (BSB)““Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.”God’s unchanging character is the reason Jacob’s descendants were not wiped out.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 (BSB)“if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”God stays faithful even to the faithless because He is true to His own nature.
- Psalm 36:5 (BSB)“Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.”The psalmist praises the vast reach of the LORD’s loving devotion and faithfulness.
General
What reasons for hope does the man give in 3:31-33?
Answer: His rejection is not forever, nor does He afflict gladly
The man gives three reasons for hope. God will not reject His people forever (3:31). Even when He sends sorrow, He will have compassion in keeping with His great loving devotion (3:32). And He does not afflict or grieve people from His heart, as if He enjoyed it (3:33). God really does send the suffering, yet He takes no delight in it, and His compassion has the last word. The man adds that the Lord condemns crushing prisoners or twisting justice (3:34-36). Isaiah records God promising that after a brief moment of abandonment He would bring His people back with great compassion (Isaiah 54:7-8). A psalm says He will not hold on to His anger forever (Psalm 103:9), and Ezekiel says God finds no delight when the wicked die (Ezekiel 33:11).
- Lamentations 3:31-33 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”God’s rejection is not permanent; He shows compassion and takes no pleasure in afflicting people.
- Lamentations 3:34-36 (BSB)“To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, to deny a man justice before the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.”God disapproves of oppression and the twisting of justice.
- Isaiah 54:7-8 (BSB)““For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.”God’s anger lasts a moment, but His everlasting kindness brings His people back.
- Psalm 103:9 (BSB)“He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.”The LORD does not keep up His accusation or anger forever.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God takes no delight when the wicked die but calls them to turn and live.
Theological
On what grounds does 3:31-33 base the hope that affliction will not be final?
Answer: His rejection is not forever, nor does He afflict gladly
Three grounds are given: God does not reject forever (3:31); His causing of grief is followed by compassion according to the abundance of His loving devotion (3:32); and He does not afflict from His heart (3:33). God is the true cause of the affliction, yet He takes no pleasure in it, so the discipline of His people is temporary while His covenant love endures. He also does not approve of the oppression and perversion of justice that human agents commit (3:34-36). Isaiah sets a moment of anger against everlasting compassion (Isaiah 54:7-8), the psalms affirm that His anger is not perpetual (Psalm 103:9), and Ezekiel records that He takes no delight when the wicked die (Ezekiel 33:11).
- Lamentations 3:31-33 (BSB)“For the Lord will not cast us off forever. Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”God’s rejection is not permanent; He shows compassion and takes no pleasure in afflicting people.
- Lamentations 3:34-36 (BSB)“To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, to deny a man justice before the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.”God disapproves of oppression and the twisting of justice.
- Isaiah 54:7-8 (BSB)““For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.”God’s anger lasts a moment, but His everlasting kindness brings His people back.
- Psalm 103:9 (BSB)“He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.”The LORD does not keep up His accusation or anger forever.
- Ezekiel 33:11 (BSB)“Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”God takes no delight when the wicked die but calls them to turn and live.
General
How does chapter 3 end (3:59-66)?
Answer: With a plea that the LORD judge his enemies justly
The chapter closes with the man asking God to do justice. The LORD has seen the injustice against him and every plot and insult of his enemies (3:59-63). He is confident that God will give them what their deeds have earned (3:64), asks Him to bring His curse on them (3:65), and says God will chase them down in His anger (3:66). He does not take revenge himself; he leaves it with God, the just Judge. The psalms pray in the same way that God would repay the wicked for their deeds (Psalm 28:4). The Law and the New Testament both teach that vengeance belongs to God, who will repay (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19).
- Lamentations 3:59-60 (BSB)“You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause! You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.”The man asks the LORD, who has seen the wrong and the plots against him, to vindicate him.
- Lamentations 3:64 (BSB)“You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.”He trusts the LORD to repay his enemies according to their deeds.
- Psalm 28:4 (BSB)“Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.”David likewise asks God to repay the wicked for their evil works.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””The LORD declares that vengeance belongs to Him.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers not to avenge themselves but to leave judgment to God.
Theological
With what petition does the lament of chapter 3 close (3:59-66)?
Answer: With a plea that the LORD judge his enemies justly
The closing petition commits the man’s cause to God’s judgment: the LORD has seen the injustice, malice and plots against him (3:59-63), he expresses confidence that God will requite his enemies for what they have done (3:64), calls down His curse on them (3:65), and expects their pursuit in divine anger (3:66). This prayer for judgment renounces personal vengeance and appeals to the righteous Judge, as in Psalm 28:4. Vengeance belongs to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35), and believers leave room for His wrath rather than avenging themselves (Romans 12:19).
- Lamentations 3:59-60 (BSB)“You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause! You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.”The man asks the LORD, who has seen the wrong and the plots against him, to vindicate him.
- Lamentations 3:64 (BSB)“You will pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.”He trusts the LORD to repay his enemies according to their deeds.
- Psalm 28:4 (BSB)“Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.”David likewise asks God to repay the wicked for their evil works.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””The LORD declares that vengeance belongs to Him.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers not to avenge themselves but to leave judgment to God.
General
True or False: In 3:8 the man says that even when he cries for help, God shuts out his prayer.
Answer: True
This is true. Among his complaints, the man says that even when he calls out and begs for help, God closes off his prayer (3:8). Later the community voices the same feeling, saying God has wrapped Himself in a cloud so thick that prayers cannot get through (3:44). This is honest lament, not unbelief: he still speaks to God about God’s silence. He weeps without stopping over his people’s ruin, waiting for the LORD to see his plight from above (3:48-50). Psalms of lament say the same thing, as when David cries by day and by night and hears no answer (Psalm 22:2), and a psalmist asks why God hides His face (Psalm 88:14). Isaiah explains that sin can build a barrier so that God does not listen (Isaiah 59:2), and chapter 3 itself admits the people’s sin and rebellion (3:42).
- Lamentations 3:8 (BSB)“Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.”The man complains that God closes off his prayer even when he cries for help.
- Lamentations 3:44 (BSB)“You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.”The community feels that God has hidden behind a cloud that prayer cannot penetrate.
- Lamentations 3:48-50 (BSB)“Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief, until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.”His tears keep flowing until the LORD looks down from heaven and takes notice.
- Psalm 22:2 (BSB)“I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.”David cries day and night and receives no answer.
- Psalm 88:14 (BSB)“Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?”A psalmist asks why the LORD rejects him and hides His face.
- Isaiah 59:2 (BSB)“But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”Isaiah explains that sin can separate people from God and close His ear to them.
Theological
True or False: The man of chapter 3 complains that his prayers are blocked from reaching God (3:8; compare 3:44).
Answer: True
This is true. The man laments that God shuts out his prayer even when he cries for help (3:8), and the communal section later complains that God has enveloped Himself in a cloud impenetrable to prayer (3:44). His tears run on unceasingly, awaiting the moment the LORD will regard his plight from above (3:48-50). The complaint is itself addressed to God, the language of faith in the dark, paralleled in the psalms of lament (Psalm 22:2; Psalm 88:14). Isaiah identifies iniquity as the barrier that hides God’s face (Isaiah 59:2), and the chapter’s own confession acknowledges the people’s sin and rebellion (3:42).
- Lamentations 3:8 (BSB)“Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.”The man complains that God closes off his prayer even when he cries for help.
- Lamentations 3:44 (BSB)“You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.”The community feels that God has hidden behind a cloud that prayer cannot penetrate.
- Lamentations 3:48-50 (BSB)“Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief, until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees.”His tears keep flowing until the LORD looks down from heaven and takes notice.
- Psalm 22:2 (BSB)“I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.”David cries day and night and receives no answer.
- Psalm 88:14 (BSB)“Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?”A psalmist asks why the LORD rejects him and hides His face.
- Isaiah 59:2 (BSB)“But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”Isaiah explains that sin can separate people from God and close His ear to them.
General
What does the man say happened when he called on the LORD from the pit (3:55-57)?
Answer: The LORD heard him, came near, and told him not to fear
The man describes enemies who hunted him without cause, threw him into a pit while still alive, and pelted him with stones, while water rose over his head until he thought he was finished (3:52-54). From those depths he called on the LORD’s name (3:55). God heard his plea, came near when he called, and told him not to fear (3:56-57). He then confesses that the Lord has taken up his case and redeemed his life (3:58). Earlier he had felt that his prayers were shut out (3:8), but now he testifies that God heard. The psalms speak of the same rescue: God lifting a sufferer out of a muddy pit and putting his feet on a rock (Psalm 40:2), and a cry to the LORD from the deep places (Psalm 130:1). In Isaiah God likewise tells His people not to be afraid because He is with them (Isaiah 41:10).
- Lamentations 3:52-54 (BSB)“Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird. They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me. The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.”Enemies hunt the man without cause and throw him into a pit as the waters rise over him.
- Lamentations 3:55-57 (BSB)“I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit. You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.” You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.””He calls on the LORD from the pit, and the LORD hears, draws near, and tells him not to fear.
- Lamentations 3:58 (BSB)“You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.”He confesses that the Lord has defended his cause and redeemed his life.
- Psalm 40:2 (BSB)“He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.”David praises God for lifting him out of the pit and setting his feet on a rock.
- Psalm 130:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!”A psalmist cries to the LORD from the depths.
- Isaiah 41:10 (BSB)“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”God tells His people not to fear because He is with them and will help them.
Theological
How does the man describe the LORD’s response to his cry from the pit (3:55-57)?
Answer: The LORD heard him, came near, and told him not to fear
Hunted without cause and cast into a pit as the waters closed over him (3:52-54), the man invoked the LORD’s name from the depths (3:55). The LORD heard, drew near at his call, and spoke His word of assurance against fear (3:56-57), so that the man confesses God as the advocate of his cause and the redeemer of his life (3:58). The earlier complaint of unheard prayer (3:8) is answered by testimony of divine hearing. The deliverance follows the pattern of the psalms (Psalm 40:2; Psalm 130:1), and the divine word against fear echoes God’s covenant assurance to Israel (Isaiah 41:10).
- Lamentations 3:52-54 (BSB)“Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird. They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me. The waters flowed over my head, and I thought I was going to die.”Enemies hunt the man without cause and throw him into a pit as the waters rise over him.
- Lamentations 3:55-57 (BSB)“I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the depths of the Pit. You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.” You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.””He calls on the LORD from the pit, and the LORD hears, draws near, and tells him not to fear.
- Lamentations 3:58 (BSB)“You defend my cause, O Lord; You redeem my life.”He confesses that the Lord has defended his cause and redeemed his life.
- Psalm 40:2 (BSB)“He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.”David praises God for lifting him out of the pit and setting his feet on a rock.
- Psalm 130:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!”A psalmist cries to the LORD from the depths.
- Isaiah 41:10 (BSB)“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”God tells His people not to fear because He is with them and will help them.
General
What does 3:25-26 call good for those who are suffering?
Answer: Waiting quietly and hopefully for the LORD to save
The man declares that the LORD shows goodness to people who hope in Him and seek Him (3:25), and that quiet waiting for the LORD to save is good (3:26). Waiting here is not giving up; it is patient trust that God will act in His own time. The psalms call God’s people to wait for the LORD with patience and courage (Psalm 27:14), and Isaiah promises that those who wait on the LORD will find fresh strength (Isaiah 40:31). God had told Israel that their strength lay in calm trust in Him, though they refused it (Isaiah 30:15).
- Lamentations 3:25-26 (BSB)“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”The LORD shows kindness to people who seek Him, and silent waiting for His rescue is commended.
- Psalm 27:14 (BSB)“Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!”David urges patient, courageous waiting on the LORD.
- Isaiah 40:31 (BSB)“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”Those who wait on the LORD receive renewed strength.
- Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)“For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””God told Israel that rest and calm trust would be their strength, but they refused.
Theological
What disposition do 3:25-26 commend toward the LORD’s salvation?
Answer: Waiting quietly and hopefully for the LORD to save
The man affirms the LORD’s goodness to those who hope in and seek Him (3:25) and commends silent, expectant waiting for His salvation (3:26). Such waiting is active dependence, renouncing self-help while trusting God’s timing. Scripture consistently commends this kind of trust (Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31), and Isaiah had located Israel’s strength in rest and calm trust, which they refused (Isaiah 30:15).
- Lamentations 3:25-26 (BSB)“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”The LORD shows kindness to people who seek Him, and silent waiting for His rescue is commended.
- Psalm 27:14 (BSB)“Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!”David urges patient, courageous waiting on the LORD.
- Isaiah 40:31 (BSB)“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”Those who wait on the LORD receive renewed strength.
- Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)“For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””God told Israel that rest and calm trust would be their strength, but they refused.