Start reading at Lamentations 3:19 (Lamentations 3:19 to Lamentations 3:36).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
Individual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice.
3:19Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
3:20My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
3:21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
3:22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
3:23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
3:24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
3:25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
3:26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
3:27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
3:28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
3:29He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
3:30He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
3:31For the LORD will not cast off for ever:
3:32But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
3:33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
3:34To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
3:35To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
3:36To subvert a man in his cause, the LORD approveth not.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Jeremiah is the traditional author. The poems themselves do not identify their writer, so the personal attribution remains uncertain. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Lamentations 3:1–3:66): The afflicted speaker recounts suffering, speaks to hearers about hope, and joins the community in addressing the LORD. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? The devastated people of Judah and Jerusalem mourning the city's destruction, and the community preserving that lament and appeal to God. Biblical references: Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 2:10; Lamentations 5:1. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? The Prophet’s Hope. Read Lamentations 3:19 through Lamentations 3:36 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? Individual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The poems concern Jerusalem's devastation and its aftermath. They do not supply a composition date or name their author within the text. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Jerusalem's ruined condition and the people's suffering form the setting, while individual and communal voices describe that distress. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The Prophet’s Hope (Lamentations 3:19 to Lamentations 3:36).
Start reading at Lamentations 3:19. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The lament over Jerusalem can be compared with Jesus' lament for the city. The comparison joins grief and accountability without making every speaker in Lamentations a direct prophetic portrait of Jesus. See Lamentations 1:1, Luke 19:41, Luke 19:44. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Make room for truthful lament, confession, and prayer in devastation. Hope in mercy does not require pretending that suffering is small or that every question has been resolved. interpretation
Cited: Lamentations 3:19, Lamentations 3:36, Lamentations 1:1, Luke 19:41, Luke 19:44
Who wrote it, and how we know
Jeremiah (traditional)From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. Chronicles records that Jeremiah lamented for Josiah. 2 Chronicles 35:25
Early traditionThe Greek translation and early tradition name Jeremiah.
What is debatedAuthorship is not stated in the book itself.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Lamentations 3
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Lamentations consists of poetic laments over Jerusalem's devastation. The book does not name its author. Shifts between the city's voice, an individual sufferer, and communal prayer must be respected. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Individual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice.
Connection to the wholeIndividual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Individual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Lamentations
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Lamentations consists of poetic laments over Jerusalem's devastation. The book does not name its author. Shifts between the city's voice, an individual sufferer, and communal prayer must be respected.
Connection to the wholeIndividual affliction gives way to remembrance of the LORD's mercies, self-examination, and further appeals for help and justice.
Connection to the wholeThe closing communal prayer brings the people's condition before the LORD and asks for restoration without supplying a simple narrative resolution.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.