Lamentations 3

Lamentations 3
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Book of Lamentations in Hebrew Bible, MS Sassoon 1053, images 467-469 (Medieval manuscript).
Book	Book of Lamentations
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	6
Category	The five scrolls
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	25

Lamentations 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, ^{[1] [2]} part of the Ketuvim ("Writings"). ^{[3] [4]}

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter, the longest in the book, is divided into 66 verses. These are grouped into 22 acrostic stanzas, each beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but with reversal of the 16th and 17th letters. ^[5]

Textual versions

Some early witnesses for the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008). ^{[6] [lower-alpha 1]} Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., 3Q3 (3QLam; 30 BCE‑50 CE) with extant verses 53-62 ^{[8] [9] [10]}

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century). ^{[11] [lower-alpha 2]}

Verse 1

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. ^[13]

• "Who has seen affliction": - i. e. has experienced, suffered it. ^[14] Jeremiah's own affliction in the dungeon of Malchiah (Jeremiah 38:6); that of his countrymen also in the siege. ^[5]
• "By the rod of His wrath": showing that it is not Babylon who has humbled Israel as Jehovah's instrument, but that God himself has brought these troubles upon his people. "He had led me, has hedged me about," etc. ^[15] The king of Babylon, called "the rod of the Lord's anger" (Isaiah 10:5). ^[16] This phrase can be connected to Lamentations 2:22. The Targum states, "by the rod of him that chastiseth in his anger." ^[16]

Verse 22

Old Hebrew "Heth"

King James Version:

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,

because his compassions fail not. ^[17]

English Standard Version:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; ^[18]

his mercies never come to an end; ^[19]

Verse 22 in Hebrew

Masoretic text:

חסדי יהוה כי לא־תמנו

כי לא־כלו רחמיו׃

Transliteration:

ḥas-ḏê Yah-weh kî lō - ṯā-mə-nū

kî lō - ḵā-lū ra-ḥă-māw .

• "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed" literally, "The Lord's mercies that we are not consumed" (Hebrew: חסדי יהוה כי לא־תמנו ḥas-ḏê Yah-weh kî lō - ṯā-mə-nū ). The word "we" is unclear, especially considering that in verse 23 (which is clearly parallel) the subject of the sentence is "the Lord's mercies," not "we," so probably the reading of the Targum and the Peshitta (as adopted by Thenius, Ewald, and Bickell) is correct, "The Lord's mercies, verily they cease not" (tammu for tamnu). ^[16]

An example of a change from singular to plural, compare also Lamentations 3:40–47. ^[5]

Verse 23

They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness. ^[20]

Cross reference: Malachi 3:6; Isaiah 33:2 ^[5]

Verse 23 in Hebrew

חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך׃

Transliteration

ḥă-ḏā-šîm la- bə-qā-rîm , rab-bāh 'ĕ-mū-nā-ṯe-ḵā .

Verse 24

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I hope in Him!" ^[21]

• "The Lord is my Portion": "My portion is Yahweh," see Numbers 18:20; ^[14] a reminiscence of Psalm 16:5 (compare Psalm 73:26; Psalm 119:57; Psalm 142:5; ^[15] Jeremiah 10:16). ^[5] Having God for "our portion" is the "one only foundation of hope". ^[5]

Verses 46–51

In verses 46–51, two initial letters, "Ayin" and "Pe", are transposed. ^[5] This is found is three instances in the whole book (Lamentations 2:16–17; 3:46-51; 4:16–17). ^[5] Grotius thinks the reason for the inversion of two of the Hebrew letters, is that the Chaldeans, like the Arabians, used a different order from the Hebrews; in the first Elegy (chapter), Jeremiah speaks as a Hebrew, in the following ones, as one subject to the Chaldeans, but Fausset thinks it is doubtful. ^[22]

See also

• Jacob
• Judah
• Jerusalem
• Zion
• Related Bible parts: Isaiah 10, Lamentations 2

Notes

1. Since 1947 the whole book is missing from Aleppo Codex. ^[7]
2. Only Lamentations 1:1–2:20 are extant in the Codex Sinaiticus. ^[12]

References

1. Collins 2014, pp. 365–367.
2. Hayes 2015, Chapter 20.
3. Metzger, Bruce M., et al. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
4. Keck, Leander E. 2001. The New Interpreter's Bible: Volume: VI. Nashville: Abingdon
5. Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset; David Brown. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible . "Lamentations 3". 1871. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
6. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
7. P. W. Skehan (2003), "BIBLE (TEXTS)", New Catholic Encyclopedia , vol. 2 (2nd ed.), Gale, pp. 355–362
8. Ulrich 2010, p. 752.
9. "General Info". 5 January 2018.
10. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 28.
11. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
12.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
13. Lamentations 3:1 NKJV
14. Barnes, Albert. Notes on the Bible - Lamentations 3. London, Blackie & Son, 1884. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
15. Joseph S. Exell; Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones (Editors). On "Lamentations 3". In: The Pulpit Commentary . 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
16. John Gill. Exposition of the Entire Bible. Lamentations 3. Published in 1746-1763. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
17. Lamentations 3:22 KJV
18. ESV notes: Syriac, Targum; Hebrew: Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off
19. Lamentations 3:22 ESV
20. Lamentations 3:23 KJV
21. Lamentations 3:24 NKJV
22. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, Andrew Robert; Brown, David. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary on the Whole Bible . "Lamentations 1: Introduction". 1871.

Sources

• Collins, John J. (2014). Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. ISBN   9781451469233.
• Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (2008). A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN   9780802862419 . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
• Hayes, Christine (2015). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0300188271.
• Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill. ISBN   9789004181830 . Retrieved May 15, 2017.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN   0-8028-0788-7 . Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links

• Bible portal

Jewish

• Lamentations 3 Hebrew with Parallel English
• Lamentations 3 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

Christian

• Lamentations 3 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate