Lam 3:49 | KingComments | STEP | Jeremiah goes on to describe the vile treatment they are subjected to on the part of the enemy. He sees all their enemies open their mouths to devour them ( ). This fills them with fear. He sees the pitfall, devastation and destruction before him, with no one to save ( ). That whole sight fills him with intense sorrow, so that tears run down from his eye like streams of water ( ). The downfall of the daughter of his people affects him deeply. He will continue to cry, he cannot do otherwise, for he has no rest ( ). There will only be rest, when “the LORD looks down and sees from heaven” ( ; cf. ). That is, He will then look upon His people and come down to redeem them. What Jeremiah now sees is a torment to his soul ( ). All the daughters of his city are in deep misery. In Jeremiah compares himself 1. to a bird that is the target of a hunter ( ), 2. to a wild beast caught in a pit ( ), and 3. to one who is near drowning ( ). It shows the hopelessness of his situation and that of Judah. There is no hope of survival. In these verses Jeremiah is again speaking of himself. What he says in , the Lord Jesus also said. Without cause, He too was persecuted, hated, scorned and killed. Jeremiah also literally experienced being thrown into a pit ( ; ). In we again hear the cry from a depth of affliction (cf. ; ). He imagines himself and them lost as he feels cut off from God’s compassions. But it is precisely because of the thought of this that he turns to the LORD out of the pit in the next verse.

‏ Lamentations 3:49

Renewed Complaints

Jeremiah goes on to describe the vile treatment they are subjected to on the part of the enemy. He sees all their enemies open their mouths to devour them (Lam 3:46). This fills them with fear. He sees the pitfall, devastation and destruction before him, with no one to save (Lam 3:47). That whole sight fills him with intense sorrow, so that tears run down from his eye like streams of water (Lam 3:48). The downfall of the daughter of his people affects him deeply.

He will continue to cry, he cannot do otherwise, for he has no rest (Lam 3:49). There will only be rest, when “the LORD looks down and sees from heaven” (Lam 3:50; cf. Exo 3:7-10). That is, He will then look upon His people and come down to redeem them. What Jeremiah now sees is a torment to his soul (Lam 3:51). All the daughters of his city are in deep misery.

In Lam 3:52-54 Jeremiah compares himself

1. to a bird that is the target of a hunter (Lam 3:52),

2. to a wild beast caught in a pit (Lam 3:53), and

3. to one who is near drowning (Lam 3:54).

It shows the hopelessness of his situation and that of Judah. There is no hope of survival.

In these verses Jeremiah is again speaking of himself. What he says in Lam 3:52, the Lord Jesus also said. Without cause, He too was persecuted, hated, scorned and killed. Jeremiah also literally experienced being thrown into a pit (Lam 3:53; Jer 37:11-21 ; Jer 38:1-6).

In Lam 3:54 we again hear the cry from a depth of affliction (cf. Psa 69:1b-2; Jona 2:3). He imagines himself and them lost as he feels cut off from God’s compassions. But it is precisely because of the thought of this that he turns to the LORD out of the pit in the next verse.