Lam 3:1-20 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Lam 3:1-66: 3:1-66 In this chapter, the author laments what has happened (3:1-20 , 48-54 ), remembers the faithful love of the Lord (3:21-25 ), describes how God’s people should respond (3:26-47 ), and calls upon the Lord in prayer (3:55-66 ). Summary for Lam 3:1-24: 3:1-24 The author speaks of the suffering of Judah and Jerusalem as his own.

Summary for Lam 3:1-66: 3:1-66 ^a In this chapter, the author laments what has happened (3:1-20 ^b, 48-54 ^c), remembers the faithful love of the Lord (3:21-25 ^d), describes how God’s people should respond (3:26-47 ^e), and calls upon the Lord in prayer (3:55-66 ^f).
Summary for Lam 3:1-24: 3:1-24 ^g The author speaks of the suffering of Judah and Jerusalem as his own.
Summary for Lam 3:6-9: 3:6-9 ^h Some understand these verses as a poetic reference to Jeremiah’s confinement in a muddy cistern before the destruction of Jerusalem (Jer 38:6-13 ⁱ).
3:9 ^j blocked my way ... made my road crooked: Sin causes confusion and cuts a person or a community off from a happy future. Innocent people know the future as a straight path that is easy to follow (Prov 21:8 ^k). Isaiah imagined God’s activities as a procession on a straight road that his worshipers would prepare (Isa 40:3 ^l).
3:12 ^m Cp. Job 6:4 ⁿ.
3:19 ^o is bitter beyond words (or is wormwood and gall): Wormwood is a plant with a bitter taste; here it represents the emotional intensity of inner agony (Prov 5:4 ^p; Rev 8:11 ^q). Gall is a poisonous plant that causes severe physical pain if eaten; it is a powerful symbol for extremely stressful emotions (Deut 29:18 ^r; Ps 69:21 ^s). The author seems to be at a dead end from which he cannot escape.