Lamentations 1 22

Lamentations 1:22 kjv

Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Lamentations 1:22 nkjv

"Let all their wickedness come before You, And do to them as You have done to me For all my transgressions; For my sighs are many, And my heart is faint."

Lamentations 1:22 niv

"Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint."

Lamentations 1:22 esv

"Let all their evildoing come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions; for my groans are many, and my heart is faint."

Lamentations 1:22 nlt

"Look at all their evil deeds, LORD.
Punish them,
as you have punished me
for all my sins.
My groans are many,
and I am sick at heart."

Lamentations 1 verses

Lamentations 1 22 Meaning

Lamentations 1:22 serves as a poignant climax to Jerusalem's lament, acknowledging her own deep suffering as a consequence of her transgressions and pleading with God for similar divine justice to fall upon her tormentors, whose wickedness she perceives as an offense against God Himself. It is a heartfelt cry for recompense and a confession of her utterly overwhelmed and faint state amidst her numerous groans.

Lamentations 1 22 Context

Lamentations Chapter 1 portrays Jerusalem as a desolate widow, personifying the deep anguish and devastation of the city and its people following the Babylonian conquest and exile. The chapter, structured as an acrostic poem (each of its 22 verses beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet), catalogues the overwhelming suffering, shame, and betrayal endured. It recounts how her former friends have become enemies and how God's hand was upon her due to her extensive sins. Verse 22 concludes this bitter outpouring, shifting from describing the dire circumstances to a direct, impassioned prayer to the Almighty. The suffering nation, acknowledging the justice of her own punishment, yet overwhelmed by its intensity and the enemies' cruelty, pleads for God to intervene and enact His just recompense upon the perpetrators, highlighting the deep desire for divine balance and justice in the midst of extreme distress.

Lamentations 1 22 Word analysis

• Let all their wickedness come before You; (וְתָבֹא כָל־רָעָתָם לְפָנֶיךָ, ve'tavo chol-ra'atam lefanekha)

  • Let... come (וְתָבֹא, ve'tavo): A jussive form, expressing a wish, a prayer, or an imperative. It indicates a fervent desire for divine intervention, as if their deeds are laid out in a court of law for God's inspection.
  • all their wickedness (כָל־רָעָתָם, chol-ra'atam): Wickedness (רָעָתָם, ra'atam) refers to evil, malice, and often, the calamity caused by it. Here, it denotes the Babylonians' cruel actions, oppression, and destruction, seen as an offense before God. It is comprehensive, implying no evil act should escape God's notice.
  • before You (לְפָנֶיךָ, lefanekha): Signifies coming into God's presence, specifically for judgment or divine reckoning. It emphasizes God's omniscient awareness and ultimate authority as the just judge.

• and deal with them as You have dealt with me (וְעוֹלֵל לָמוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עוֹלַלְתָּ לִי, ve'olel lamo ka'asher olalta li)

  • deal with them / You have dealt with me (עוֹלֵל, olel / עוֹלַלְתָּ, olalta): This Hebrew root often means "to cause to stumble," "to treat harshly," or "to inflict upon." The repeated root creates a striking parallelism, expressing a desire for perfect poetic justice. The same measure of affliction that God brought upon Jerusalem (which she admits was deserved) should now be visited upon her cruel enemies.
  • as (כַּאֲשֶׁר, ka'asher): A direct comparative particle, demanding an exact measure of retribution.

• because of all my transgressions; (עַל כָּל־פְּשָׁעָי, al kol-pesha'ay)

  • because of (עַל, al): Indicates the cause or reason.
  • all my transgressions (כָּל־פְּשָׁעָי, kol-pesha'ay): Transgressions (פְּשָׁעָי, pesha'ay) refers to willful rebellion, breaking a covenant, or committing grievous sins. The use of "all" underscores the totality and cumulative nature of Judah's sin, justifying the severity of their punishment and confirming their admission of guilt. This provides the theological justification for why Jerusalem was "dealt with" by God.

• for my groans are many and my heart is faint. (כִּי־רַבּוּ אֲנָחוֹתַי וְלִבִּי דַוָּי, ki-rabbu 'anachotay ve'libi davvay)

  • for (כִּי, ki): Connective indicating the reason or ground for the plea. It emphasizes the profound suffering.
  • my groans are many (רַבּוּ אֲנָחוֹתַי, rabbu 'anachotay): Groans (אֲנָחוֹתַי, anachotay) are deep sighs, moans, expressions of profound distress and physical agony. Many (רַבּוּ, rabbu) highlights the overwhelming, continuous nature of her suffering. It's a cry that God is known to hear (Exod 2:24).
  • my heart is faint (וְלִבִּי דַוָּי, ve'libi davvay): Heart (לִבִּי, libi) represents the innermost being, the seat of thought, emotion, and will. Faint (דַוָּי, davvay) means sick, weak, languishing, indicating utter physical and emotional collapse, near death from sorrow. It describes Jerusalem's complete psychological and spiritual exhaustion.

Words-group analysis:

• "Let all their wickedness come before You; and deal with them as You have dealt with me": This is an imprecatory prayer, not rooted in human vindictiveness but in an appeal to God's cosmic justice. It highlights God's sovereignty over nations and His righteous character, which demands that sin be met with recompense, both for His own people and for those who act in malicious cruelty. The exact parallel requested ("as You have dealt with me") reveals a profound faith that God's judgment is consistent and equitable.
• "because of all my transgressions; for my groans are many and my heart is faint": This part justifies the lamenter's plea. The initial admission of deserved punishment ("all my transgressions") contrasts sharply with the enemies' actions, making the plea for justice against them even more potent. The concluding phrase about "many groans" and a "faint heart" is not an excuse for their sins but an earnest, vulnerable declaration of extreme distress, urging God to respond to the depth of her pain and provide relief by justly dealing with her oppressors.

Lamentations 1 22 Bonus section

• Acrostic Design: This verse completes the first chapter's alphabetic acrostic structure. The methodical and comprehensive enumeration of suffering (through the alphabet) gives way to a comprehensive and desperate appeal for justice in this final verse, creating a powerful sense of closure to the first movement of the lament.
• Theology of Divine Retribution: The verse deeply engages with the biblical concept of lex talionis (law of retaliation) and divine retribution, though applied in a national, not merely individual, context. It showcases the belief that God will repay wickedness in kind, providing both correction for His people and judgment for His enemies.
• Prophetic Fulfillment: For some interpreters, this plea anticipates the later prophetic pronouncements in Jeremiah (the traditional author of Lamentations) regarding the eventual downfall of Babylon (e.g., Jer 25:12, 50-51), validating Jerusalem's prayer for divine justice against her oppressor.

Lamentations 1 22 Commentary

Lamentations 1:22 is a raw, heart-wrenching culmination of Jerusalem's lament, a direct address to God after cataloging the horrors of her fall. It fuses an admission of guilt with a fervent cry for justice. The city, personified and in immense pain, recognizes that her devastation is a direct result of her "transgressions" – a rightful, though excruciating, divine discipline. Yet, seeing the unrestrained cruelty of her oppressors, she appeals to God to mete out the same severe "dealing" to them that she has experienced. This isn't a petty call for revenge, but a plea for God to act according to His covenant principles of justice and righteousness, affirming His sovereignty over all nations. Her "many groans" and "faint heart" underscore the overwhelming agony that fuels this desperate, yet ultimately faith-filled, prayer for God's righteous and active intervention. It acknowledges God as both punisher of sin and Avenger of His people.