Lamentations 3:12 kjv
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
Lamentations 3:12 nkjv
He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.
Lamentations 3:12 niv
He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
Lamentations 3:12 esv
he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.
Lamentations 3:12 nlt
He has drawn his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
Lamentations 3 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 3:12 | He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrow. | Direct statement of God's action |
| Job 7:20 | I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? | Confession in suffering |
| Psalm 38:2 | For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. | Similar imagery of divine attack |
| Psalm 44:9 | But thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies. | God withholding favor |
| Isaiah 3:8 | For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings have provoked the LORD to anger the eyes of his glory. | Cause of God's discipline |
| Jeremiah 13:24 | Therefore will I scatter them as the chaff that passeth away by the wilderness. | Divine scattering |
| Jeremiah 24:2,5 | Shewing in a vision two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD... Those I will give, even those vile figs, that they may be for meat to them that are faint in the wilderness. | Figs as representation of people |
| Jeremiah 30:14 | All that love thee have forgotten thee; they strive after thee; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, from the greatness of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased. | God's chastisement |
| Jeremiah 48:40 | For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and spread his wings over Moab. | Imagery of swift destruction |
| Ezekiel 25:14 | And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. | God's vengeance through people |
| Amos 3:6 | Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil be in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? | God's sovereignty in evil/affliction |
| Zephaniah 2:3 | Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have exercised his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger. | Seeking refuge during God's wrath |
| Matthew 5:45 | That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. | God's universal actions |
| Acts 17:25 | Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth life and breath, and all things; | God as giver of all |
| Romans 9:20-21 | Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? | God's sovereignty in creation/disposition |
| 1 Corinthians 10:13 | There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye be able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. | God's provision in temptation |
| Ephesians 5:26 | That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, | Christ sanctifying the church |
| Hebrews 12:6 | For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. | God's fatherly discipline |
| James 1:13 | Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: | God does not tempt with evil |
| Revelation 12:4 | And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was delivered of her child, for to devour her as soon as it was born. | Adversary's action |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 12 Meaning
The verse declares God's intentional and directed action in causing harm or affliction. It's not random but a deliberate placement or appointment of distress by God.
Lamentations 3 12 Context
Lamentations 3 reflects the deep sorrow and despair of Jeremiah, or a representative speaker, in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction and the exile of its people. The prophet is recounting the terrible suffering and God's apparent judgment. This specific verse comes amidst a section where the speaker feels utterly besieged and targeted by God. The backdrop is the Babylonian conquest, a national catastrophe that fulfills prophetic warnings about disobedience. The emotional state is one of profound personal affliction, understood within a covenantal relationship where God's actions, even in judgment, are sovereign.
Lamentations 3 12 Word analysis
He: Refers to God.
hath bent: Past perfect tense indicating a completed action. "To bend" (Hebrew: darak).
his bow: The weapon of archery, a symbol of God's power and, in this context, His wrath or instruments of judgment. The "bow" (Hebrew: qeshet) is often associated with God's might.
and set: Connects the action of bending the bow with aiming. "To set" or "to place" (Hebrew: nasav).
me: The first-person singular pronoun, signifying the individual experience of the speaker, representing the suffering nation.
as: A particle of comparison.
a mark: A target, specifically what an archer aims at. The Hebrew word (ppiyah or mashaq) refers to a destination, a target, or something set for a purpose.
for: Indicates purpose or destination.
his arrow: The projectile of the bow, a specific instrument of attack and pain. The Hebrew word (chittzah) refers to an arrow.
bent his bow: The imagery emphasizes a deliberate and prepared action by God to inflict pain. It speaks of readiness and intent to strike.
set me as a mark for his arrow: This vivid metaphor portrays the speaker as the specific, intended recipient of divine judgment and suffering. It highlights the personal nature of God's chastening, even when directed at a nation.
Lamentations 3 12 Bonus section
The imagery of God using a bow and arrow is potent in the ancient Near East, representing power, sovereignty, and judgment. The consistent theme throughout Scripture is God's active involvement in history, whether in blessing or discipline. While Lamentations expresses intense personal suffering, it’s framed within a covenant relationship. The concept of God being the one who afflicts is paralleled by the understanding that God also heals (Deuteronomy 32:39, Isaiah 19:22). This verse highlights God's permissive or active will in allowing suffering for a redemptive or corrective purpose, aligning with theological concepts of divine sovereignty and chastisement for His people's sin. The speaker’s posture is one of recognizing God's agency, not of questioning His ultimate goodness, preparing the ground for the subsequent verses that speak of hope and steadfastness.
Lamentations 3 12 Commentary
The speaker feels precisely targeted by God's punitive measures. God's "bow" has been drawn, indicating His judgment is actively aimed and ready to strike, and the speaker is the specific target ("a mark") for His "arrow" of affliction. This is not a passive observation but an active imposition of suffering by divine decree, reflecting God's sovereignty over all circumstances, including pain and distress. It underscores the idea that even destructive events are ultimately under God's control and can serve His purposes of discipline and correction.