Lamentations 3:17 kjv
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
Lamentations 3:17 nkjv
You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity.
Lamentations 3:17 niv
I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Lamentations 3:17 esv
my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;
Lamentations 3:17 nlt
Peace has been stripped away,
and I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Lamentations 3 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lam 3:17 | My soul is estranged from peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. | Lam 1:11 (extreme sorrow) |
| Ps 38:6 | I am pained in every bone; my soul is greatly disquieted. | Ps 42:5 (discouraged soul) |
| Is 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. | Is 57:2 (no one understands) |
| Jer 4:19 | My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart moans within me; I cannot be silent. | Jer 20:14 (cursing his birth) |
| Job 3:26 | I find no peace, no calm, no rest, but only turmoil. | Job 7:1-4 (anguish of life) |
| Ps 137:1 | By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. | Jer 29:10 (exile's hope) |
| Gal 5:22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, | Gal 5:23 (works of the flesh) |
| Phil 4:7 | And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. | Phil 4:9 (what to practice) |
| 1 Thess 4:11 | and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, | 1 Thess 5:3 (sudden destruction) |
| Rom 15:13 | May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. | Rom 5:1 (justified by faith) |
| Eph 2:14 | For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, | Eph 2:15 (one new man) |
| John 14:27 | Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. | John 16:33 (overcome the world) |
| 2 Cor 4:8-9 | We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. | 2 Cor 7:5-7 (affliction and comfort) |
| Ps 30:6 | When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." | Ps 121:3 (never slumber) |
| Lam 3:20 | I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. | Lam 2:11 (grief of people) |
| Job 10:21-22 | before I go to the place of no return, to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom and disorder, where light is like darkness. | Job 17:13 (underworld's hope) |
| Jer 8:15 | We were looking for peace, but found no good thing; for a time of healing, but there was only terror. | Jer 14:19 (hopes dashed) |
| Ps 55:4-5 | My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. | Ps 88:3 (soul full of trouble) |
| Matt 26:38 | Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." | Luke 22:44 (prayer in Gethsemane) |
| Phil 3:18-19 | For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again, I have many enemies who cry and weep bitterly, of whom I have often told you. Their minds are focused on earthly things. | Phil 3:19 (enemies of the cross) |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 17 Meaning
The verse speaks of utter desolation and a profound lack of well-being, describing a state where peace and comfort are completely absent. It paints a picture of extreme suffering, where even the memory of happiness is gone.
Lamentations 3 17 Context
Lamentations 3:17 is found within the third chapter of Lamentations, which serves as a lament of deep sorrow and personal affliction for the prophet Jeremiah or the nation of Judah. The book describes the devastation of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile. This particular verse is part of a personal reflection by the speaker (often understood as Jeremiah) who is deeply immersed in suffering due to the destruction and loss. The context is one of utter despair, a state of spiritual and emotional emptiness where any sense of well-being or past happiness seems extinguished. It reflects the harsh reality of living through the consequences of national sin and divine judgment.
Lamentations 3 17 Word Analysis
- My (אֲנִי) - A personal pronoun emphasizing the subjective and individual experience of suffering.
- soul (נַפְשִׁי) - Represents the entire being, the inner self, encompassing emotions, will, and intellect. The soul being estranged signifies a deep internal alienation.
- is estranged (נִזְלְעָה) - From the root meaning to "cause to move away," "to be alienated," "to be removed from." It conveys a forceful and definitive separation from something vital.
- from peace (מִשָּׁלוֹם) - "Shalom" signifies more than just the absence of conflict; it implies wholeness, well-being, completeness, and security. This estrangement is from this state of divine favor and internal harmony.
- I have forgotten (שָׁכַחְתִּי) - An active forgetting, suggesting a state where the memory of goodness and prosperity has been so thoroughly overshadowed by present suffering that it's no longer accessible.
- what (מַה) - A question word, used here to represent the nature or essence of something.
- good (טוֹב) - Implies benefit, advantage, pleasantness, prosperity, and general well-being.
- is (הִיא) - A verb indicating existence or state of being. Here it refers to the state of good or prosperity.
Words-group analysis:
- My soul is estranged from peace: This phrase depicts a complete internal disconnect from any sense of security, comfort, or divine favor. It’s not just external circumstances but an internal void where peace should reside.
- I have forgotten what good is: This idiom highlights the totality of the suffering. The absence of prosperity is so profound that the very concept of goodness and well-being has been erased from the speaker's experiential memory.
Lamentations 3 17 Bonus Section
This verse is part of a larger acrostic poem in Lamentations 3. Each section of three verses starts with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This structure highlights order and discipline even within immense disorder, suggesting that the suffering, while profound, is not random. The contrast between the utter desolation described in these verses and the promises of God's faithfulness in the latter parts of the chapter and the book itself offers a theological tension and foreshadows hope and restoration amidst judgment. The forgetting of "good" is a direct consequence of living under divine displeasure, a state the New Testament contrasts with the enduring peace and joy found in Christ.
Lamentations 3 17 Commentary
Lamentations 3:17 powerfully encapsulates the devastating impact of severe affliction and national disaster on an individual's inner life. The speaker is not merely sad but profoundly alienated from the very essence of peace. This estrangement is so complete that the memory of what "good" or "prosperity" feels like has vanished, a testament to the depth of his despair. It paints a grim picture of spiritual and emotional desolation, where the present misery has erased the recollection of any past well-being, leaving the soul barren and void of comfort. This verse underscores the totality of suffering when a people faces God's judgment, affecting every dimension of human existence.