Lamentations 3 20

Lamentations 3:20 kjv

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

Lamentations 3:20 nkjv

My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

Lamentations 3:20 niv

I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

Lamentations 3:20 esv

My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

Lamentations 3:20 nlt

I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.

Lamentations 3 verses

Lamentations 3 20 meaning

Lamentations 3:20 expresses the profound internal agony of the prophet, stating that his innermost being continually recalls and is overwhelmed by his affliction. It paints a picture of deep despondency, where the relentless memory of past sufferings causes his soul to sink, be humbled, and collapse within him. This verse represents a low point of despair, vividly portraying the personal and persistent nature of his grief.

Lamentations 3 20 Context

Lamentations 3:20 is part of an acrostic poem where each verse in a three-verse strophe begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3, often seen as the spiritual heart of the book, moves from profound individual suffering and despair to a pivotal shift toward hope in God's faithfulness (starting in verse 21). This specific verse encapsulates the deep, personal desolation of the "man who has seen affliction" (v. 1), likely representing Jeremiah or the personified nation. It immediately precedes the critical turning point in the poem, depicting the lowest ebb of personal internal suffering just before hope is consciously called to mind. The historical context is the immediate aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon in 586 BCE, a period of immense national and individual trauma, exile, and theological crisis. The persistent memory and resulting collapse reflect the overwhelming impact of the loss of the city, temple, and the perceived abandonment by God.

Lamentations 3 20 Word analysis

• My soul (נַפְשִׁי, nafshi): Refers to the whole person, the innermost self, including the intellect, will, emotions, and life-force. It signifies the complete individual experiencing the pain, not just a part. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the nefesh (soul) was the animating principle and seat of profound feelings, indicating that this suffering penetrates the deepest core of the being.
• still remembers (נָשׁוֹא תָשׁוֹב, nasho tashaov): An emphatic construction using the infinitive absolute (nasho) before the finite verb (tashaov, "she returns/remembers"). This strongly emphasizes the continual, persistent, and unceasing nature of the memory. It's not a fleeting thought, but a relentless, reoccurring reliving of past hurts and judgments. It conveys the idea that the soul returns to or keeps recalling the bitter experience, often translated as "still remembers" or "remembers well."
• and is bowed down (וַתִּשּׁוֹחַ, vatish'shoach): This verb depicts a physical posture of humbling, crouching, or being brought low, but here it applies internally to the soul. It signifies deep spiritual and emotional dejection, utter collapse, and extreme despair, as if the soul itself is sinking under an unbearable weight. It speaks of a spirit that is not merely sad, but profoundly broken and pressed down.
• within me (עָלַי, alai): Repeated twice, after "remembers" and after "bowed down." Literally meaning "upon me" or "concerning me." In this context, it vividly emphasizes that the remembering and the resulting dejection are intensely internal and personal. The burden and the collapse are happening deep within the prophet's own being, highlighting the personal nature of the suffering even amidst national calamity. The repetition underscores the internalizing of the pain.

Lamentations 3 20 Bonus section

The Hebrew word shoach (שׁוֹחַ) used for "bowed down" often carries connotations beyond mere sadness; it implies a posture of submission, either to an oppressive force or to divine judgment. This adds a layer of theological meaning, suggesting that the soul is not only overwhelmed by the events but also humbled under the weight of God's hand or the consequences of sin. The intentional contrast created by this verse (Lamentations 3:20) with the subsequent verse (Lamentations 3:21) – moving from profound memory of misery to the deliberate calling to mind of God's steadfast love – makes Lamentations 3 a microcosm of the biblical narrative: deep human suffering giving way to divine grace. This specific shift is considered by many scholars as a deliberate rhetorical device, maximizing the impact of the message of hope that follows.

Lamentations 3 20 Commentary

Lamentations 3:20 serves as the pinnacle of the speaker's despair, marking the extreme end of human endurance before hope interjects. The prophet's soul, representing his entire being, is portrayed as caught in a cyclical, inescapable remembrance of his deep affliction. This relentless recalling isn't passive; it actively brings his spirit to a state of being "bowed down" or deeply humbled and collapsed within. The emphatic Hebrew phrasing for "remembers" underscores the continuous, oppressive nature of this mental torment. This verse beautifully captures the overwhelming nature of grief when one is caught in a loop of reliving painful experiences, resulting in an internal prostration. It portrays a raw, unvarnished expression of suffering where the past continually invades and crushes the present, leaving the individual utterly drained and deflated. Yet, it's precisely from this profound internal valley that the speaker is compelled to "call to mind" something entirely different in the very next verse, setting the stage for one of Scripture's most powerful declarations of hope. This intense personal experience of remembering and internal collapse is therefore foundational to appreciating the subsequent turning point in the chapter.