Lamentations 3 21

Lamentations 3:21 kjv

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

Lamentations 3:21 nkjv

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

Lamentations 3:21 niv

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Lamentations 3:21 esv

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

Lamentations 3:21 nlt

Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

Lamentations 3 verses

Lamentations 3 21 meaning

Lamentations 3:21 marks a pivotal moment in the prophet's profound lament, initiating a turning point from intense despair to renewed hope. It states that the speaker, amidst deep personal and national suffering, actively chooses to bring specific truths about God's character to mind. This deliberate act of remembrance then serves as the foundation and direct cause for experiencing hope, signaling an intentional shift from dwelling on affliction to recalling divine faithfulness.

Lamentations 3 21 Context

Lamentations chapter 3 is distinct in its personal and first-person tone within the book. It plunges into the depths of a soul overwhelmed by immense suffering, grief, and abandonment. The first 20 verses vividly portray the speaker's (traditionally Jeremiah's) utter brokenness following the destruction of Jerusalem and the desolation of Judah. He describes himself as the "man who has seen affliction" (v. 1), detailing the profound pain, darkness, and God's perceived crushing hand, expressing that his soul is "laid low" within him (v. 20). This severe internal turmoil provides the bleak backdrop against which verse 21 dramatically introduces a conscious, transformative shift. It functions as a powerful spiritual pivot, leading into the declaration of God's steadfast love and mercy in the subsequent verses (v. 22-23), which become the bedrock for this renewed hope.

Lamentations 3 21 Word analysis

• But / Yet (וְזֹאת, v'zot):
  • The Hebrew waw (וְ), usually meaning "and," takes on an adversative sense here due to the context of the preceding lament.
  • It signals a sharp, deliberate contrast, marking a decisive turning point from profound despair and introspection on suffering to an intentional redirection of thought.
• this (זֹאת, zot):
  • Functions as a demonstrative pronoun, referring forward to the divine truths articulated in Lamentations 3:22-23 (God's steadfast love, mercies, and faithfulness).
  • It serves as a collective reference to these enduring attributes of God, highlighting them as the specific, tangible focus of remembrance.
• I call to mind / I bring to mind (אָשִׁיב אֶל־לִבִּי, ashiv el-libi):
  • אָשִׁיב (ashiv): Hiphil imperfect form of the verb shuv (שׁוּב), meaning "to turn, to return." The Hiphil causative stem signifies "I will cause to return" or "I will bring back." This emphasizes an active, deliberate, and volitional act, not passive remembrance.
  • אֶל־לִבִּי (el-libi): Literally "to my heart." In biblical Hebrew, the "heart" (לֵב, lev) is the seat not only of emotions but primarily of intellect, will, and conscience.
  • Significance: This is a conscious cognitive and spiritual act—a purposeful mental retrieval and re-focusing of the entire inner being on specific divine truths, actively resisting the overwhelming despair.
• and therefore (וְעַל־כֵּן, ve'al-ken):
  • Literally "and for this reason."
  • Establishes a clear causal relationship: the act of calling to mind divine truth directly produces the consequence of hope.
  • Underscores that the resulting hope is not irrational optimism but a logical outcome rooted in a theological premise.
• I have hope / I will hope (אוֹחִיל, oḥil):
  • Hiphil imperfect of yaḥal (יָחַל), meaning "to wait, to hope, to look eagerly for."
  • Significance: This is not a mere wish but a patient, active expectation, a confident anticipation rooted in God's character. It implies endurance and persistence in looking to God, even when the present circumstances offer no immediate human reason for optimism. It's a declaration of faith in God's future action or sustained presence.

Word-groups by Word-groups analysis:

• "But this I call to mind": This entire phrase encapsulates a moment of profound spiritual decision and discipline. It is a decisive mental redirection away from the consuming darkness of current affliction and self-pity towards objective, enduring truths about God. The "this" points forward, acting as a crucial bridge from what was consuming the mind to what ought to be brought to remembrance—God's nature.
• "and therefore I have hope": This second clause highlights the immediate and direct outcome of the intentional act described in the first. Hope, in this context, is not an emotional feeling that spontaneously arises but a volitional state of expectation directly grounded in, and a consequence of, consciously bringing God's unchanging nature back into one's innermost being. It underscores the active role of the afflicted person in cultivating hope.

Lamentations 3 21 Bonus section

This verse implicitly illustrates the power of theological memory and cognitive spiritual discipline as a means to spiritual resilience. In ancient Israel, remembering God's past acts of salvation and His covenant faithfulness was a fundamental practice for maintaining identity and hope, even in exile. The deliberate "calling to mind" goes beyond intellectual recall; it suggests a deeply felt meditation that allows truth to penetrate the deepest recesses of the 'heart' and reshape one's entire perspective. It aligns with the principle found in Christian psychology that changing one's thoughts and focus, specifically to biblical truth, can profoundly impact emotional and spiritual states. The movement from "my soul is laid low within me" (v. 20) to "I have hope" (v. 21) serves as a micro-narrative of restoration that is foundational for overcoming desolation through God-centered focus. This act also serves as a polemic against the natural human inclination to succumb to utter despair or to seek comfort in false remedies, affirming that genuine, sustainable hope lies solely in the enduring character of the Living God.

Lamentations 3 21 Commentary

Lamentations 3:21 is a pivotal verse within one of Scripture's deepest expressions of suffering, acting as a transformative hinge from profound despair to steadfast hope. The prophet, having plumbed the depths of his own agony and national catastrophe, consciously initiates a spiritual discipline. This isn't a passive emotion; the phrase "I call to mind" signifies an active, deliberate, and often arduous work of redirecting the entire inner person—mind, will, and emotions (represented by the "heart" in Hebrew thought)—from the crushing weight of circumstance to the immutable character of God. The "this" points specifically to God's unfailing love, mercies, and faithfulness, which are elaborated in the subsequent verses (Lam 3:22-23). The resultant "hope" is thus not a baseless optimism, but a reasoned, enduring expectation anchored firmly in God's nature and covenant promises, even when all present evidence points to abandonment. This verse profoundly teaches that hope is found not by ignoring pain, but by intentionally shifting our mental and spiritual gaze, through faith, from our desolate circumstances to the constant and dependable reality of who God is. It shows that in our darkest hours, spiritual remembrance becomes the very spring from which true, resilient hope flows.