Lamentations 3 51

Lamentations 3:51 kjv

Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.

Lamentations 3:51 nkjv

My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.

Lamentations 3:51 niv

What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city.

Lamentations 3:51 esv

my eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

Lamentations 3:51 nlt

My heart is breaking
over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.

Lamentations 3 verses

Lamentations 3 51 Meaning

The verse Lamentations 3:51 expresses the profound, personal grief of the speaker (traditionally the prophet Jeremiah). His physical sight ("My eyes") directly and intensely inflicts suffering ("bring grief") upon his very being ("to my soul"). This overwhelming anguish is caused by witnessing the collective desolation and affliction endured by the inhabitants of Jerusalem ("all the daughters of my city") following its catastrophic destruction. It depicts an unavoidable, visceral emotional and spiritual torment stemming from empathetic observation of profound tragedy.

Lamentations 3 51 Context

Lamentations 3:51 falls within a deeply personal lament, distinct in structure and tone from the previous chapters of communal mourning. Chapter 3 focuses on the "man who has seen affliction" (Lam 3:1), traditionally identified as the prophet Jeremiah. It portrays an individual's profound suffering that mirrors and embodies the collective anguish of the exiled Judahites after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Verses 1-45 describe an escalating state of affliction and God's apparent absence, filled with images of physical pain and spiritual abandonment. Verse 51 directly follows a section where the speaker details his contempt and suffering among the nations (Lam 3:45-50), with the awareness that his suffering is connected to the wider communal judgment. This specific verse emphasizes the direct, agonizing impact of observing his city's ruin and its people's plight on his own inner being, leading into a pivotal shift from extreme distress (Lam 3:51) towards a plea for divine intervention and a hope in God's steadfast love and faithfulness (Lam 3:52 onwards). It serves as a culmination of the despair before the turn to divine comfort.

Lamentations 3 51 Word analysis

• My eyes (עֵינִי - 'eini):

  • Literal: Refers to the physical organs of sight.
  • Significance: Emphasizes direct observation, firsthand witnessing. The suffering is not hearsay or imagination, but a painful reality directly seen. It highlights the prophet's unavoidable sensory perception of the devastation.

• bring grief (עֹלְלָה - 'olelah):

  • Hebrew Verb: 'Olelah (from the root עָלַל - 'alal).
  • Meaning: The verb in the Hiphil stem indicates a causative action—"to cause to be grievously affected," "to deal wantonly with," or "to grieve severely." It carries a connotation of aggressive or violent infliction, making the impact much stronger than simple "make sad." It suggests an active, almost brutal, assault on the soul by what the eyes behold. It's not passive sorrow but an internal wounding.
  • Significance: The eyes themselves become instruments of pain to the soul. This strong verb underscores the depth and intensity of the anguish; the sight is not merely observed, but it actively lacerates his inner being.

• to my soul (נַפְשִׁי - nafshi):

  • Hebrew Term: Nafsh (soul, self, life, vital being, person).
  • Significance: Refers to the entire inner person, including emotions, will, intellect, and the core essence of one's life. This indicates that the grief is not superficial or fleeting, but deeply impacts his entire being, his very vitality and sense of self. It's an all-consuming internal agony.

• because of all (מִכֹּל - mikol):

  • Meaning: From, out of, or on account of all.
  • Significance: Identifies the comprehensive cause of his soul's torment. It's not just a single incident but the overwhelming cumulative effect of seeing the entire scale of destruction and suffering.

• the daughters of my city (בְּנוֹת עִירִי - b'not 'iri):

  • Hebrew Idiom: "Daughters of [a city]" is a common biblical idiom referring to the inhabitants of the city, especially its women and often children, or dependent towns/villages under its jurisdiction.
  • Significance: Here, it poignantly emphasizes the vulnerable, defenseless, and utterly devastated populace of Jerusalem. The use of "daughters" (as opposed to just "people" or "men") adds to the pathos, conjuring images of women enduring famine, rape, and enslavement—the most horrific consequences of war. It personalizes the collective tragedy and links his immense personal pain to the specific human suffering he witnesses among his own people.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "My eyes bring grief to my soul": This phrase highlights a direct, almost aggressive, cause-and-effect relationship. It's a visceral expression of pain where external observation leads to internal anguish. The sensory input itself becomes an agent of torment to the entire inner being, indicating an unavoidable and all-consuming grief that permeates the deepest parts of his self. This goes beyond intellectual understanding of suffering; it's a felt, internal assault.
  • "because of all the daughters of my city": This clarifies the precise stimulus for the intense sorrow. The "daughters of my city" serves as a vivid metonymy for the horrific, total destruction of Jerusalem and its innocent, vulnerable inhabitants. This links the deeply personal agony to the immense communal tragedy. His prophetic empathy is such that the collective suffering of his people becomes his personal torment, underscoring the horrific nature of the judgment and desolation they endure.

Lamentations 3 51 Bonus section

The intensity of the verb 'olelah (bring grief) is critical here. It is used elsewhere in a more aggressive sense, often depicting enemies dealing violently or wantonly with their victims (e.g., Ps 141:4 where people "deal wantonly with transgressions"). Applying such a strong verb to the act of seeing and the effect on the "soul" elevates the verse beyond simple sadness to a profound spiritual and psychological trauma. The eyes are not merely witnessing; they are actively causing an injury to the soul through the unfiltered intake of immense horror. This level of trauma would impact every facet of the prophet's being, explaining why he is often called "the weeping prophet" (Jer 9:1; 13:17; 14:17). This also hints at the physical toll of such prolonged grief, a common biblical theme (Psa 6:7; 31:9-10).

Lamentations 3 51 Commentary

Lamentations 3:51 offers a piercing glimpse into the empathetic suffering of the prophet Jeremiah, whose personal anguish encapsulates the catastrophe of Jerusalem's fall. His lament is not abstract; it is born of direct visual encounter with unquantifiable human misery. The "eyes" are not just windows to the world, but conduits for torment, as the horror witnessed actively "grieves" (causes violent pain to) his "soul." This is more than sadness; it is an internal laceration. The choice of "daughters of my city" powerfully conveys the vulnerability, destruction, and specific suffering of women and children, often the worst victims of conquest, making the observed reality intensely pathetic. This verse highlights the deep intercessory identification of the prophet with his people's pain. He bears their burden not just intellectually but emotionally and spiritually. This level of empathetic suffering is a mark of true prophetic ministry, resonating with how Christ later wept over Jerusalem, carrying the sorrow of its future destruction. The verse demonstrates that some suffering is so profound, so devastating, that its mere observation causes overwhelming, active pain within the observer. It underscores the true, devastating impact of sin's consequences and God's righteous judgment.