Lamentations 3:54 kjv
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
Lamentations 3:54 nkjv
The waters flowed over my head; I said, "I am cut off!"
Lamentations 3:54 niv
the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish.
Lamentations 3:54 esv
water closed over my head; I said, 'I am lost.'
Lamentations 3:54 nlt
The water rose over my head,
and I cried out, "This is the end!"
Lamentations 3 54 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 3:54 | Waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!” | My current focus |
| Psalm 22:6 | But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind, despised by the people. | Desolation and abandonment |
| Psalm 42:7 | Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have gone over me. | Overwhelmed by troubles |
| Psalm 69:2 | I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood overwhelms me. | Submerged in distress |
| Psalm 116:3 | The pangs of death surrounded me; the snares of Sheol laid hold of me; I suffered distress and anguish. | Feeling of impending death |
| Jeremiah 3:13 | Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. | Acknowledging sin's role |
| Jonah 2:3 | You cast me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. | Similar imagery of drowning |
| Matthew 26:38 | Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me.” | Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane |
| Mark 14:34 | And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here, and watch.” | Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane |
| John 11:35 | Jesus wept. | Jesus' empathy and sorrow |
| Romans 8:38-39 | For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. | God's love overcomes all |
| 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 | We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not put to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; | Perseverance in affliction |
| 2 Corinthians 4:17 | For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, | Transient nature of suffering |
| Philippians 3:10 | that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, | Sharing in Christ's sufferings |
| 1 Peter 4:12-13 | Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something very strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice with exceeding gladness when his glory is revealed. | Joy in shared suffering |
| 1 Peter 5:7 | casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. | Casting anxieties on God |
| Psalm 31:22 | I said in my haste, “I am cut off from the presence of your eyes.” | Feeling of being unseen |
| Isaiah 53:5 | But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. | Christ's suffering for us |
| Isaiah 54:17 | No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall silence every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord. | Ultimate vindication |
| 1 Corinthians 1:27 | But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, but God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, | God's strength in weakness |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 54 Meaning
The verse expresses a profound spiritual and emotional cry to God amidst severe distress. It signifies acknowledging God’s presence and sovereignty even in the face of overwhelming adversity, a deep plea for divine intervention and vindication. It speaks of hope rekindled through remembered kindness.
Lamentations 3 54 Context
Lamentations 3 is a deeply personal and somber reflection by Jeremiah, the prophet, on the devastation of Jerusalem and the suffering of God's people. The entire chapter grapples with God’s perceived wrath, the resulting anguish, and the persistent flicker of hope rooted in God's unfailing mercy and faithfulness. Verse 54 arrives at a moment of intense personal despair, describing the overwhelming nature of the calamities, leading to a feeling of complete isolation and defeat. Historically, this reflects the exilic period where the physical destruction and spiritual barrenness felt absolute.
Lamentations 3 54 Word Analysis
- Waters (Hebrew: מַּיִם, mayim): Plural of "water." Symbolically represents overwhelming circumstances, troubles, or distress that inundates and threatens to consume a person.
- flowed (Hebrew: שָׁפַךְ, shafach): "to pour out," "to shed." Implies a relentless, continuous deluge, intensifying the sense of being engulfed.
- over (Hebrew: עַל, al): A preposition indicating "upon," "over," "against." Highlights the forceful and external nature of the tribulation.
- my head (Hebrew: רֹאשִׁ֣י, roshi): Refers to the highest part, the self, signifying that the entirety of the person is subjected to this overwhelming force.
- I said (Hebrew: אָמַרְתִּי, amarti): First-person singular imperfect verb from "to say." Indicates a spoken declaration of internal thought and feeling.
- I am (Hebrew: אֲנִ֤י, ani): First-person singular pronoun.
- cut off (Hebrew: נִכְרַתִּי, nicharti): Passive participle from כָּרַת (karat), "to cut off," "to destroy," "to cut a covenant." Here, it signifies complete annihilation, exile, or abandonment, the end of one’s existence or hope. The passive voice emphasizes the sense of helplessness, as if the action is being done to the speaker.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Waters flowed over my head": This is powerful imagery. It’s not just rain or a small stream, but a flood so high it engulfs the head. This suggests a state of absolute overwhelming crisis where one’s very identity and sanity are at risk.
- "I said, 'I am cut off!'": This statement is the internal, spoken conclusion drawn from the external experience. Being "cut off" implies severing from life, from community, from hope, and crucially, from God's presence.
Lamentations 3 54 Bonus Section
The expression "cut off" can carry connotations of being estranged from the community or God's covenant. In ancient Near Eastern thought, this was a state of absolute ruin. Yet, the lament doesn't end here; subsequent verses will pivot towards remembrance of God’s mercies. The use of water imagery for overwhelming troubles is a recurring motif in Scripture, often signifying the forces of chaos or divine judgment that threaten to engulf the faithful. However, God is also depicted as the one who controls waters, bringing salvation. This verse highlights the tension between overwhelming negative experience and the underlying theological framework of divine sovereignty and potential salvation.
Lamentations 3 54 Commentary
This verse captures the pinnacle of personal despair within the broader context of national calamity. The prophet experiences a moment where the overwhelming weight of suffering leads him to believe that all is lost, that he is completely eliminated from existence and favor. The imagery of being submerged by water vividly portrays the suffocating intensity of his plight. Despite this extreme desolation, the chapter, and the book as a whole, ultimately points toward God's enduring compassion and the eventual restoration, demonstrating that even in such absolute statements of hopelessness, the possibility of divine intervention and hope remains. This verse exemplifies the raw honesty of lament, pouring out the depths of sorrow before God, yet within a structure that seeks God amidst the pain.