Lamentations 3 56

Lamentations 3:56 kjv

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

Lamentations 3:56 nkjv

You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help."

Lamentations 3:56 niv

You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief."

Lamentations 3:56 esv

you heard my plea, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help!'

Lamentations 3:56 nlt

You heard me when I cried, "Listen to my pleading!
Hear my cry for help!"

Lamentations 3 verses

Lamentations 3 56 Meaning

Lamentations 3:56 is a heartfelt plea to the Most High God, reiterating the speaker's trust that God has previously heard their cry and urging Him not to withhold His ear now from their profound distress. It encapsulates a prayer born out of severe suffering, expressing a deep longing for divine attention and relief from an oppressive situation that feels suffocating.

Lamentations 3 56 Context

Lamentations chapter 3 stands as the thematic core of the book, transitioning from a predominantly communal lament in earlier chapters to a deep, personal reflection on suffering, punctuated by an affirmation of divine steadfast love and mercy. The speaker, likely a representative figure embodying the suffering of Judah after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, grapples with immense physical, emotional, and spiritual pain.

Verse 56 follows a vivid description of the speaker's intense distress: being thrown into "the deep pit" (Lam 3:55) by enemies, which evokes feelings of utter helplessness and suffocation. In that pit, the speaker previously called upon the Lord's name. This verse continues that desperate prayer, building on the experience of having already called out to God and desiring His continued, immediate attentiveness. It encapsulates the paradox of faith amidst devastation: recognizing divine judgment yet holding fast to the hope of God's ultimate compassion and readiness to hear His people.

Lamentations 3 56 Word analysis

• You heard: In Hebrew, שָׁמַעְתָּ (shama'ta), from shama (to hear, listen, obey). The verb is in the perfect tense, indicating a completed past action. This is not a request to hear, but an affirmation that God has already heard the speaker’s previous pleas (e.g., from the pit in verse 55). This affirmation grounds the current plea in past divine faithfulness.

• my voice: קוֹלִי (qoli). From qol, meaning "voice, sound." Refers to the audible expression of the speaker's desperate call, implying a distinct, recognized communication with the divine. It emphasizes the direct and personal nature of the prayer.

• do not hide: אַל־תַּעְלֵם (al-ta'lem). This is a negative command in the imperfect tense, derived from 'alam (to hide, conceal, vanish). It's an urgent petition, a plea that God would not now obscure or conceal Himself from the speaker, particularly in the present dire circumstance. This acknowledges the fear of divine inattention, common in lament psalms, while boldly challenging it based on God's character.

• your ear: אָזְנְךָ ('azneka). From 'ozen, meaning "ear." The ear is a metaphor for attention, readiness to listen, and responsiveness. The plea is for God's full and present attentiveness, asking Him not to turn away.

• from my breathing: לְרְוָחָתִי (lᵉruwachati). The preposition 'from' (לְ) implies "concerning" or "with regard to." The noun רְוָחָה (ruwachah) refers to "breathing, space, relief, enlargement, recovery." This is a profoundly poignant and visceral expression of suffering. It doesn't just mean a spoken word, but the deep, desperate gasp of one suffocating or utterly overwhelmed, struggling for air, for any relief or space. It signifies extreme distress beyond mere audible words.

• from my cry for relief: לְשַׁוְעָתִי (lᵉsha'wati). Similarly, with the preposition 'from' or 'with regard to.' The noun שַׁוְעָה (shav'ah) specifically means "a cry for help," an "urgent appeal for deliverance or salvation." It’s an intensified form of "voice," signifying a specific plea for rescue from a desperate situation.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "You heard my voice": This phrase establishes a foundation of hope and prior divine responsiveness. The speaker draws confidence from past experience of God's attention, forming the basis for the present request. It highlights God's historical faithfulness and His capacity to listen to human distress.
  • "do not hide your ear": This is the central, urgent plea. It expresses the fear that God, in His judgment, might turn away or refuse to listen. However, it also strongly implies faith that God can hear and is merciful. It's a prayer against divine indifference or aloofness in the face of suffering. The directness of this command shows the speaker's audacity born of desperation and deep knowledge of God's covenantal character.
  • "from my breathing, from my cry for relief": These two parallel phrases describe the nature and intensity of the speaker's distress. "My breathing" speaks to an almost pre-verbal, instinctual cry for existence, a literal struggle for vital space amidst oppression. "My cry for relief" amplifies this with a direct, articulated request for deliverance. Together, they depict a holistic agony – physical, emotional, and spiritual – that demands immediate divine intervention, covering both the unspoken and spoken aspects of profound anguish.

Lamentations 3 56 Bonus section

The intense parallelism in Hebrew poetry, particularly the synonymous or synthetic parallelism between "my breathing" and "my cry for relief," amplifies the depth and urgency of the plea. The prophet piles words upon words to ensure the gravity of the suffering is fully communicated and God’s comprehensive attention is invoked. This reflects a key aspect of lamentation prayers: full, unrestrained expression of sorrow and desperate need before God. Furthermore, this verse exemplifies the resilient faith present within the Lamentations narrative, showing how a lament can transform into a fervent act of trust, even when faced with dire realities, by holding onto the unwavering character of the Lord. The individual's suffering in this chapter often mirrors the collective suffering of the community of Judah, making this personal plea a representative cry for the nation's spiritual and physical restoration.

Lamentations 3 56 Commentary

Lamentations 3:56 is a pivotal verse of persistent faith amidst profound despair. The speaker, already afflicted beyond measure and recalling God’s prior attentiveness (verse 55), continues to press into prayer. It's a bold supplication, daring to ask God not to withdraw His attention despite the devastating circumstances that might suggest His hiddenness. The "hiding" of God’s ear is not literal deafness but rather His seeming inattention or lack of responsiveness, a common fear for those experiencing judgment or prolonged suffering.

The plea for God not to turn away from their "breathing" and "cry for relief" underscores the utter desperation. "Breathing" implies an elemental need for existence, a gasping plea from one suffocated by adversity, illustrating distress that goes beyond words. "Cry for relief" is a more direct, yet equally urgent, appeal for rescue. This verse serves as a model for all believers: even when one feels most forsaken, when suffering seems overwhelming, and God’s presence seems absent, the correct response is to cling to His past faithfulness and to persist in earnest, specific prayer for His attention and deliverance. It illustrates that true faith expresses both past assurance and present, urgent petition.