Lamentations 3:65 kjv
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
Lamentations 3:65 nkjv
Give them a veiled heart; Your curse be upon them!
Lamentations 3:65 niv
Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them!
Lamentations 3:65 esv
You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be on them.
Lamentations 3:65 nlt
Give them hard and stubborn hearts,
and then let your curse fall on them!
Lamentations 3 65 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:3 | “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse…” | God's covenantal promise to curse those who dishonor His chosen. |
| Exod 4:21 | “...I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” | God actively hardens hearts as a judicial act. |
| Deut 28:15 | “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God… then all these curses shall come upon you…” | General principle of divine curses for disobedience. |
| Psa 58:6 | “O God, break the teeth in their mouths…” | An example of an imprecatory prayer against wicked adversaries. |
| Psa 69:22-28 | “Let their table become a snare... pour out your indignation upon them…” | An extended petition for God's judgment upon enemies. |
| Psa 109:17 | “He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!” | The principle that a curse sought on others returns to the curser. |
| Prov 1:31 | “Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and have their fill of their own devices.” | Consequences of one's actions, self-inflicted recompense. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | “Make the heart of this people dull… lest they see with their eyes…” | God’s judicial act of spiritual hardening leading to judgment. |
| Isa 45:7 | “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.” | God's absolute sovereignty over all things, including curses and calamity. |
| Jer 10:25 | “Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not…” | Prayer for God's judgment against nations ignorant of Him. |
| Jer 25:9 | “...I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants… utterly destroying it…” | God using foreign nations as instruments of His judgment. |
| Ezek 25:17 | “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD…” | God's promise to execute vengeance on those who mistreat His people. |
| Matt 7:2 | “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” | Principle of reciprocal judgment; God repays in like measure. |
| Rom 1:28 | “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God… God gave them up to a debased mind…” | God's judicial handing over to a depraved mind. |
| Rom 9:18 | “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” | God's sovereign right to harden hearts according to His will. |
| Rom 11:8 | “as it is written, 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.'” | Quoting Old Testament to illustrate God's judicial blindness/hardening. |
| Rom 12:19 | “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” | Transfer of vengeance from human to divine hands. |
| Gal 3:13 | “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” | Christ's work in redeeming believers from the divine curse. |
| 2 Thes 1:6 | “...since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you…” | God's righteous standard to repay affliction upon persecutors. |
| 2 Thes 1:7-8 | “...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven... inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God…” | Future, eschatological vengeance to be exacted by Christ. |
| Rev 6:10 | “How long, Sovereign Lord… will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood…” | Prayers from heavenly saints for divine justice and vengeance. |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 65 Meaning
Lamentations 3:65 is a poignant prayer of the prophet, deeply distressed by the suffering of his people, pleading for divine retribution upon their oppressors. It asks God to inflict upon these enemies a "covering of heart," implying a spiritual dullness, stubbornness, or even anguishing distress, as a direct manifestation of God's active "curse" upon them. It signifies a fervent desire for God to execute His righteous judgment, allowing the consequences of the enemies' malevolent actions to return upon their own heads.
Lamentations 3 65 Context
Lamentations chapter 3 serves as the theological and emotional core of the book. While the initial chapters narrate the extensive physical and emotional destruction of Jerusalem following the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC, chapter 3 offers a deeply personal lament of the prophet, likely Jeremiah. He describes his personal affliction, leading him through profound despair (Lm 3:1-20) to a remarkable resurgence of hope in God's steadfast love and mercy (Lm 3:21-39), culminating in a call for corporate repentance (Lm 3:40-42).
From Lm 3:43, the narrative shifts, detailing the bitter suffering and malicious mockery endured at the hands of their oppressors. Lamentations 3:55-66, which includes verse 65, form an intensely fervent prayer for God’s intervention and justice against these tormentors. This is not merely an expression of human anger but a desperate cry to the righteous Judge of all the earth. The historical backdrop is the total devastation and humiliation of Judah, forcing the prophet and his people to grapple with their faith in God's justice, especially in the face of apparent divine silence towards their enemies. Verse 65 expresses the deep desire for the oppressors to experience the consequences of their actions through God’s own decisive hand.
Lamentations 3 65 Word analysis
תִּתֵּ֤ן (tittēn): From the verb נָתַן (nathan), "to give." This is a Piel imperfect form, which here functions as an intense jussive, expressing a strong plea: "You must give" or "May You give." It emphasizes the prophet's earnest request for God to actively bestow this judgment.
לָהֶם֙ (lāhem): This is a prepositional phrase, "to them" or "upon them." It precisely indicates the target of this petition for divine retribution, the adversaries of God's people.
מְגִנַּת־לֵ֔ב (m'gin'nat-lev): A critical and complex phrase.
- מְגִנַּת (m'gin'nat): Derived from the root גנן (ganan), meaning "to cover, protect." The form here suggests a "covering" or "closure."
- לֵב (lev): The "heart," encompassing intellect, will, and emotion.
- Literal Meaning: "A covering of heart."
- Interpretations: This phrase is understood in two primary ways by scholars and translations:
- Hardened/Calloused Heart: This interprets the "covering" as rendering the heart impenetrable or insensible to divine truth, remorse, or warning. It signifies a spiritual insensitivity, judicially inflicted by God. This aligns with biblical precedents where God hardens hearts to effect judgment (e.g., Pharaoh). Such hardening leads to greater rebellion and ultimately, ruin.
- Anguish/Sickness of Heart: Some interpretations, tracing derivation to other roots or contextual usage, suggest "sickness," "distress," or "anguish." This view implies deep internal suffering, dread, or despondency as a consequence of the divine curse.
- Significance: Both interpretations lead to the downfall of the recipients. The "covering" as hardening suggests a judicial turning over of the individual to their sinful impulses, while "anguish" implies the painful outcome of God's wrath. It underscores that God's judgment can manifest internally, affecting the very essence of a person's being.
תַּאֲלָתְךָ֖ (ta'alat'kha): This noun means "your curse," from the root אלה (alah), "to curse, to swear an oath." This is emphatically identified as God's own curse, distinguishing it from human malediction. It represents a divine declaration of condemnation and an active outpouring of judgment and doom.
לָהֶֽם (lāhem): Another instance of "upon them," reiterating the recipients of the divine curse, reinforcing the focused nature of this punitive prayer.
Words-group analysis:
- "תִּתֵּן לָהֶם מְגִנַּת־לֵב" (tittēn lāhem m'gin'nat-lev) – "You will give them a stubborn/anguished heart": This grouping highlights the proactive nature of God's judgment. It implies God's sovereignty extends even to the internal state of individuals, affecting their heart in such a way as to ensure the outcome of their just recompense. This divine action directly serves the purpose of punishment for their evil.
- "תַּאֲלָתְךָ לָהֶם" (ta'alat'kha lāhem) – "Your curse upon them": This short, forceful phrase underscores the direct, personal involvement of God in the execution of judgment. The "curse" here is not merely a consequence of their sin, but God's deliberate pronouncement of judgment, a testament to His righteous indignation and commitment to justice.
Lamentations 3 65 Bonus section
The "imprecatory" nature of verses like Lamentations 3:65 often raises questions regarding their applicability in the New Testament era, given Christ's commands to love enemies. However, it is crucial to understand that these Old Testament prayers do not advocate personal revenge, but rather appeal to God's inherent justice. They serve to place vengeance squarely in the hands of God (Rom 12:19), affirming that only He has the perfect wisdom and authority to justly punish wrong. The plea in Lm 3:65 points forward to the reality of God's final judgment, where all injustice will be decisively dealt with, as depicted in various apocalyptic passages. Thus, these prayers affirm God's justice without condoning individual acts of malice, guiding believers to trust God with ultimate retribution rather than seeking it themselves.
Lamentations 3 65 Commentary
Lamentations 3:65 represents a fervent petition for divine justice by one suffering immense grief and persecution. The prophet appeals to God to impose a "covering of heart"—a condition implying either judicial spiritual insensitivity leading to greater sin, or severe anguish resulting from the divine curse—upon the malicious enemies who have afflicted God's people. This prayer is a testament to the belief in God as the ultimate and righteous Judge. It is not an act of personal revenge, but an earnest plea for the sovereign Lord to exact justice and vindicate His suffering people. The request for God's "curse" emphasizes that true recompense comes from divine authority and power. This verse embodies the profound trust that God will ultimately settle all accounts righteously, reassuring the oppressed that their suffering is neither unseen nor unavenged by their holy God.