Lamentations 3:8 kjv
Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:8 nkjv
Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:8 niv
Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:8 esv
though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;
Lamentations 3:8 nlt
And though I cry and shout,
he has shut out my prayers.
Lamentations 3 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 3:8 | When I cry out and call for help, God does not answer. | Direct Statement |
| Psalm 13:1 | How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? | Feeling of Abandonment |
| Psalm 22:2 | O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. | Cries to God Unanswered |
| Psalm 42:3 | My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” | Lamentation and Questioning |
| Psalm 88:1 | O Lord, my God, my salvation! By day I cry out; by night I cry before you. | Persistent Prayer |
| Isaiah 54:8 | In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you. | God's apparent withdrawal |
| Jeremiah 15:1 | Then the Lord said to me, “If Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them away from my sight!” | God's judgment |
| Job 19:7 | If I cry out against injustice, I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice. | Unanswered Injustice |
| Matthew 27:46 | And about three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” | Jesus' cry in suffering |
| Acts 7:59-60 | While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. | Prayer in Persecution |
| Romans 8:38-39 | For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. | God's unfailing love |
| 1 Peter 3:12 | For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. | God's attention to prayer |
| Revelation 6:10 | They cried out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” | Cry for Vengeance |
| Psalm 69:3 | I am worn out from calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail looking for my God. | Weariness in prayer |
| Isaiah 59:2 | But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. | Sin's barrier |
| Proverbs 1:28 | Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. | Refusal to Hear |
| Psalm 27:9 | Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God of my salvation. | Plea against divine hiddenness |
| 1 Kings 8:54 | When Solomon finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from facing the altar of the Lord, having knelt with his hands spread toward heaven. | Solomons' prayer |
| 2 Chronicles 6:12 | Solomon then stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. | Solomon's public prayer |
| Psalm 34:15 | The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. | God's attentiveness |
Lamentations 3 verses
Lamentations 3 8 Meaning
When I cry out and call for help, God does not answer. He has shut me out from his presence.
Lamentations 3 8 Context
This verse is from the book of Lamentations, a collection of poetic laments expressing deep sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people. The prophet Jeremiah is traditionally associated with its authorship, likely written after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
Chapter 3 begins a new section within Lamentations where the narrator shifts from collective lament to a personal, subjective experience of suffering. The prophet expresses a profound sense of God's abandonment and the overwhelming nature of his affliction. This specific verse captures the essence of his despair, where his pleas for divine intervention go unanswered. It reflects the historical context of a people facing catastrophic judgment, questioning God's silence in their darkest hour.
Lamentations 3 8 Word Analysis
- "When" (כִּי - ki): This conjunction often signifies cause or reason, but here it functions adversarially, introducing a condition that highlights the lament. It can also mean "when" or "if" depending on context, marking a temporal or conditional clause.
- "I cry out" (קָרָאתִי - qara'ti): From the root קָרָא (qara') meaning to call out, to cry, to summon. This is a strong verb indicating a loud, desperate appeal.
- "and call" (וָאֶשְׁעֶה - wa'eshe'ah): From the root שָׁוַע (shava'), meaning to cry for help, to implore. It amplifies the sense of desperate pleading, adding another layer to the outcry.
- "for help": This is implied by the verb שָׁוַע (shava'). The distress is so severe that it necessitates an appeal to a higher power.
- "God" (אֵל - El): A common Hebrew name for God, signifying God as the powerful One.
- "does not answer" (לֹא יַעֲנֶה - lo ya'aneh): From the verb עָנָה ('anah), meaning to answer, to respond. This expresses God's silence or withholding of a reply. In a covenantal relationship, God's response was expected. His lack of response indicates a profound break or perceived abandonment.
- "He has shut me out from his presence": This phrase conveys the sense of exclusion or being barred from access to God, which is the ultimate form of despair for a believer. The Hebrew here is a statement of fact about God's action.
Lamentations 3 8 Bonus Section
The concept of God seeming to "hide his face" or be absent is a recurring theme in the Psalms and prophetic literature. It speaks to the mysterious nature of divine sovereignty and the human struggle to comprehend God's ways, especially during periods of national or personal catastrophe.
While this verse expresses a moment of profound despair, it's important to recognize that it occurs within a literary structure that eventually moves towards hope and affirmation of God's faithfulness. The "shutting out" is presented as an experience within the lament, not a final declaration of God's permanent stance. The subsequent verses in Lamentations 3 go on to reaffirm God's steadfast love and compassion, even amidst judgment, indicating that this experience of silence is not the end of the story. This wrestling with God's silence underscores the reality of faith as a journey through trials, not a condition free from them.
Lamentations 3 8 Commentary
Lamentations 3:8 expresses the painful experience of unanswered prayer during times of intense suffering. The prophet, representing the agony of his people, voices a common human experience where cries for divine intervention seem to fall on deaf ears. This is not an indictment of God's character but a raw expression of the psychological and spiritual distress caused by perceived abandonment during extreme trials.
The verse highlights the emotional depth of lament, where faith is tested and questioned in the face of overwhelming hardship. The silence from God, which is perceived as a withdrawal of presence and aid, exacerbates the suffering. Yet, within the broader context of Lamentations and the biblical narrative, this period of silence ultimately gives way to hope and restoration. The prophetic voice is wrestling with God, a form of dialogue that can occur even in the deepest despair.