Lamentations 5:1 kjv
Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Lamentations 5:1 nkjv
Remember, O LORD, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach!
Lamentations 5:1 niv
Remember, LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace.
Lamentations 5:1 esv
Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace!
Lamentations 5:1 nlt
LORD, remember what has happened to us.
See how we have been disgraced!
Lamentations 5 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 5:1 | Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look and consider our disgrace! | Lamentations 5:1 (Context: Direct plea of remembrance) |
| Psalm 132:1 | Remember, O LORD, David and all his hardships, | Psalm 132:1 (Parallel plea to God's remembrance of faithfulness) |
| Isaiah 63:15 | Look down from heaven and see from your holy and glorious habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? Your tenderness and your compassion are withheld from us. | Isaiah 63:15 (Similar plea for God's active intervention) |
| Jeremiah 14:7-9 | Though our sins testify against us, O LORD, act for your name's sake; our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you. O hope of Israel, its Savior in time of affliction, why do you act like a stranger in the land, like a traveler turning aside to lodge for the night? Why do you act like a man stunned, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us; and we are called by your name; do not forsake us! | Jeremiah 14:7-9 (Detailed confession and plea for God's presence) |
| Psalm 25:6 | Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. | Psalm 25:6 (Request to remember God's mercy) |
| Psalm 44:23 | Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. | Psalm 44:23 (Call for God to awaken from seeming inactivity) |
| Jeremiah 30:18-19 | Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and I will have compassion on his dwelling places; and the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall be inhabited as it was." | Jeremiah 30:18-19 (Promise of future restoration, a counterpoint to present suffering) |
| Job 7:18 | and to visit him by morning and to test him by moments. | Job 7:18 (Expression of feeling constantly scrutinized by God) |
| Habakkuk 3:2 | O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years make it live; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. | Habakkuk 3:2 (A plea in times of distress, asking God to remember mercy in His actions) |
| Psalm 74:18-20 | Remember this: the enemy has reviled the LORD, and a foolish people has blasphemed your name. Do not deliver the soul of your turtledove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. Have regard for your covenant, O LORD, for the corners of the land are full of the habitations of violence. | Psalm 74:18-20 (Similar lament about enemies and a plea based on covenant) |
| Genesis 19:29 | God remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. | Genesis 19:29 (God remembering Lot in judgment) |
| Deuteronomy 30:1-3 | “When all these blessings and curses you have set before you come upon you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and when you return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and he will again gather you from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. | Deuteronomy 30:1-3 (Conditional promise of return and restoration) |
| Exodus 2:24 | God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. | Exodus 2:24 (God remembering His covenant due to the people's groaning) |
| Matthew 10:29-30 | Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. | Matthew 10:29-30 (Jesus' assurance of God's detailed awareness) |
| Acts 7:34 | then God said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’ | Acts 7:34 (Stephen recounting God's awareness of Israel's affliction in Egypt) |
| Psalm 88:11-12 | Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in destruction? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? | Psalm 88:11-12 (Lament questioning God's remembrance in profound darkness) |
| Psalm 56:8 | You have kept count of my tossings; put all my tears in your bottle; are they not in your book? | Psalm 56:8 (David's confidence that God keeps record of his suffering) |
| Lamentations 3:19-21 | Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers and bows down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: | Lamentations 3:19-21 (Prophet recalling his own affliction for hope) |
| John 16:22 | So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. | John 16:22 (Jesus speaking of future joy after sorrow) |
| Romans 8:28 | We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. | Romans 8:28 (Assurance that God is working in all circumstances) |
Lamentations 5 verses
Lamentations 5 1 Meaning
This verse is a desperate plea, a cry to God recalling a past affliction and beseeching Him to remember and act concerning the current suffering of His people. It expresses the deep anguish of Israel's situation after their exile and the longing for restoration and divine intervention.
Lamentations 5 1 Context
Lamentations chapter 5 marks a shift in tone from the individual laments of the preceding chapters. It's a corporate lament, reflecting the communal suffering of Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile. The prophet is speaking on behalf of the entire nation, expressing their deep distress and humiliation. This verse sets the stage for a prayer that covers all aspects of their suffering – loss of inheritance, oppression, hunger, and spiritual desolation. The historical context is the post-exilic period where the remnants of Judah faced ongoing hardship and humiliation, experiencing the harsh reality of their judgment.
Lamentations 5 1 Word Analysis
Remember (Hebrew: זָכַר, zakar)
- Word level analysis: This is a crucial verb, signifying not just intellectual recall but an active bringing to mind that often leads to action. In the Old Testament, God "remembering" His covenant implies His faithful commitment to His promises and His people. When humans are called to remember, it implies they should act in accordance with that remembrance.
- Extensive knowledge/information: The concept of divine remembrance is foundational to Israel's relationship with God. It's often linked to His covenant (Exodus 6:5), His faithfulness (Psalm 106:45), and His judgment or deliverance based on past actions. For humans, remembering God's acts fosters faith and obedience (Deuteronomy 8:2).
O (Hebrew: ה‘, Yahweh - implied by the addressing of the LORD)
- Word level analysis: While not a direct Hebrew word in this opening, the "O LORD" directly addresses God by His covenant name, YHWH, indicating a deep, personal, and relational appeal. This personal address highlights the nature of their plea to a God who has entered into a covenant relationship with them.
- Extensive knowledge/information: The use of YHWH is significant as it emphasizes God's personal presence and His promises made to Israel. It implies that their suffering is occurring within the framework of His covenant, thus a strong basis for asking Him to "remember."
what has happened (Hebrew: עָוָה, avah - meaning "to do perversely," "to commit iniquity," or broadly "what has happened," implying transgression or a regrettable event)
- Word level analysis: The root ‘avah suggests deviation, perversion, or doing wrong. In this context, it encompasses the consequence of their nation's iniquity and the resulting calamities. It points to the entire package of their current miserable condition.
- Extensive knowledge/information: The Hebrew term implies a history of sin and the dire consequences that followed. The prophet is essentially saying, "Remember the result of our collective wrongdoings."
to us (Hebrew: לָנוּ, lanu)
- Word level analysis: This clearly indicates the corporate nature of the suffering. It’s not an individual's cry but the entire community experiencing the hardship.
- Extensive knowledge/information: This emphasis on "us" reinforces the theme of national judgment and collective repentance, a recurring theme in the book of Lamentations and prophetic literature.
look (Hebrew: רָאָה, ra’ah)
- Word level analysis: This is a command to actively and carefully observe. It’s not a casual glance but a sustained, attentive gaze. God is urged to "see" their pitiable state.
- Extensive knowledge/information: In the Bible, God’s seeing often precedes His intervention. He saw Israel's suffering in Egypt (Exodus 3:7) before delivering them. This plea is to prompt God's active engagement with their present reality.
and consider (Hebrew: הַבִּיט, habbit)
- Word level analysis: This verb carries a sense of looking upon with reflection and thought, implying consideration of the implications of what is seen. It's about evaluating and taking into account.
- Extensive knowledge/information: It suggests a deeper inspection beyond just seeing, implying an examination of the severity and implications of their disgraced condition.
our disgrace (Hebrew: חֶרְפָּה, cherpah)
- Word level analysis: Cherpah denotes shame, reproach, insult, and humiliation. It captures the public, collective shame experienced by Israel due to their defeat and subjugation by foreign nations. It signifies the loss of honor and reputation before the world.
- Extensive knowledge/information: This term reflects the spiritual and national humiliation stemming from the destruction of their city, temple, and the scattering of their people. It’s the shame of a covenant people who are seemingly abandoned by their God. It signifies the opposition's scorn.
Words-group by words-group analysis: The opening phrase "Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look and consider our disgrace!" functions as a single, powerful plea. It’s an invocation of God’s covenant faithfulness and an urgent appeal for His attentive observation of their current dire, shameful state, arising from their historical transgressions and the resultant devastation.
Lamentations 5 1 Bonus Section
The specific plea to "remember" contrasts with the "forgetfulness" that the prophet elsewhere describes God inflicting upon enemies or that people experience in despair. Lamentations 3:19-21 itself speaks of remembering affliction, but for the purpose of calling to mind and thus finding hope. Here, it's a plea for God's remembrance to evoke His salvific action. This verse also exemplifies the concept of retributive justice in the Old Testament, where suffering is often seen as a consequence of sin, and appeals for deliverance are often framed within acknowledging those sins and yet calling for mercy and God's intervention based on His character and promises. The very name of God invoked implies the covenant bond, the bedrock of their appeal.
Lamentations 5 1 Commentary
This verse is a direct, heartfelt prayer for divine remembrance and intervention. The prophet, speaking for a devastated people, urges God to recall their suffering and the resulting shame they bear. It's a call to God to actively engage with their plight, just as He remembered His covenant and delivered them from Egypt in the past. The plea highlights that their disgrace is not merely a personal failure but a corporate shame experienced publicly. It echoes a desperate longing for God's justice and restoration in a time of overwhelming desolation. The act of "remembering" by God signifies His promised faithfulness, even when circumstances seem to suggest His absence or abandonment.