Lamentations 5 21

Lamentations 5:21 kjv

Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

Lamentations 5:21 nkjv

Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old,

Lamentations 5:21 niv

Restore us to yourself, LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old

Lamentations 5:21 esv

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old ?

Lamentations 5:21 nlt

Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again!
Give us back the joys we once had!

Lamentations 5 verses

Lamentations 5 21 Meaning

Lamentations 5:21 is a fervent, communal prayer, serving as a climatic plea for divine intervention at the conclusion of the book. It expresses a deep yearning for restoration, not merely physical return to Judah but, more profoundly, a spiritual renewal of their relationship with God. The repetition of "restore us" emphasizes the profound need for God's sovereign action to turn the devastated nation back to Himself, acknowledging that true restoration originates from Him. The plea to "renew our days as of old" articulates a desire to experience the blessings, favor, and proper covenant relationship that characterized earlier periods of their history, before the desolation of exile.

Lamentations 5 21 Context

Lamentations 5:21 stands as the climax of the final chapter, which deviates from the acrostic pattern of the first four chapters. Chapter 5 is a communal prayer and petition, spoken from the depths of national humiliation and suffering following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC and the subsequent Babylonian exile. The chapter details the devastating effects of the catastrophe: enslavement, famine, persecution, loss of land, degradation, and a profound sense of abandonment by God. It vividly portrays a generation utterly depleted and devoid of joy or dignity. Verse 21, therefore, is not a statement of despair but a desperate, final appeal for God's covenant faithfulness to override their present desolate reality. It's a prayer born of extreme distress, recognizing that only God's sovereign act can reverse their fortunes and restore their relationship with Him. The historical context underscores the severe theological crisis they faced, wrestling with God's justice and His perceived absence, while simultaneously clinging to hope in His character.

Lamentations 5 21 Word analysis

• Restore (Hebrew: הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ – hashivenu from the root שׁוּב – shuv):

  • This is an imperative verb, a direct command/plea to God.
  • Shuv is a pivotal theological word in the Old Testament, often meaning "to turn back," "return," "repent," or "restore." Here, it encapsulates both the human act of repentance (turning to God) and the divine act of restoration (God turning the people to Himself or turning their situation around).
  • Significance: It highlights the dual responsibility and grace – Israel must turn, but only God can enable and complete that turning. The act of returning is often a precondition for God's blessings (Zech 1:3).

• us (Hebrew suffix -נוּ – -nu):

  • Refers to the entire community, the nation of Judah.
  • Significance: It is a collective cry from a unified body experiencing shared suffering and seeking collective redemption. This contrasts with individual lament in other biblical texts.

• to yourself, O LORD, (Hebrew: אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה – eleikha Yahweh):

  • to yourself: eleikha means "to you" (masculine singular). This specifies the object of restoration is not merely a former physical state but a renewed, intimate, and covenantal relationship with God Himself.
  • O LORD: יְהוָה – Yahweh, the personal covenant name of God, revealing His character as the one who exists, is faithful to His promises, and enters into relationship with His people.
  • Significance: By addressing God by His covenant name, the lamenter appeals to God's faithfulness to His promises despite Israel's unfaithfulness. The ultimate goal is fellowship with God, recognizing that external circumstances are secondary to the spiritual alignment.

• that we may be restored! (Hebrew: וְנָשׁוּב – venashuv):

  • This is the second occurrence of the root shuv. The structure "restore us... that we may be restored" is a chiastic or parallel structure emphasizing the certainty or desire for the result.
  • Significance: The first "restore us" (imperative) is a divine action, an enablement. The second "we may be restored" (cohortative/imperfect with waw consecutive) expresses either the purpose (so that we will turn back/be restored) or the result (and we will turn back/be restored). It stresses that God's initiation is necessary for their actual turning or renewal. It highlights the divine enabling grace in the act of repentance and return.

• Renew (Hebrew: חַדֵּשׁ – haddesh from the root חָדַשׁ – chadash):

  • An imperative verb, a plea for God to act.
  • Chadash means "to make new," "repair," "rebuild," "restore," or "renovate." It goes beyond simply returning to the old; it implies a fresh beginning, a vigorous revitalization, potentially better than before (Isa 43:19).
  • Significance: It calls for a profound transformation, an infusion of new life and vitality into their withered existence. This suggests hope for a new season of blessing, not just a reliving of the past.

• our days (Hebrew: יָמֵינוּ – yameinu):

  • Refers to their life, their experiences, their way of living, their fortunes, and their temporal existence as a nation.
  • Significance: This encapsulates not only their physical existence but also the quality and experience of their national life, currently filled with misery and humiliation (Lam 5:15-18). It’s a prayer for the renewal of their corporate destiny.

• as of old (Hebrew: כְּקֶדֶם – keq Kedem):

  • Ke- means "like" or "as." Kedem means "the east," "ancient time," "long ago," "from the beginning."
  • Significance: This looks back to an ideal or blessed time in their history, a golden era when they experienced God's favor, protection, and prosperity (e.g., the era of David and Solomon, or even the covenant blessings immediately after entering the land). It’s not necessarily a naive desire for simple replication of the past but a longing for the fundamental principles of God’s covenant blessings and proper relationship to be restored. It speaks of divine precedence and expectation (Isa 1:26).

Lamentations 5 21 Bonus section

• This verse breaks the acrostic pattern that marks most of Lamentations, emphasizing its climactic and direct prayerful nature, stripped of formal poetic structure, raw and earnest.
• The tension in the verse: Does "Restore us... that we may be restored" imply a human conditionality on divine action (we must repent for God to act) or a divine enabling (God acts so that we can repent)? The most consistent biblical theology leans toward the latter, with God's sovereign grace preceding and empowering genuine turning (Jer 31:18, Php 2:13).
• The verse ends on a note of hopeful dependence on God, despite the final verses (Lam 5:22) that reflect a sense of continued abandonment, creating an unresolved tension characteristic of true lament, reflecting human faith wrestling with unanswered prayers.
• This specific phrasing is echoed in many liturgies and prayers throughout history, reflecting its universal applicability to believers and communities facing times of brokenness and desiring spiritual revival.

Lamentations 5 21 Commentary

Lamentations 5:21 serves as a profound and poignant summary of the book's core prayer: a desperate yearning for God's restoration amidst unparalleled desolation. It recognizes that the exiled people are incapable of self-restoration; only the LORD, their covenant God, can initiate and complete their return, both physically to their land and, more crucially, spiritually to a right relationship with Him. The double use of "restore" (shuv) highlights this divine initiation and the subsequent human turning, implying that God's grace empowers the very repentance He calls for. The prayer to "renew our days as of old" is a hopeful cry for the revitalization of their national life, a return to the blessings and intimacy of past covenant relationship, implying a re-establishment of divine favor and order, perhaps even surpassing what was known before. This verse underpins the enduring biblical truth that divine intervention is fundamental to overcoming spiritual and communal ruin.