Глава 3

1–18. The difficult trials that the prophet endured along with other believing Israelis. 19–39. Revival in the heart of the prophet of hope for a better future. 40–54. Recognition of the justice of the punishment sent to the Jews, from which God, however, will probably free His people. 56–66. The prayer of the prophet, in which he expresses his confidence that God will help him and take revenge on his enemies. (Pl.3:1-18.) The prophet, on behalf of all believers, expresses grief over the suffering that the Lord sends him. The prophet's position is hopeless, because God Himself armed himself against him. He completely loses heart. Lam.3:1. I am a man who has experienced grief from the rod of His wrath. "I am a man." One cannot think that the prophet here is talking about his personal suffering, which he endured during the siege and capture of Jerusalem. He appears here as a representative of the Jews who retained their faith in God, but his personal suffering constitutes only one moment in the depiction of the terrible judgment of God that fell upon the Jews. – It is remarkable that here, as in the following verses, the prophet uses expressions from the book of Job (cf. Job 21:9). Obviously, the image of this great sufferer was presented to him when he thought about his suffering and the suffering of his fellow tribesmen. Proverbs 3:9. I have blocked my roads with stones, I have perverted my paths. “Perverted” – more precisely: “spoilt the path along which I could go.” Pl.3:13. sent arrows from His quiver to my kidneys: Kidneys are a very important organ in the human body. Proverbs 3:14. I have become a laughing stock for all my people, their daily song. The majority of the Jews, obviously, did not turn to the true path even when the Lord punished them with terrible disasters. They even laughed at their fellow citizens who saw in their misfortunes and the misfortunes of their fatherland the right hand of Jehovah humbling them. Proverbs 3:17. And the world departed from my soul; I forgot about prosperity “Forgot about prosperity,” that is, he does not believe that any happiness could exist on earth! (Pl.3:19–39.) From the darkness of suffering, a ray of hope and consolation again breaks through for the prophet. He tries to overcome his doubts and succeeds: the prophet can pray again! He asks the Lord to remember him, and, for his part, he looks for support for his hope. He finds this support, first of all, in the conviction that the Kingdom of God still exists, that there is still a remnant of believers, which can serve as the beginning for the renewal of the people. And since this existence of the chosen remnant is a matter of the goodness of God, which still continues to manifest itself in relation to the believers, the prophet, upon seeing this fact, begins to look more calmly at his own suffering and the suffering of other believers. If we patiently bear these sufferings, the merciful Lord will again restore our well-being. That is why, says the prophet, suffering obviously has educational significance for us, and we should mourn not the suffering itself, but its cause - sin. Pl.3:21. This is what I answer in my heart and therefore I hope: A better translation would be: “This is what I am thinking about, this is my hope.” The next verse is an explanation of what exactly the prophet places the basis of his hope. Lam.3:22. by the mercy of the Lord we did not disappear, for His mercy was not exhausted. A better translation would be: “Jehovah’s mercies have not yet ceased.” – This verse, as well as the next twelve, represent not only the middle of the third chapter, but also the middle of the book. They, indeed, contain a central thought, the light of which falls on both the previous and subsequent half of the book - the thought of the goodness of God, which serves as the basis of human hope. (Pl.3:40–54.) Having proved that the Lord never strikes people with suffering in vain, the prophet sees in the fate of himself and his people a natural consequence of the sins with which Israel angered God. And now the prophet, in a different tone, asks God for liberation from suffering. Now he no longer speaks in a spirit of hopelessness, but repents and blames himself as a representative of his people. At the same time, however, he cannot help but depict the strength of his suffering; in fact, he wanted to help his people, but the people saw him as their enemy and persecuted him in every possible way. Lam.3:48. My eye pours out streams of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. “About the death of a daughter” - more correctly: about the death of daughters or, simply, about the death of my people. (Pl. 3:55–66.) Like the first and second chapters, the third chapter concludes with fervent prayer, in which the prophet, having experienced repeatedly that God hears the prayers of those who call upon Him, now asks God to take revenge on his offenders by completely destroying them. Lam.3:56. You heard my voice; close not Your ear from my groaning, from my cry. “The prayer of the righteous,” says the blessed one. Augustine - there is the key to heaven. While prayer ascends to heaven, God’s mercy descends from heaven.” Lam.3:59. You see, Lord, my offense; judge my case. "My business." The prophet here speaks on behalf of the believers. Lam.3:63. Look, whether they sit or stand, I am a song for them. “I am a song for them,” that is, an object of ridicule, about which they even compose humorous songs. You might be interested in: