Lamentations 3:3

Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Against me is he turned.—Better, against me He turneth His hand again and again, the first verb being one of frequentative action, and giving that significance to the second.

Benson Commentary

Lamentations 3:3-7. Surely against me is he turned — The course of his providence toward me is quite altered. He was formerly kind and gracious, but now exercises an afflicting hand against me, and that not occasionally, or for a short time, but continually, all the day. The phrase, He turneth his hand against me, is equivalent to that which occurs Isaiah 1:25, I will turn thy hand upon thee, where see the note. My flesh, &c., hath he made old — Hebrew, בלה, hath wasted, caused to decay. See notes on Job 16:8; Psalm 31:10; Psalm 32:3. He hath broken my bones — The anguish I feel in my mind is as painful to me as if all my bones were broken. He hath builded against me — He hath blocked me up in a strait place; he has so enclosed me with calamities that there is no escaping them; and compassed me with gall, &c. — Hath filled me with grief and anguish of mind, which is no less bitter than gall to the mouth. He hath set me in dark places, &c. — He hath confined me to a dungeon where no light enters; and I am secluded from human society, as if I were out of the world. He probably refers to the pit of the prison into which he was cast by the command of Zedekiah. He hath hedged me about — See Lamentations 3:5, and the margin. He hath made my chain heavy — He hath made my bondage, or my imprisonment, grievous.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-20 The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. It was an affliction that was misery itself; for sin makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. The struggle between unbelief and faith is often very severe. But the weakest believer is wrong, if he thinks that his strength and hope are perished from the Lord.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is he turned; he turneth - Or, "surely against me" hath he turned "his hand" again and again "all the day long."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. turneth … hand—to inflict again and again new strokes. "His hand," which once used to protect me. "Turned … turneth" implies repeated inflictions.

Beth.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The course of God’s providence toward me is quite altered, his hand, that is, his power, which was wont to be with me, and for me, against my enemies, is now turned against me; nor is it for a moment, or for one stroke or two, but his hand is continually against me.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Surely against me is he turned,.... As an enemy, who used to be a friend; he has so altered and changed the course of his providence, as if his favour and affections were wholly removed; he has planted his artillery against me, and made me the butt of his arrows: or, "only against me"; so Jarchi; as if he was the only person, or the Jews the only people, so afflicted of God:

he turneth his hand against me all the day; to smite with one blow after another, and that continually, without ceasing; so the hand of justice was turned upon Christ, as the surety of his people, and he was smitten and stricken of God; while the hand of grace and mercy was turned upon them; see Zechariah 13:7.

Geneva Study Bible

Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Is he turned; he turneth; rather, he turneth again and again. Lamentations 3:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"Only upon (against) me does He repeatedly turn His hand." ישׁוּב is subordinated to the idea of יהפך in an adverbial sense; cf. Gesenius, 142, 3, b. "His hand" is the smiting hand of God. אך, "only upon me," expresses the feeling which makes him on whom grievous sufferings have fallen to regard himself as one smitten in a special manner by God. "The whole day," i.e., continually; cf. Lamentations 1:13. - From Lamentations 3:4 onwards this divine chastisement is more minutely set forth under various figures, and first of all as a wasting away of the vital force. בּלּה means to wear out by rubbing, cause to fall away, from בּלה, to be worn out, which is applied to clothes, and then transferred to bodies, Job 13:28; Psalm 49:15. "Flesh and skin" are the exterior and soft constituents of the body, while the bones are the firmer parts. Skin, flesh, and bones together, make up the substance of the human body. Proverbs 5:11 forms the foundation of the first clause. "He hath broken my bones" is a reminiscence from the lamentation of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:13; cf. Psalm 51:10; Job 30:17. The meaning is thus excellently given by Pareau: indicantur animi, fortius irae divinae malorumque sensu conquassati, angores. - The figure in Lamentations 3:5, "He builds round about and encircles me," is derived from the enclosing of a city by besieging it. עלי is to be repeated after wayaqeep. The besieging forces, which encompass him so that he cannot go out and in, are ראשׁ וּתלאה. That the former of these two words cannot mean κεφαλήν μου (lxx), is abundantly evident. ראשׁ or רושׁ is a plant with a very bitter taste, hence a poisonous plant; see on Jeremiah 8:14. As in that passage מי ראשׁ, so here the simple ראשׁ is an emblem of bitter suffering. The combination with תּלאה, "toil," is remarkable, as a case in which a figurative is joined with a literal expression; this, however, does not justify the change of תּלאה into לענה (Castell, Schleussner, etc.). The combination is to be explained on the ground that ראשׁ had become so common a symbol of bitter suffering, that the figure was quite lost sight of behind the thing signified.