Lamentations 3:18
New International Version
So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.”

New Living Translation
I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!”

English Standard Version
so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”

Berean Standard Bible
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”

King James Bible
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

New King James Version
And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.”

New American Standard Bible
So I say, “My strength has failed, And so has my hope from the LORD.”

NASB 1995
So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the LORD.”

NASB 1977
So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the LORD.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So I say, “My strength has perished, As well as my hopeful waiting which comes from Yahweh.”

Amplified Bible
So I say, “My strength has perished And so has my hope and expectation from the LORD.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then I thought, “My future is lost, as well as my hope from the LORD.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then I thought: My future is lost, as well as my hope from the LORD.

American Standard Version
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
I tell myself, "I am finished! I can't count on the LORD to do anything for me."

English Revised Version
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I said, 'I've lost my strength [to live] and my hope in the LORD.'

Good News Translation
I do not have much longer to live; my hope in the LORD is gone.

International Standard Version
So I say, "My strength is gone as is my hope in the LORD."

Majority Standard Bible
So I say, ?My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.?

NET Bible
So I said, "My endurance has expired; I have lost all hope of deliverance from the LORD."

New Heart English Bible
And I said, "My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD."

Webster's Bible Translation
And I said, My strength and my hope hath perished from the LORD:

World English Bible
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And saying, My glory perished, and my hope from Jehovah:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
VAU. And I said, “My end and my hope from the Lord has perished.”

New American Bible
My enduring hope, I said, has perished before the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
so I say, “Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped for from the LORD.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I said, My fame and my hope are perished from the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I said: "My victory and my hope are destroyed from LORD JEHOVAH!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I said: 'My strength is perished, And mine expectation from the LORD.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Therefore my success has perished, and my hope from the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeremiah's Afflictions
17My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”

Cross References
Psalm 31:22
In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help.

Job 17:15
where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?

Isaiah 38:10-11
I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.” / I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.

Psalm 88:3-5
For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. / I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. / I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.

Job 7:6-7
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. / Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness.

Psalm 77:7-9
“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? / Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? / Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah

Isaiah 49:14
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

Psalm 42:5
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.

Job 19:10
He tears me down on every side until I am gone; He uproots my hope like a tree.

Psalm 143:4
My spirit grows faint within me; my heart is dismayed inside me.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

Romans 8:24-25
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? / But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Hebrews 10:35-36
So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward. / You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials / so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

1 Samuel 27:1
And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

Job 6:11
What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

Job 17:15
And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?

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Cut Expectation Glory Hope Hoped Perished Splendor Strength
Lamentations 3
1. The prophet bewails his own calamities
22. By the mercies of God, he nourishes his hope
37. He acknowledges God's justice
55. He prays for deliverance
64. And vengeance on his enemies














So I say
This phrase introduces a personal declaration, indicating a moment of introspection and verbal expression of deep emotion. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "אמר" (amar), which is often used to denote speaking or saying. This reflects the personal and intimate nature of the lament, as the speaker is not just thinking these thoughts but is compelled to voice them. It underscores the raw honesty and vulnerability in the relationship between the speaker and God.

My strength
The Hebrew word for "strength" here is "עֹז" (oz), which can also mean might or power. In the context of Lamentations, this strength is not merely physical but encompasses emotional and spiritual resilience. The speaker feels utterly depleted, suggesting a profound sense of weakness and inability to continue under the weight of suffering. This reflects the broader theme of human frailty in the face of divine judgment and the need for reliance on God.

has perished
The term "perished" is translated from the Hebrew "אָבַד" (avad), which means to be lost, destroyed, or to vanish. This conveys a sense of finality and hopelessness, as if the speaker's strength has not just diminished but has been completely obliterated. It highlights the depth of despair experienced by the speaker, who feels as though all personal resources have been exhausted.

along with my hope
The word "hope" in Hebrew is "תִּקְוָה" (tikvah), which signifies expectation or something to look forward to. The loss of hope is a central theme in Lamentations, as the people of Jerusalem grapple with the destruction of their city and the perceived absence of God's favor. The coupling of lost strength with lost hope paints a picture of utter desolation, where the future seems bleak and uncertain.

from the LORD
The phrase "from the LORD" is crucial, as it identifies the source of the speaker's hope. The Hebrew name used here is "יְהוָה" (YHWH), the covenant name of God, emphasizing a personal relationship. The lament is not just about personal loss but about a perceived severance from the divine source of strength and hope. This reflects the theological crisis faced by the Israelites, who believed that their covenant relationship with God was the foundation of their identity and security.

(18) I said, My strength.--The sorrow of the mourner comes to the very verge of despair. There was "no help for him from his God;" even that hope had left him. But, as the sequel shows, this despair was the beginning of a reaction. The very name of Jehovah (no longer Adonai) reminded him of the everlasting mercies.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So I say,
וָאֹמַר֙ (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“My strength
נִצְחִ֔י (niṣ·ḥî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5331: Eminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuity

has perished
אָבַ֣ד (’ā·ḇaḏ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

along with my hope
וְתוֹחַלְתִּ֖י (wə·ṯō·w·ḥal·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8431: Expectation

from the LORD.”
מֵיְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 3:18 I said My strength is perished (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 3:17
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