Lamentations 3:29
New International Version
Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope.

New Living Translation
Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last.

English Standard Version
let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope;

Berean Standard Bible
Let him bury his face in the dust—perhaps there is still hope.

King James Bible
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

New King James Version
Let him put his mouth in the dust— There may yet be hope.

New American Standard Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust; Perhaps there is hope.

NASB 1995
Let him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.

NASB 1977
Let him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust; Perhaps there is hope.

Amplified Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust [in recognition of his unworthiness]; There may yet be hope.

Christian Standard Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust — perhaps there is still hope.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust— perhaps there is still hope.

American Standard Version
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Contemporary English Version
Being rubbed in the dirt can teach us a lesson;

English Revised Version
Let him put his mouth in the dust; if so be there may he hope.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They should put their mouths in the dust. Maybe a reason to hope exists.

Good News Translation
We should bow in submission, for there may still be hope.

International Standard Version
Let him fall face down in the dust, so there may yet be hope.

Majority Standard Bible
Let him bury his face in the dust?perhaps there is still hope.

NET Bible
Let him bury his face in the dust; perhaps there is hope.

New Heart English Bible
Let him put his mouth to the dust, there may yet be hope.

Webster's Bible Translation
He putteth his mouth in the dust; if there may be hope.

World English Bible
Let him put his mouth in the dust, if it is so that there may be hope.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He puts his mouth in the dust, if so be, there is hope.

Young's Literal Translation
He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.

Smith's Literal Translation
He will give his mouth in the dust, if perhaps there is hope.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Catholic Public Domain Version
JOD. He shall place his mouth in the dirt, if perhaps there may be hope.

New American Bible
To put one’s mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope—

New Revised Standard Version
to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope),
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let him humble himself, for there is hope.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He will put his mouth into the dust, because there is hope
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let him put his mouth in the dust, If so be there may be hope.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeremiah's Hope
28Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him. 29Let him bury his face in the dust— perhaps there is still hope. 30Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.…

Cross References
Job 42:6
Therefore I despise myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.”

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Matthew 5:3-4
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. / Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Job 2:8
And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.

Psalm 38:6
I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

Job 16:15
I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.

Psalm 44:25
For our soul has sunk to the dust; our bodies cling to the earth.

Ezekiel 21:6
But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Luke 18:13-14
But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ / I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Psalm 25:9
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, / to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, / to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.


Treasury of Scripture

He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

putteth

2 Chronicles 33:12
And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

Job 40:4
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

Job 42:5,6
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee…

if

Joel 2:14
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

Jonah 3:9
Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

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Bury Chance Dust Face Hope Mouth Perhaps Putteth
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














Let him bury his face in the dust
This phrase evokes a powerful image of humility and repentance. The Hebrew word for "bury" here is "נָתַן" (natan), which means to give or to place. The act of placing one's face in the dust is a symbolic gesture of deep humility and submission. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, prostrating oneself in the dust was a sign of mourning, penitence, and acknowledgment of one's lowly state before God. This act signifies a recognition of human frailty and sinfulness, and a turning away from pride. It is a call to humble oneself before the Almighty, acknowledging that without God, we are but dust. This humility is a prerequisite for divine intervention and grace.

perhaps there is still hope
The word "perhaps" in Hebrew is "אוּלַי" (ulay), which suggests a sense of uncertainty but also possibility. It reflects a cautious optimism, a glimmer of hope that remains even in the darkest of circumstances. The use of "perhaps" indicates that while the outcome is not guaranteed, there is room for divine mercy and redemption. The word "hope" is translated from the Hebrew "תִּקְוָה" (tikvah), which conveys expectation and trust. In the context of Lamentations, a book filled with sorrow and lament, this phrase introduces a profound theological truth: that God's mercy is not exhausted, and His compassion is renewed every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). This hope is not based on human merit but on God's character and promises. It encourages believers to maintain faith and trust in God's ultimate plan, even when circumstances seem dire. The verse as a whole calls for a posture of humility and repentance, with the assurance that such a stance opens the door to divine hope and restoration.

(29) He putteth his mouth in the dust . . .--The outward image is that of the prostration of an Eastern subject before a king: his very face laid in the dust, so that he cannot speak.

Verse 29. - He putteth his mouth, etc. An Oriental manner of expressing submission (comp. Micah 7:17; Psalm 72:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Let him bury
יִתֵּ֤ן (yit·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

his face
פִּ֔יהוּ (pî·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

in the dust—
בֶּֽעָפָר֙ (be·‘ā·p̄ār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

perhaps
אוּלַ֖י (’ū·lay)
Adverb
Strong's 194: Perhaps

there is
יֵ֥שׁ (yêš)
Adverb
Strong's 3426: Being, substance, existence, is

still hope.
תִּקְוָֽה׃ (tiq·wāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8615: A cord, expectancy


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 3:29 Let him put his mouth (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 3:28
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