Lamentations 5:17
New International Version
Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim

New Living Translation
Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears.

English Standard Version
For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,

Berean Standard Bible
Because of this, our hearts are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim—

King James Bible
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

New King James Version
Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim;

New American Standard Bible
Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim;

NASB 1995
Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim;

NASB 1977
Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes are dim;

Legacy Standard Bible
Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes are dim;

Amplified Bible
Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim.

Christian Standard Bible
Because of this, our heart is sick; because of these, our eyes grow dim:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Because of this, our heart is sick; because of these, our eyes grow dim:

American Standard Version
For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim;

Contemporary English Version
We feel sick all over and can't even see straight;

English Revised Version
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is why we feel sick. This is why our eyes see less and less.

Good News Translation
We are sick at our very hearts and can hardly see through our tears,

International Standard Version
This is why our hearts faint, and why our eyes grow dim:

Majority Standard Bible
Because of this, our hearts are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim—

NET Bible
Because of this, our hearts are sick; because of these things, we can hardly see through our tears.

New Heart English Bible
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes grow dim.

Webster's Bible Translation
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

World English Bible
For this our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Our heart has been sick for this, "" Our eyes have been dim for these.

Young's Literal Translation
For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.

Smith's Literal Translation
For this our heart was languid; for this our eyes were darkened.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore is our heart sorrowful, therefore are our eyes become dim,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Because of this, our heart became gloomy; for this reason, our eyes have been darkened:

New American Bible
Because of this our hearts grow sick, at this our eyes grow dim:

New Revised Standard Version
Because of this our hearts are sick, because of these things our eyes have grown dim:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because of this, behold, our heart grieves, and because of this, behold, our eyes are darkened!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For this our heart is faint, For these things our eyes are dim;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For this has grief come; our heart is sorrowful: for this our eyes are darkened.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for Restoration
16The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17Because of this, our hearts are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim— 18because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, patrolled by foxes.…

Cross References
Psalm 38:8
I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Isaiah 1:5-6
Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. / From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.

Jeremiah 8:18
My sorrow is beyond healing; my heart is faint within me.

Psalm 6:6-7
I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. / My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim because of all my foes.

Isaiah 59:9-11
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. / Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead. / We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

Jeremiah 14:19
Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of healing, but there was only terror.

Psalm 31:9-10
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. / For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Isaiah 24:4
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.

Jeremiah 4:19
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.

Psalm 69:3
I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Isaiah 51:20
Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God.

Jeremiah 15:18
Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.

Psalm 88:9
My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Jeremiah 30:12-15
For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous. / There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you. / All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins. ...


Treasury of Scripture

For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

our heart

Lamentations 1:13,22
From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day…

Leviticus 26:36
And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

Isaiah 1:5
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

our eyes

Lamentations 2:11
Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

Deuteronomy 28:65
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

Job 17:7
Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.

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Lamentations 5
1. A complaint of Zion in prayer unto God.














Our hearts
The Hebrew word for "hearts" is "לִבֵּנוּ" (libbenu), which refers to the inner self, the seat of emotions, thoughts, and will. In the context of Lamentations, the heart represents the collective emotional and spiritual state of the people of Judah. Their hearts are not just physically sick but are deeply affected by the spiritual and moral decay that has led to their current suffering. This phrase invites reflection on the importance of maintaining a heart aligned with God's will, as emphasized throughout Scripture, particularly in Proverbs 4:23, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life."

are sick and weary
The Hebrew word "חָלָה" (chalah) conveys a sense of being weak, sick, or afflicted. This phrase captures the profound sense of exhaustion and despair experienced by the people. Historically, this reflects the aftermath of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, where the physical and emotional toll on the survivors was immense. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, as sin leads to spiritual sickness and weariness. The call here is to seek restoration and healing through repentance and faith in God.

our eyes
The eyes, "עֵינֵינוּ" (eineno), are often symbolic in Scripture of perception and understanding. In this context, the eyes represent the ability to see and comprehend the reality of their situation. The dimming of their eyes signifies a loss of hope and clarity, a common theme in Lamentations where the people struggle to see beyond their immediate suffering. This imagery encourages believers to seek spiritual sight through God's Word, as seen in Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law."

grow dim
The Hebrew "כָּהָה" (kahah) means to grow faint or weak. This phrase illustrates the diminishing vision and hope of the people. Historically, it reflects the physical and emotional toll of the destruction of Jerusalem. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for losing sight of God's promises and purposes. The dimming of vision calls believers to renew their focus on God, who restores sight and hope, as Jesus did for the blind in the Gospels.

with tears
The word "דִּמְעָה" (dim'ah) refers to tears, a universal symbol of sorrow and lament. In the context of Lamentations, tears are a response to the profound grief and loss experienced by the people. Archaeologically, evidence of the Babylonian destruction corroborates the historical context of such deep mourning. Scripturally, tears are often seen as a form of prayer, expressing the heart's deepest cries to God. Psalm 56:8 reminds us that God is attentive to our tears, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle." This phrase encourages believers to bring their sorrows to God, trusting in His compassion and comfort.

(17) For this . . . for these things.--The first clause refers to the loss of national honour indicated in Lamentations 5:16; the latter, to all the horrors named in Lamentations 5:8-15.

Verses 17, 18. - These verses form a transition to the final appeal. The thought of the desolation of Zion overwhelms the spirit of the poet. But he will soon be able to lift himself up again when he recalls the sublime truth of the inviolable security of Israel's God. Foxes; rather, jackals.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Because of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

this,
זֶ֗ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

our hearts
לִבֵּ֔נוּ (lib·bê·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

are
הָיָ֤ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

faint;
דָוֶה֙ (ḏā·weh)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1739: Faint, unwell

because of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

these,
אֵ֖לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

our eyes
עֵינֵֽינוּ׃ (‘ê·nê·nū)
Noun - cdc | first person common plural
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

grow dim:
חָשְׁכ֥וּ (ḥā·šə·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2821: To be dark, to darken


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 5:17 For this our heart is faint (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 5:16
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