Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 3:20
My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Verse 20. By soul – is humbled in me.] It is evident that in the preceding verses there is a bitterness of complaint against the bitterness of adversity, that is not becoming to man when under the chastising hand of God; and, while indulging this feeling, all hope fled. Here we find a different feeling; he humbles himself under the mighty hand of God, and then his hope revives, La 3:21.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, I cannot forget them, and the thoughts of them sink my spirits.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. As often as my soul callsthem to remembrance, it is humbled or bowed down in me.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My soul hath [them] still in remembrance,…. That is, according to our version, affliction and misery, compared to wormwood and gall: but the words, “my soul”, are fetched from the next clause, where they ought to stand, and this to be rendered, “in remembering thou wilt remember” t; or, “thou wilt surely remember”, and so expresses the confidence of the prophet, and his firm belief, his faith and hope increasing in prayer, that God would in much mercy remember his people, and their afflictions, and save them out of them:
and is humbled in me; both under the afflicting hand of God, and in view and hope of his mercy: though rather it should be rendered, “and” or “for my soul meditateth within me” u; says or suggests such things to me, that God will in wrath remember mercy; see Ps 77:7. So Jarchi makes mention of a Midrash, that interprets it of his soul’s waiting till the time that God remembers.
t “recordando recordaberis”, Luther, Michaelis. u “meditatur apud me anima mea”, Junius Tremellius “et animo meo meditor”, Castalio.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet seems in other words to confirm what he had said, even that the memory of afflictions overwhelmed his soul. For the soul is said to be humbled in or upon man, when he lies down under the burden of despair. It is the soul that raises man up, and as it were revives him; but when the soul is cast as it were on man, it is a most grievous thing; for it is better to lie down a dead body than to have this additional burden, which makes the case still worse. A dead body might indeed lie on the ground without strength and motion, but it may still retain its own place; but when the soul is thus cast down, it is said to press down man, though lifeless, more and more. This then is what the Prophet means. And yet he says that he was so occupied with this remembrance, that he could not thence withdraw his mind.
There is no doubt but that he also intended here to confess his own infirmity, and that of all the faithful; and the reason of this we have already explained. Then relying on this doctrine, even when all our thoughts press us down, and not only lead us to despair, but also hurry us on and cast us headlong into it, let us learn to flee even then to God and to lay before him all our complaints, and let us not be ashamed, because we see that this mode of proceeding is suggested to us by the Holy Spirit. It follows, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) My soul hath . . .The verb, as in Lam. 3:17, may be either in the second person or the third; the former gives, Thou wilt surely remember that my soul is humbled. Psa. 42:4 supports the Authorised version.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” Lam 3:20-21
Read: “Thou wilt surely remember that my soul is humbled.” Now the prophet begins to realise the results of discipline wisely and gratefully accepted. At first probably, like all other men, he was obstinate, resentful, and wholly indisposed to look for moral teaching in the midst of physical suffering. Better thoughts came to his aid. After a while he began to survey the situation, and, as he looked upon the plan of God, light came to him, and he saw that God’s meaning even in man’s humiliation was the elevation and perfecting of the man himself. Let us be rich in remembrance. Who cannot recount the sorrows which have been turned to his advantage? There was a day that was all cloud, a cloud that was all thunder, and we said we should die when that cloud discharged its tempest upon us. The cloud broke, the thunder rolled, and our life was refreshed by the very torrent that we looked forward to with dread. Do not let us forget those days of rain and storm and high wind, but call them to remembrance, and count them as amongst our jewels, for we then saw somewhat of the treasures of the Most High, and saw how even in what appeared to be extremity God could provide a way of deliverance. The prophet derives hope from a sanctified review of providence “therefore have I hope.” The sorrow had not been in vain; it had become a sweet gospel to the soul which it overshadowed, and this it will become to every one of us if we remember that the Lord reigneth, and that discipline as well as benediction is in the hand of the living God.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Lam 3:20 My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Ver. 20. My soul hath them still in remembrance. ] But it is not good to plod overly much in this case. Such bitter pills should be swallowed whole, and not chewed upon, unless it be for our further humiliation.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
My soul. The primitive reading was “Thy soul”, which the Sopherim have recorded, and state that they altered it to “My soul” (see App-33), considering it an offensive anthropomorphism. By so doing they destroyed the logical sequence and deep pathos of the primitive text. The three verses (Lam 3:19-21) retranslated will show this:
19) “Remember my humiliation and my misery, The wormwood and the gall
20) Yea, verily, Thou wilt remember, And Thy soul will mourn over me.
21) This I bring back to my heart, Therefore I shall have hope. “
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hath: Job 21:6
humbled: Heb. bowed, Psa 42:5, Psa 42:6, Psa 42:11, Psa 43:5, Psa 146:8
Reciprocal: Deu 16:12 – General Job 23:2 – my complaint Psa 102:4 – heart Mat 5:23 – rememberest
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lam 3:20, soul means the whole human being as in verse 17. The afflic-tions had humbled him which is used in the Bense of bearing him down with discouragement.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
3:20 My soul hath [them] still in remembrance, and is humbled {h} in me.
(h) He shows that God thus uses to exercise his, to the intent that by this they may know themselves, and feel his mercies.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
He himself remembered something that gave him hope.