Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 3:23
[They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
Verse 23. They are new every morning] Day and night proclaim the mercy and compassion of God. Who could exist throughout the day, if there were not a continual superintending Providence? Who could be preserved in the night, if the Watchman of Israel ever slumbered or slept?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
These compassions of God are renewed day by day, to declare the great faithfulness of God in fulfilling his many promises made for mercy to his people.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. (Isa33:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[They are] new every morning,…. That is, the tender mercies or compassions of God are, which prove that they fail not; there are instances of them every day, not only in a temporal, but in a spiritual sense; they are ever new, always fresh and vigorous, constant and perpetual; such are the love, grace, and mercy of God, though of old, yet daily renewed in the manifestations thereof; and which make a morning of spiritual light, joy, and comfort; and whenever it is morning with the saints, they have new discoveries of the love of God to them; and these indeed are a bright morning to them, a morning without clouds;
great [is] thy faithfulness; some render it “thy faith concerning thee” y; this is a great grace, it is the gift of God, the operation of his Spirit, and to exercise it is a great thing; to this purpose is Jarchi’s note,
“great is thy promise, and a great thing it is to believe in thee, that it shall be performed, and that thou wilt observe or keep what thou hast promised to us;”
but the attribute of God’s faithfulness is rather meant; which is another reason why the people of God are not consumed, since that never fails; God is faithful to himself, and cannot deny himself; he is faithful to his counsels and purposes, which shall be truly accomplished; and to his covenant and promises, which shall be fulfilled; and to his Son, the surety and Saviour of his people.
y “fides tua”, V. L. Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “fides quae est de te”, Pagninus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This verse confirms what I have said, that the same truth is here repeated by the Prophet, that God’s mercies were not consumed, nor had his compassion’s failed. How so? Because they were new, or renewed, every day; but he puts morning, and that in the plural number. I am surprised at the hour striking so soon; I hardly think that I have lectured a whole hour.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) They are new.The subject of the sentence is found in the compassions of the preceding verse. With the dawn of every day there dawn also the mercies of Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. New every morning That is, Jehovah’s mercies are “new,” or repeated.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.
Very beautiful and highly instructive is the whole of this passage, and every verse more or less is a sermon; but it would swell the commentary to a length indeed, to notice the several beauties of it. I rather offer a prayer upon it, that God the Holy Ghost will bless this whole Chapter, and the whole Book of the Lamentations to the Reader’s mind, in his solemn and devout perusal. And blessed will indeed be that study, if Christ be discovered as the sum and substance of the whole Bible, to whom all the Prophets give witness, and that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Act 10:43 .
REFLECTIONS.
READER!I your afflictions and mine, like the Prophet’s, or the Church, can only find motives to asswage and soften them in the contemplation of the unequalled sorrows of Jesus. While we have our eyes stedfastly directed unto Him, we shall find our sorrows lightened, and our faces will not be ashamed. For while we eye Him, we hear a voice speaking to our hearts in a way of the most gracious accommodation; and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger?
Reader! let me only detain you with a short observation, just to remark, how blessed the after fruits of exercises are, where our sorrows are sanctified with grace, and Jesus mingles our tears with the spiced wine of his pomegranate. And if afflictions lead to Him, prompt the soul to lean upon Him: determine the heart to abide by Him, and like an ancient sufferer, compel the soul to say, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him; depend upon it, these afflictions which are thus sanctified, be they what they may, are among the all things which work together for good, and will be found in the end to be the light afflictions of the moment, which work out of a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lam 3:23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
Ver. 23. They are new every morning. ] Yea, every moment. We have continual experiments.
Great is thy faithfulness.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
new = fresh.
every morning. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), for always and continually.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
new: Psa 30:5, Isa 33:2, Zep 3:5
great: Exo 34:6, Psa 36:5, Psa 89:1, Psa 89:2, Psa 89:33, Psa 146:6, Tit 1:2, Heb 6:18, Heb 10:23
Reciprocal: Num 11:11 – wherefore have Deu 7:9 – the faithful Ezr 9:15 – for we remain Job 33:23 – to Psa 31:19 – Oh Psa 68:19 – daily Psa 92:2 – show Psa 119:77 – thy tender Dan 9:9 – To the Lord Mal 3:6 – therefore Mat 6:34 – no 1Co 1:9 – God 1Co 10:13 – but 1Th 5:24 – Faithful 1Jo 1:9 – he is
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lam 3:23. This means the evidences of Gods compassion appears anew every morning. Thy faithfulness denotes the Lord’s constant attention to the welfare of Judah,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
3:23 [They are] new {k} every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
(k) We feel your benefits daily.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
There are new evidences of Yahweh’s lovingkindness and compassion every day that testify to His great faithfulness (cf. Psa 36:5; Psa 36:7). His daily provision of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness was one example of this.
"The word translated ’compassions’ draws attention to God’s emotional response to the needs of His people [cf. Gen 43:30; 1Ki 3:26]. The terms rendered ’love’ [or "lovingkindness"] and ’faithfulness’ are closely related in meaning [cf. Psa 89:24; Psa 92:2; Psa 98:3; Hos 2:19-20]. They refer to God’s devotion to His covenant people and to the promises He made to them." [Note: Chisholm, p. 362.]
This verse was, of course, the basis for the classic Christian hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" by Thomas O. Chisholm (b. 1866). It has also inspired modern composers (e.g., "The steadfast love of the Lord never faileth; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness, oh Lord, great is Thy faithfulness . . .").