Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 3:2
He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light.
Verse 2. He hath – brought me into darkness] In the sacred writings, darkness is often taken for calamity; light, for prosperity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Darkness in Scripture (metaphorically taken) signifies ignorance, sin, and misery; and light signifies knowledge, a state of grace, or a state of mirth and jollity; they are both here taken in the latter sense, as light is taken, Est 8:16; Mic 7:8; Job 18:5; Psa 97:11; and also darkness is used, Jer 13:16; 2Sa 22:29; Pro 20:20; Joe 2:2; Eze 32:8. The sense is, God hath not brought me into a joyful and prosperous, but into a sad and calamitous, estate and condition.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. darknesscalamity.
lightprosperity.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness,…. Which oftentimes signifies distress, calamity, and affliction, of one sort or another: thus the Jews were brought into the darkness of captivity; Jeremiah to the darkness of a dungeon, to which there may be an allusion; and Christ his antitype was under the hidings of God’s face; and at the same time there was darkness all around him, and all over the land; and all this is attributed to God; it being by his appointment, and by his direction and permission:
but not [into] light; prosperity and joy; the affliction still continuing; though God does in his due time bring his people to the light of comfort, and of his gracious presence, as he did the above persons; see Ps 97:11.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The letters of the alphabet are tripled in this chapter, which I had omitted to mention. In the first two chapters each verse begins with the successive letters of the alphabet, except that in the last chapter there is one instance of inversion, for Jeremiah has put פ, phi, before ע, oin; or it may be that the order has been changed by the scribes; but this is uncertain. Here then, as I have said, each letter is thrice repeated. Then the first, the second, and the third verse begins with א aleph; and the fourth begins with ב, beth, and so he goes on to the end. (174)
He confirms here the last verse, for lie shews the cause or the manner of his afflictions, for he had been led into darkness and not into light. This kind of contrast has not the same force in other languages as it has in Hebrew. But when the Hebrews said that they were in darkness and not in the light, they amplified that obscurity, as though they had said that there was not even a spark of light in that darkness, it being so thick and obscure. This is what the Prophet now means. And we know what is everywhere understood in Scripture by darkness, even every kind of Lamentation: for the appearance of light exhilarates us, yea, the serenity of heaven cheers and revives the minds of men. Then darkness signifies all sorts of adversities and the sorrow which proceeds from them. He afterwards adds, —
(174) The verses in this chapter are needlessly multiplied. It would have been better had each verse contained a letter, for the length of this chapter is the same with the two foregoing; the only difference is, that the lines, or alternate lines, begin with the same letter three times, as follows, —
א I am the man who hath seen affliction, Through the rod of his indignation; א Me hath he led and caused to walk In darkness, and not in light; א Surely against me he turns, Upset me does his hand all the day.
The three next lines, or alternate lines, begin with ב, and so on to the end of the alphabet — Ed
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) Into darkness.The moral darkness of perplexity as well as misery. The cry of the mourner was like that of Ajax (Hom. Il. xvii. 647), Slay me if thou wilt, but slay me in the light.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Darkness Calamity.
Light Prosperity.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lam 3:2 He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light.
Ver. 2. He hath led me and brought me into darkness. ] Perstat semper in metaphora a pastoritia, say some, who by rod in the foregoing verse understand God’s shepherd’s wand, wherewith, when he is displeased, he driveth his unruly sheep into dark and dangerous places. Psa 23:3-4 Mic 7:9
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
brought: Lam 3:53-55, Lam 2:1, Deu 28:29, Job 18:18, Job 30:26, Isa 59:9, Jer 13:16, Amo 5:18-20, Jud 1:6, Jud 1:13
Reciprocal: Job 10:3 – Is it good Job 22:11 – darkness Psa 66:11 – broughtest Psa 88:6 – darkness Isa 5:30 – if one look Isa 50:10 – that walketh
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lam 3:2. Darkness and light are figurative and are used in the sense of sunshine and gloom with reference to the conditions surrounding the case.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord had driven the prophet to walk in the darkness of His judgment, rather than in the light of His blessing and presence (cf. Lam 3:6). The Lord had disciplined him repeatedly for a long time, in that while He was judging Jerusalem, Jeremiah was suffering along with the people.