Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 3:26

[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Verse 26. It is good that a man should both hope] Hope is essentially necessary to faith; he that hopes not, cannot believe; if there be no expectation, there can be no confidence. When a man hopes for salvation, he should not only wait for it, but use every means that may lead to it; for hope cannot live, if there be no exercise. If hope become impatient, faith will be impossible: for who can believe for his salvation when his mind is agitated? He must therefore quietly wait. He must expect, and yet be dumb, as the words imply; ever feeling his utter unworthiness; and, without murmuring, struggle into life.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Good here either signifies honestum, what becomes men, and is their duty; or utile, what is profitable, and will turn to good account to them. Hoping and waiting differ but as the mother and daughter, hope being the mother of patience and waiting; or as the habit and act, hoping and waiting being ranch the same, flowing from a gracious power and habit given the soul to wait. Quietness is necessary to waiting, for all turbulency and impatience of spirit under sad providences is opposed to waiting. The salvation of the Lord refers to the outward man, in preserving or delivering us from dangers; or to the soul and inward man, in preserving us from, and delivering our souls out of, dangers they fear, or evils they are pressed with. Now for a man in the midst of all evils to hope in God, and, without turbulence or disorder in himself, to wait for a preservation from, or a delivery out of, any evils, is what becometh a man, (a child of God especially,) and will turn to a good account to them.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

26. quietly waitliterally,”be in silence.” Compare Lam 3:28;Psa 39:2; Psa 39:9,that is, to be patiently quiet under afflictions, resting in the willof God (Ps 37:7). So Aaron(Lev 10:2; Lev 10:3);and Job (Job 40:4; Job 40:5).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait,…. This follows from the former; for if God is good to such, it must be good for them to hope and wait for him; it is both their duty and their interest: and it may be observed, that hope is the ground of patient waiting, and is here promised to it; where there is no hope of a thing, there will be no waiting for it, much less quietly: hope is of things unseen, future, difficult, and yet possible, or there would be no hope; and where there is that, there will be waiting; for “if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it”, Ro 8:25; here in the original text it is, “hope, and be silent” z; or, “a good man will both hope” or “wait, and be silent” a; that is, under the present dispensation, though an afflictive one; men should be still, as David exhorts, and be dumb, as he was; and hold their peace, as Aaron did, at such seasons: not that they should indulge a stoical apathy, or be insensible of their condition, and disregard the rod, and him that has appointed it, or be altogether silent and speechless; but should own the hand of God, and their deserts, cry to him for deliverance, be thankful it is no worse, and speak of the gracious dealings of God with them; yet should not murmur and complain, or charge God foolishly; but be resigned to his will, and wait the issue of Providence quietly, even wait

for the salvation of the Lord; for temporal deliverance from outward evils and present afflictions, and for spiritual and eternal salvation. The saints, under the Old Testament, waited for Christ, the author of salvation, appointed and promised by the Lord. He is come, and has obtained salvation, which is published in the Gospel. Sensible sinners are made acquainted with their need of it, and see the fulness and suitableness of it, and are earnestly desirous of knowing their interest in it; this is not immediately had; it is good to wait quietly for it, in an attendance on the word and ordinances; and this being come at, still the complete enjoyment is yet behind: saints are now heirs of it, are kept unto it; it is nearer them than when they believed; Christ will appear unto it, and it becomes them to wait patiently for it; which will be a salvation from the very being of sin; from the temptations of Satan; from all troubles inward and outward; from all troublesome persons and things; from all doubts, fears, darkness, and unbelief; and will consist in perfect happiness and glory, and is worth waiting for.

z “et expectet et silens”, Pagninus, Montanus; “qui et expectat et silet”, Piscator. a “Bonus ergo et expectabit et silens erit”, Schmidt.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

It is, indeed, an abrupt phrase when he says, Good and he will wait; for these words are without a subject; but as it is a general statement, there is no ambiguity. The Prophet means that it is good to hope and to be silent as to the salvation, of God. Then the verbs in the future tense ought to be rendered its subjunctives, as though it was said, “It is good when any one hopes in the salvation of Jehovah, and is silent, that is, bears patiently all his troubles until God succors him.” (185)

But; the Prophet here reminds us, that we are by no means to require that God should always appear to us, and that his paternal favor should always shine forth on our life. This is, indeed, a condition sought for by all; for the flesh inclines us to this, and hence we shun adversities. We, then, naturally desire God’s favor to be manifested to us; how? In reality, so that all things may go on prosperously, that no trouble may touch us, that we may be tormented by no anxiety, that no danger may be suspended over us, that no calamity may threaten us: these things, as I have said, we all naturally seek and desire. But in such a case faith would be extinguished, as Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Romans,

“

For we hope not,” he says, “for what appears, but we hope for what, is hidden.” (Rom 8:24.)

It is necessary in this world that the faithful should, as to outward things, be miserable, at one time exposed to want, at another subject to various dangers — at; one time exposed to reproaches and calumnies, at another harassed by losses: why so? because there would be no occasion for exercising hope, were our salvation complete. This is the very thing which the Prophet now teaches us, when he declares that it is good for us to learn in silence to wait for the salvation of God.

But to express more clearly his mind, he first says, He will wait, or hope. He teaches the need of patience, as also the Apostle does, in Heb 10:36; for otherwise there can be no faith. It hence appears, that where there is no patience, there is not even a spark of faith in the heart of man; how so? because this is our happiness, to wait or to hope; and we hope for what is hidden. But in the second clause he explains himself still more clearly by saying, and will be silent To be silent means often in Scripture to rest, to be still; and here it signifies no other thing than to bear the troubles allotted to us, with a calm and resigned mind. He is then said to be silent to God, who remains quiet even when afflictions supply occasion for clamoring; and hence this quietness is opposed to violent feelings; for when some trouble presses on us, we become turbulent, and are carried away by our fury, at one time we quarrel with God, at another we pour forth various complaints. The same thing also happens, when we see some danger, for we tremble, and then we seek remedies here and there, and that with great eagerness. But he who patiently bears his troubles, or who recumbs on God when dangers surround him, is said to be silent or to rest quietly; and hence the words of Isaiah, “In hope and silence;” for he there exhorts the faithful to patience, and shews where strength is, even when we trust in God, so as willingly to submit to His will, and to be ready to bear his chastisements, and then when we doubt not but that he will be ready to bring us help when we are in danger. (Isa 30:15.)

We now perceive what the Prophet means when he says, that it. is good if we wait and be silent as to the salvation of God; even because our happiness is hid, and we are also like the dead, as Paul says, and our life is hid in Christ. (Col 3:3.) As then it is so, we must necessarily be silent as to God’s salvation, and cherish hope within, though surrounded with many miseries. It follows, —

(185) It may be thus rendered, —

Good it is when he hopes and waits quietly For the salvation of Jehovah.

The ו may often be rendered when. This verse, the preceding, and following, begin with “good,” which renders the passage very striking, —

25. Good is Jehovah to him who waits for him, To the soul who seeks him:

26. Good it is when he hopes and waits quietly For the salvation of Jehovah:

27. Good it is for man That he bears the yoke in his youth.

—

Ed

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

B. Reflections About Suffering Lam. 3:26-39

TRANSLATION

(26) It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (27) It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. (28) Let him sit alone and remain silent for He has laid it on him, (29) Let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there is hope. (30) Let him give his cheek to the one who smites him; let him be filled with reproach. (31) For the Lord will not reject forever. (32) For though He may afflict, yet He will have compassion according to the multitude of His lovingkindness; (33) for He does not desire to grieve and afflict the children of men. (34) To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, (35) to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, (36) to subvert a man in his cause, the LORD does not approve. (37) Who is it that speaks and it comes to pass if the Lord has not commanded it? (38) Do not pronouncements of misfortunes and prosperity proceed from the mouth of the Most High? (39) For what reason does a living man complain, each man because of the punishment for his sins?

COMMENTS

Growing out of his reflections about God the poet makes several observations, some practical and some philosophical, about human suffering.

1. Patience and hope open the channels of salvation and deliverance (Lam. 3:26). Boisterous complaint against the human predicament only tends to aggravate the situation. The believer should quietly wait in faith for the deliverance of the Lord.

2. Self-discipline during ones youth has positive benefits. If a young person can learn to bear the yoke of suffering he will not easily despair when he is old (Lam. 3:27). Suffering teaches one patience and hope (Rom. 5:3-5) and helps one bring forth the fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11). Such a one however must learn to suffer in solitude and silence. He should not grumble against the God who sent the tribulation nor should he yield to the temptation to appeal for the sympathy of others by dis cussing with them his aches and pains (Lam. 3:28). He must bite the dust in self-abasement humbly to hope that there is hope (Lam. 3:29). He should willingly submit himself to whatever injustices life has to offer. Even though he may be filled with reproach he should not pour it forth upon his antagonist (Lam. 3:30 cf. Mat. 5:38-39).

3. Affliction sent by God is measured and purposeful. Present affliction does not mean that God has ultimately rejected His people for the Lord does not reject forever (Lam. 3:31). Even in periods of chastisement He remains the God of mercy (Lam. 3:32). He does not permit one trial or temptation beyond what a man can endure. God takes no delight in seeing men suffer (Lam. 3:33). Nevertheless, He permits men to suffer and sometimes administers the stroke against them in order to accomplish His own sovereign purposes in their lives.

4. God does not approve of punishment which is not just or purposeful. Political atrocities (Lam. 3:34), injustice in legal proceedings (Lam. 3:35) or, in fact, any social inequities (Lam. 3:36) arouse His displeasure and demand His punishment. The phrase before the face of the Most High points to the fact that human judges are viewed as representatives of God.

5. Nothing is done in this world without Gods permission. No one is able to make plans about the future and carry out those plans without the permission of the Lord (Lam. 3:37). God has clearly set forth in His word the conditions of blessing and the consequences of disobedience (Lam. 3:38). A man is not forced to choose wrong with its resultant punishment. On what basis then does a man complain when he is punished for his sin? (Lam. 3:39).

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(26) Quietly wait.Literally, wait in silence: i.e. abstain from murmurs and complaints.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

26. Hope and quietly wait, etc. More literally, It is good both to wait and be silent =silently wait. Keil renders it: It is good that he should wait, and in silence too, for the help of God. The point is, that he should not only wait, but abstain from murmurings and repinings. This also prepares for the thought of the following verse, for he who has patiently submitted to sufferings in his youth will not readily sink in despair in old age, but will be likely to exercise himself in a calm waiting on God.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Lam 3:26 [It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Ver. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait. ] Heb., Be silent: not with a pythagoric or monastic silence, ut non liceat loqui locis et horis certis, but with a humble submission to God’s holy will, a patient and peaceable behaviour under his hand; waiting for a good use thereof, and a gracious issue in the best time – to frame the heart whereunto, Aurea his subnectitur sententia.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)