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Lamentations 3:15

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He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

He hath filled {H7646} me with bitterness {H4844}, he hath made me drunken {H7301} with wormwood {H3939}.

He has filled me with bitterness, sated me with wormwood.

He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.

He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood.

Commentary

Lamentations 3:15 vividly portrays the prophet's (traditionally Jeremiah's) profound suffering and despair, attributing it directly to God's hand. This verse is part of a deeply personal lament within the book, which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of Judah.

Context

This verse comes from the heart of the book of Lamentations, a collection of poetic laments mourning the devastation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The traditional author, the prophet Jeremiah, identifies deeply with the suffering of his people. Here, he speaks from a position of intense personal anguish, seeing the calamity not as random fate, but as a direct act of divine judgment against Judah for its persistent sin and rebellion. The "He" in this verse refers to God, who is perceived as the active agent in bringing this overwhelming sorrow upon the nation.

Key Themes

  • Overwhelming Suffering: The imagery of being "filled with bitterness" and "made drunken with wormwood" conveys an experience of total physical, emotional, and spiritual devastation. The suffering is not merely painful but incapacitating.
  • Divine Judgment: The verse clearly states that God ("He") is the one inflicting this suffering. This underscores the biblical principle that there are consequences for disobedience to God's covenant, and sometimes these consequences are severe and direct.
  • Consequences of Sin: The bitter cup is a metaphor for the painful outcome of Judah's idolatry and unfaithfulness, serving as a stark reminder of the gravity of sin.

Linguistic Insights

The term "wormwood" (Hebrew: la'anah) is a plant known for its extreme bitterness. In biblical literature, it frequently symbolizes divine judgment, calamity, and intense sorrow, often associated with a bitter or poisonous draught. For instance, Jeremiah 9:15 also speaks of God feeding His people "wormwood" as a consequence of their actions. To be "made drunken" by it suggests an overwhelming, incapacitating experience, where the bitterness consumes and disorients the afflicted, leaving them utterly steeped in sorrow.

Practical Application

Lamentations 3:15 serves as a powerful reminder of the profound gravity of sin and the just nature of God's judgment. While this verse highlights deep despair, it also implicitly calls for introspection and repentance. For believers today, it encourages a sober understanding of spiritual consequences and the importance of living in obedience to God. Even in the midst of overwhelming sorrow, the broader context of Lamentations 3 points to God's enduring faithfulness and mercy, as highlighted in Lamentations 3:21-23, offering hope for restoration even after the bitterest experiences.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Jeremiah 9:15 (5 votes)

    Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, [even] this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

  • Isaiah 51:17 (2 votes)

    ¶ Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, [and] wrung [them] out.

  • Isaiah 51:22 (2 votes)

    Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God [that] pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, [even] the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

  • Lamentations 3:19 (2 votes)

    Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

  • Jeremiah 25:27 (2 votes)

    Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

  • Psalms 60:3 (2 votes)

    Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

  • Job 9:18 (2 votes)

    He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.