TRV
Translation
Young's Literal Translation
From the mouth of the Most High Go not forth the evils and the good.
In the KJVVerse 20,393 of 31,102
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Commentary on Lamentations 3 verses 37–41
37 ¶ Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
That we may be entitled to the comforts administered to the afflicted in the foregoing verses, and may taste the sweetness of them, we have here the duties of an afflicted state prescribed to us, in the performance of which we may expect those comforts.
I. We must see and acknowledge the hand of God in all the calamities that befal us at any time, whether personal or public, Lam 3:37, Lam 3:38. This is here laid down as a great truth, which will help to quiet our spirits under our afflictions and to sanctify them to us. 1. That, whatever men's actions are, it is God that overrules them: Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass (that designs a thing and bring his designs to effect), if the Lord commandeth it not? Men can do nothing but according to the counsel of God, nor have any power or success but what is given them from above. A man's heart devises his way; he projects and purposes; he says that he will do so and so (Jam 4:13); but the Lord directs his steps far otherwise than he designed them, and what he contrived and expected does not come to pass, unless it be what God's hand and his counsel had determined before to be done, Pro 16:9; Jer 10:23. The Chaldeans said that they would destroy Jerusalem, and it came to pass, not because they said it, but because God commanded it and commissioned them to do it. Note, Men are but tools which the great God makes use of, and manages as he pleases, in the government of this lower world; and they cannot accomplish any of their designs without him. 2. That, whatever men's lot is, it is God that orders it: Out of the mouth of the Most High do not evil and good proceed? Yes, certainly they do; and it is more emphatically expressed in the original: Do not this evil, and this good, proceed out of the mouth of the Most High? Is it not what he has ordained and appointed for us? Yes, certainly it is; and for the reconciling of us to our own afflictions, whatever they be, this general truth must thus be particularly applied. This comfort I receive from the hand of God, and shall I not receive that evil also? so Job argues, Lam 2:10. Are we healthful or sickly, rich or poor? Do we succeed in our designs, or are we crossed in them? It is all what God orders; every man's judgment proceeds from him. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; he forms the light and creates the darkness, as he did at first. Note, All the events of divine Providence are the products of a divine counsel; whatever is done God has the directing of it, and the works of his hands agree with the words of his mouth; he speaks, and it is done, so easily, so effectually are all his purposes fulfilled.
II. We must not quarrel with God for any affliction that he lays upon us at any time (Lam 3:39): Wherefore does a living man complain? The prophet here seems to check himself for the complaint he had made in the former part of the chapter, wherein he seemed to reflect upon God as unkind and severe. "Do I well to be angry? Why do I fret thus?" Those who in their haste have chidden with God must, in the reflection, chide themselves for it. From the doctrine of God's sovereign and universal providence, which he had asserted in the verses before, he draws this inference, Wherefore does a living man complain? What God does we must not open our mouths against, Psa 39:9. Those that blame their lot reproach him that allotted it to them. The sufferers in the captivity must submit to the will of God in all their sufferings. Note, Though we may pour out our complaints before God, we must never exhibit any complaints against God. What! Shall a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? The reasons here urged are very cogent. 1. We are men; let us herein show ourselves men. Shall a man complain? And again, a man! We are men, and not brutes, reasonable creatures, who should act with reason, who should look upward and look forward, and both ways may fetch considerations enough to silence our complaints. We are men, and not children that cry for every thing that hurts them. We are men, and not gods, subjects, not lords; we are not our own masters, not our own carvers; we are bound and must obey, must submit. We are men, and not angels, and therefore cannot expect to be free from troubles as they are; we are not inhabitants of that world where there is no sorrow, but this where there is nothing but sorrow. We are men, and not devils, are not in that deplorable, helpless, hopeless, state that they are in, but have something to comfort ourselves with which they have not. 2. We are living men. Through the good hand of our God upon us we are alive yet, though dying daily; and shall a living man complain? No; he has more reason to be thankful for life than to complain of any of the burdens and calamities of life. Our lives are frail and forfeited, and yet we are alive; now the living, the living, they should praise, and not complain (Isa 38:19); while there is life there is hope, and therefore, instead of complaining that things are bad, we should encourage ourselves with the hope that they will be better. 3. We are sinful men, and that which we complain of is the just punishment of our sins; nay, it is far less than our iniquities have deserved. We have little reason to complain of our trouble, for it is our own doing; we may thank ourselves. Our own wickedness corrects us, Pro 19:3. We have no reason to quarrel with God, for he is righteous in it; he is the governor of the world, and it is necessary that he should maintain the honour of his government by chastising the disobedient. Are we suffering for our sins? Then let us not complain; for we have other work to do; instead of repining, we must be repenting; and, as an evidence that God is reconciled to us, we must be endeavouring to reconcile ourselves to his holy will. Are we punished for our sins? It is our wisdom then to submit, and to kiss the rod; for, if we still walk contrary to God, he will punish us yet seven times more; for when he judges he will overcome. But, if we accommodate ourselves to him, though we be chastened of the Lord we shall not be condemned with the world.
III. We must set ourselves to answer God's intention in afflicting us, which is to bring sin to our remembrance, and to bring us home to himself, Lam 3:40. These are the two things which our afflictions should put us upon. 1. A serious consideration of ourselves and a reflection upon our past lives. Let us search and try our ways, search what they have been, and then try whether they have been right and good or no; search as for a malefactor in disguise, that flees and hides himself, and then try whether guilty or not guilty. Let conscience be employed both to search and to try, and let it have leave to deal faithfully, to accomplish a diligent search and to make an impartial trial. Let us try our ways, that by them we may try ourselves, for we are to judge of our state not by our faint wishes, but by our steps, not by one particular step, but by our ways, the ends we aim at, the rules we go by, and the agreeableness of the temper of our minds and the tenour of our lives to those ends and those rules. When we are in affliction it is seasonable to consider our ways (Hag 1:5), that what is amiss may be repented of and amended for the future, and so we may answer the intention of the affliction. We are apt, in times of public calamity, to reflect upon other people's ways, and lay blame upon them; whereas our business is to search and try our own ways. We have work enough to do at home; we must each of us say, "What have I done? What have I contributed to the public flames?" that we may each of us mend one, and then we should all be mended. 2. A sincere conversion to God: "Let us turn again to the Lord, to him who is turned against us and whom we have turned from; to him let us turn by repentance and reformation, as to our owner and ruler. We have been with him, and it has never been well with us since we forsook him; let us therefore now turn again to him." This must accompany the former and be the fruit of it; therefore we must search and try our ways, that we may turn from the evil of them to God. This was the method David took. Psa 119:59, I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
IV. We must offer up ourselves to God, and our best affections and services, in the flames of devotion, Lam 3:41. When we are in affliction, 1. We must look up to God as a God in the heavens, infinitely above us, and who has an incontestable dominion over us; for the heavens do rule, and are therefore not to be quarrelled with, but submitted to. 2. We must pray to him, with a believing expectation to receive mercy from him; for that is implied in our lifting up our hands to him (a gesture commonly used in prayer and sometimes put for it, as Psa 141:2, Let the lifting up of my hands be as the evening sacrifice); it signifies our requesting mercy from him and our readiness to receive that mercy. (3.) Our hearts must go along with our prayers. We must lift up our hearts with our hands, as we must pour out our souls with our words. it is the heart that God looks at in that and every other service; for what will a sacrifice without a heart avail? If inward impressions be not in some measure answerable to outward expressions, we do but mock God and deceive ourselves. Praying is lifting up the soul to God (Psa 25:1) as to our Father in heaven; and the soul that hopes to be with God in heaven for ever will thus, by frequent acts of devotion, be still learning the way thither and pressing forward in that way.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 37–41. Public domain.
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Thomas AquinasAD 1274
Here arguments are proposed from divine powers by which everything is governed and provided for. First, such is applied against those persons who derogate divine providence, faithless through blasphemy. Verse 37 thus says: "Who has commanded and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?"
Within this context, heresy is excluded from those who contend God's providence extends itself to universal ideas, and incorporeal things, as celestial bodies. And even up to human kind, due to a conformity of human nature to God, (the Creator).
As Rabbi Maimonides asserts: "here and now, each and all particulars the Lord God does not actually acknowledge". (cf. Moses ben Maimon, (1135-1204 C.E.: Torah and Talmud exegete, author: "More Nebukim, Dalalat al hairin: Guide for the Perplexed).
Then, Verse 38 asks: "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and evil come?" Namely from good results prosperity, from bad results adversity. For, in such an idea is excluded the error of those persons who claim everything happens from chance, like Cicero, the Roman philosopher (Marcus Tullius, 106-43 B.C.). However, the apostle and evangelist John 1:3 asserts: "All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that was made." And the prophet Isaiah 45:7: asserts the Lord God: "I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe, I am the Lord, who do all these things."
Second, arguments are advanced regarding divine power against persons who deride the above ideas, through impatience within inurmurings. As: "Why should a living man complain; a man, about the punishment of his sins?" Namely, as to his known sins, from which he now suffers. For, Wisdom 1:11 declares: "Beware then of useless murmuring, and keep your tongue from slander."
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Lamentations 3:38 presents a profound rhetorical question that unequivocally affirms God's ultimate and comprehensive sovereignty over all events, whether they are perceived as beneficial or calamitous. Amidst the prophet's deep lament over Jerusalem's devastating destruction, this verse serves as a critical theological anchor, asserting that nothing, neither blessing nor adversity, transpires outside the divine will or permissive decree of the Most High. It fundamentally challenges any human inclination to compartmentalize or limit God's involvement, instead declaring His absolute, active control over every circumstance, compelling the reader to acknowledge His hand in all of life's unfolding.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Lamentations 3 stands out within the book, transitioning from a communal lament over Jerusalem's destruction to an intensely personal reflection, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. The chapter powerfully opens with the prophet vividly describing his profound suffering, almost embodying the anguish of the fallen city. However, a pivotal theological shift occurs around Lamentations 3:21-26, where the lament gives way to a triumphant confession of God's unfailing steadfast love, boundless mercies, and unwavering faithfulness. This profound pivot provides the essential theological framework for verse 38. After acknowledging God's inherent goodness and the enduring hope found in Him, the prophet then grapples with the ultimate source of the immense suffering, leading to the rhetorical question that boldly affirms divine sovereignty even over "evil" (referring to calamity or adversity). The verses immediately following, Lamentations 3:39-40, further reinforce this line of thought, urging self-examination and repentance rather than complaint, thereby solidifying the idea that suffering, while grievous, often serves as a just consequence of human sin, permitted and orchestrated by a sovereign God.
Historical & Cultural Context: The Book of Lamentations is an immediate and visceral response to the catastrophic fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire in 586 BC. This cataclysmic event involved the brutal destruction of Solomon's magnificent Temple, the definitive end of the Davidic monarchy, and the forced exile of the Jewish people from their homeland. For ancient Israel, this was far more than a mere political or military defeat; it represented a profound and existential theological crisis. The central question became: How could YHWH, the covenant-keeping God who had promised to dwell among His people and protect His holy city, allow such unprecedented devastation? Within the prevailing cultural understanding of the time, both prosperity and calamity were directly attributed to divine action—either as blessings for covenant obedience or as judgments for disobedience. The prophet, speaking from deeply within this cultural and theological framework, asserts that even this unparalleled national disaster was not random chance or beyond God's control, but rather "proceeded from the mouth of the Most High," entirely consistent with the covenant curses meticulously outlined in foundational texts like Deuteronomy 28.
Key Themes: Lamentations 3:38 makes a profound contribution to several overarching themes both within the book itself and across broader biblical theology. Divine Sovereignty is paramount, asserting God's absolute and active control over all creation and every event, including those that bring hardship, judgment, or suffering. This is not a passive oversight but an active orchestration, where events "proceed" directly from His will. Closely intertwined is the theme of Theodicy, which grapples with the complex challenge of reconciling God's inherent goodness with the pervasive existence of evil and suffering in the world. The verse suggests that even what appears to be "evil" (understood as calamity or adversity, distinct from moral evil) is intricately woven into God's comprehensive plan, serving His ultimate purposes, which may include discipline, purification, or drawing His people back to Himself. It powerfully underscores God's Ultimate Authority as "the Most High," from whom all things originate and to whom all things are ultimately subject. This understanding, though often challenging to human comprehension, provides a crucial foundation for trusting God's wisdom and sovereign purpose even when circumstances are dire and His ways seem inscrutable, echoing the profound sentiments found in Job 1:21.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Lamentations 3:38 is rich with impactful literary devices that amplify its theological weight. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?". This question is not posed to elicit an answer, but rather to compel the reader to affirm a profound truth that is already known or strongly implied: God's absolute and comprehensive sovereignty over all outcomes. This rhetorical strategy engages the audience directly, forcing an internal assent to the divine truth. The question also employs Merism, a figure of speech where two contrasting parts of a whole are used to represent the entirety (e.g., "heaven and earth" to signify all creation). Here, "evil and good" represents the full spectrum of human experience—all circumstances, whether pleasant, prosperous, painful, or calamitous. This device powerfully emphasizes the exhaustive nature of God's control. Furthermore, there is a subtle but profound Paradox or inherent tension embedded in the question. It directly confronts the natural human inclination to separate God from suffering or to question His goodness in the face of adversity, while simultaneously affirming His ultimate goodness and sovereign control. The verse thus forces a deep theological wrestling that, for the believer, ultimately leads to a deeper, more resilient trust in God's overarching plan, even when it involves hardship and His ways remain inscrutable.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 3:38 stands as an uncompromising declaration of God's comprehensive sovereignty, asserting that both prosperity and adversity ultimately proceed from His divine will or permission. This foundational truth does not imply that God is the direct author of moral evil or sin, which unequivocally originates from human rebellion and fallen nature. Rather, it means that even the calamities, disasters, and hardships experienced by humanity, including the devastating destruction of Jerusalem, are not random occurrences or outside of God's providential control. He sovereignly uses such events to accomplish His righteous and wise purposes, whether for just judgment, necessary discipline, or ultimately, for the restoration and refinement of His people. This profound theological truth, while often challenging to human understanding and emotional processing, provides a crucial and unwavering foundation for faith, reminding us that even amidst chaos, confusion, and deep suffering, God remains firmly enthroned, orchestrating all things according to His wise, just, and ultimately redemptive plan.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 3:38 offers a stark, yet profoundly comforting, truth for the believer: God is absolutely sovereign over all things. In a world frequently marked by unpredictable suffering, inexplicable tragedy, and pervasive chaos, this verse calls us to move beyond a simplistic, superficial view that equates good fortune solely with God's blessing and misfortune with His absence or displeasure. Instead, it invites us into a deeper, more mature, and robust understanding of divine providence, where even the most painful, bewildering, and devastating experiences are intricately woven into a larger, purposeful narrative orchestrated by the Most High. This truth does not diminish the reality of our pain, nor does it excuse human sin or responsibility; rather, it anchors our hope in a God who is never out of control, never surprised, and always working His purposes. When we face personal tragedy, national crisis, or global turmoil, this verse challenges us to move beyond the natural human cry of "Why did this happen to me?" and instead to prayerfully ask, "What is God doing through this?" It compels us to cultivate a radical trust in His wisdom and goodness, even when His ways are inscrutable and His purposes are not immediately comprehensible, knowing that His ultimate aim is always redemptive for those who are called according to His purpose.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Lamentations 3:38 mean God is the author of sin or moral evil?
Answer: No, Lamentations 3:38 emphatically does not mean God is the author of sin or moral evil. The Hebrew word raʻ (H7451), translated "evil" in this specific context, primarily refers to calamity, disaster, adversity, or affliction—that is, physical or temporal misfortune—rather than moral wickedness or sin. The Bible consistently and clearly attributes moral evil and sin to human choices, rebellion against God, and the fallen nature of humanity, as explicitly stated in passages like James 1:13-15. However, in His absolute and perfect sovereignty, God permits or orchestrates these calamities and adversities to achieve His righteous purposes, which may include judgment, discipline, or drawing people to repentance and a deeper reliance on Him. For instance, Amos 3:6 asks, "Does disaster befall a city, unless the Lord has done it?" clearly referring to divinely appointed adversity or judgment, not moral wrongdoing.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 3:38, with its profound assertion of God's sovereignty over both "evil" (calamity) and "good," finds its ultimate, most redemptive, and most glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The greatest "evil" or suffering ever inflicted upon humanity was undoubtedly the crucifixion of the Son of God, a horrific act of human sin and rebellion. Yet, this seemingly ultimate calamity was not outside the sovereign, predetermined plan of the Most High. As the Apostle Peter declares in Acts 2:23, Jesus was "delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God." This seemingly ultimate "evil" was, in fact, God's ultimate "good," the divinely ordained means by which He secured eternal salvation, reconciliation, and redemption for all humanity. Through Christ's sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection, God powerfully demonstrated His ability to transform the greatest evil into the greatest good, working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Jesus Himself, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, voluntarily embraced the bitter cup of suffering, knowing it was the Father's sovereign will (Matthew 26:39), thereby becoming the supreme demonstration that even the deepest human pain and suffering can be an integral part of God's perfect, redemptive plan, ultimately leading to eternal glory and the triumph of His kingdom.