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Commentary on Lamentations 3 verses 55–66
We may observe throughout this chapter a struggle in the prophet's breast between sense and faith, fear and hope; he complains and then comforts himself, yet drops his comforts and returns again to his complaints, as Psa 42:1-11. But, as there, so here, faith gets the last word and comes off a conqueror; for in these verses he concludes with some comfort. And here are two things with which he comforts himself: -
I. His experience of God's goodness even in his affliction. This may refer to the prophet's personal experience, with which he encourages himself in reference to the public troubles. He that has seasonably succoured particular saints will not fail the church in general. Or it may include the remnant of good people that were among the Jews, who had found that it was not in vain to wait upon God. In three things the prophet and his pious friends had found God good to them: - 1. He had heard their prayers; though they had been ready to fear that the cloud of wrath was such as their prayers could not pass through (Lam 3:44), yet upon second thoughts, or at least upon further trial, they find it otherwise, and that God had not said unto them, Seek you me in vain. When they were in the low dungeon, as free among the dead, they called upon God's name (Lam 3:55); their weeping did not hinder praying. Note, Though we are cast into ever so low a dungeon, we may thence find a way of access to God in the highest heavens. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee (Psa 130:1), as Jonah out of the whale's belly. And could God hear them out of the low dungeon, and would he? Yes, he did: Thou hast heard my voice; and some read the following words as carrying on the same thankful acknowledgment: Thou didst not hide thy ear at my breathing, at my cry; and the original will bear that reading. We read it as a petition for further audience: Hide not thy ear. God's having heard our voice when we cried to him, even out of the low dungeon, is an encouragement for us to hope that he will not at any time hide his ear. Observe how he calls prayer his breathing; for in prayer we breathe towards God, we breathe after him. Though we be but weak in prayer, cannot cry aloud, but only breathe in groanings that cannot be uttered, yet we shall not be neglected if we be sincere. Prayer is the breath of the new man, sucking in the air of mercy in petitions and returning it in praises; it is both the evidence and the maintenance of the spiritual life. Some read it, at my gasping. "When I lay gasping for life, and ready to expire, and thought i was breathing my last, then thou tookest cognizance of my distressed case." 2. He had silenced their fears and quieted their spirits (Lam 3:57): "Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou didst graciously assure me of thy presence with me, and give me to see thee nigh unto me, whereas I had thought thee to be at a distance from me." Note, When we draw nigh to God in a way of duty we may by faith see him drawing nigh to us in a way of mercy. But this was not all: Thou saidst, Fear not. This was the language of God's prophets preaching to them not to fear (Isa 41:10, Isa 41:13, Isa 41:14), of his providence preventing those things which they were afraid of, and of his grace quieting their minds, and making them easy, by the witness of his Spirit with their spirits that they were his people still, though in distress, and therefore ought not to fear. 3. He had already begun to appear for them (Lam 3:58): "O Lord! thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul" (that is, as it follows), "thou hast redeemed my life, hast rescued that out of the hands of those who would have taken it away, hast saved that when it was ready to be swallowed up, hast given me that for a prey." And this is an encouragement to them to hope that he would yet further appear for them: "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and therefore wilt deliver my feet from falling; thou hast pleaded the causes of my life, and therefore wilt plead my other causes."
II. He comforts himself with an appeal to God's justice, and (in order to the sentence of that) to his omniscience.
1.He appeals to God's knowledge of the matter of fact, how very spiteful and malicious his enemies were (Lam 3:59): "O Lord! thou hast seen my wrong, that I have done no wrong at all, but suffer a great deal." He that knows all things knew, (1.) The malice they had against him: "Thou hast seen all their vengeance, how they desire to do me a mischief, as if it were by way of reprisal for some great injury I had done them." Note, We should consider, to our terror and caution, that God knows all the revengeful thoughts we have in our minds against others, and therefore we should not allow of those thoughts nor harbour them, and that he knows all the revengeful thoughts others have causelessly in their minds against us, and therefore we should not be afraid of them, but leave it to him to protect us from them. (2.) The designs and projects they had laid to do him a mischief: Thou hast seen all their imaginations against me (Lam 3:60), and again, "Thou hast heard all their imaginations against me (Lam 3:61), both the desire and the device they have to ruin me; whether it show itself in word or deed, it is known to thee; nay, though the products of it are not to be seen nor heard, yet their device against me all the day is perceived and understood by him to whom all things are naked and open." Note, The most secret contrivances of the church's enemies are perfectly known to the church's God, from whom they can hide nothing. (3.) The contempt and calumny wherewith they loaded him, all that they spoke slightly of him, and all that they spoke reproachfully: "Thou hast heard their reproach (Lam 3:61), all the bad characters they give me, laying to my charge things that I know not, all the methods they use to make me odious and contemptible, even the lips of those that rose up against me (Lam 3:62), the contumelious language they use whenever they speak of me, and that at their sitting down and rising up, when they lie down at night and get up in the morning, when they sit down to their meat and with their company, and when they rise from both, still I am their music; they make themselves and one another merry with my miseries, as the Philistines made sport with Samson." Jerusalem was the tabret they played upon. Perhaps they had some tune or play, some opera or interlude, that was called the destruction of Jerusalem, which, though in the nature of a tragedy, was very entertaining to those who wished ill to the holy city. Note, God will one day call sinners to account for all the hard speeches which they have spoken against him and his people, Jde 1:15.
2.He appeals to God's judgment upon this fact: "Lord, thou hast seen my wrong; there is no need of any evidence to prove it, nor any prosecutor to enforce and aggravate it; thou seest it in its true colours; and now I leave it with thee. Judge thou my cause, Lam 3:59. Let them be dealt with," (1.) "As they deserve (Lam 3:64): Render to them a recompence according to the work of their hands. Let them be dealt with as they have dealt with us; let thy hand be against them as their hand has been against us. They have created us a great deal of vexation; now, Lord, give them sorrow of heart (Lam 3:65), perplexity of heart" (so some read it); "let them be surrounded with threatening mischiefs on all sides, and not be able to see their way out. Give them despondence of heart" (so others read it); "let them be driven to despair, and give themselves up for gone." God can entangle the head that thinks itself clearest, and sink the heart that thinks itself stoutest. (2.) "Let them be dealt with according to the threatenings: Thy curse unto them; that is, let thy curse come upon them, all the evils that are pronounced in thy word against the enemies of thy people, Lam 3:65. They have loaded us with curses; as they loved cursing, so let it come unto them, thy curse which will make them truly miserable. Theirs is causeless, and therefore fruitless, it shall not come; but thine is just, and shall take effect. Those whom thou cursest are cursed indeed. Let the curse be executed, Lam 3:66. Persecute and destroy them in anger, as they persecute and destroy us in their anger. Destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord; let them have no benefit of the light and influence of the heavens. Destroy them in such a manner that all who see it may say, It is a destruction from the Almighty, who sits in the heavens and laughs at them (Psa 2:4), and may own that the heavens do rule," Dan 4:26. What is said of the idols is here said of their worshippers (who in this also shall be like unto them), They shall perish from under these heavens, Jer 10:11. They shall be not only excluded from the happiness of the invisible heavens, but cut off from the comfort even of these visible ones, which are the heavens of the Lord (Psa 115:16) and which those therefore are unworthy to be taken under the protection of who rebel against him.
Besides, an accusation regarding the adversary is proposed. So, first is an accusation against the evil within the deed. Thus is said: "Thou hast seen the wrong done to me, O Lord." This states as if: they are unable to deny what is known to thee, (O Lord God). For, Lamentations 1:22 makes known: "Let all their evil doing come before thee; and deal with them as thou hast dealt with me."
Second, an accusation, as to the fury in the enemy's heart is underscored: "Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their devices against me." For Jeremiah 18:18 reports: "Then they said 'Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet."
Third, is an accusation regarding sin from their mouth: "Thou hast heard their taunts, O Lord, all their devices against me."
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SUMMARY
Lamentations 3:60 expresses the suffering prophet's profound conviction that God has intimately and comprehensively witnessed every act of vengeance and every malicious scheme devised against him and his people. This verse serves as a poignant lament over deep injustice and an implicit, fervent appeal to God's perfect omniscience, trusting in His righteous character to intervene and provide vindication.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Lamentations 3:60 is embedded within the unique structure of Lamentations, a collection of five poetic laments mourning the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Chapter 3 stands out as a triple acrostic, with each of its 66 verses organized into 22 stanzas of three lines, each set beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The chapter initially presents a deeply personal lament of intense suffering (verses 1-18), yet it remarkably pivots to a powerful declaration of hope and trust in God's unfailing mercies and faithfulness (verses 22-24), often considered the theological heart of the entire book. Following this declaration, the chapter returns to a detailed account of the prophet's (traditionally Jeremiah's) personal affliction and the relentless persecution by his enemies (verses 43-66). Verse 60, therefore, functions as a direct, confident address to God, articulating the prophet's unwavering certainty that God has been a complete witness to every facet of their adversaries' malice, thereby setting the stage for the subsequent fervent appeal for divine justice and retribution against the oppressors.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical setting for Lamentations is the unparalleled national catastrophe of the Babylonian conquest of Judah and Jerusalem, culminating in the city's destruction and the temple's demise in 586 BC, followed by the forced exile of its inhabitants. This event was perceived as a profound divine judgment for the nation's persistent idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. The "enemies" referenced in the verse primarily denote the Babylonians, who served as the instrument of God's judgment, but could also include neighboring nations who reveled in Judah's downfall. In the ancient Near East, "vengeance" (Hebrew: nᵉqâmâh) was understood as a legitimate act of retribution, and the concept of divine justice was paramount. When human justice proved insufficient or when suffering was deemed unjust, the aggrieved party would appeal directly to their deity, trusting that the gods possessed perfect sight and would ultimately rectify wrongs. The prophet's cry in this verse profoundly reflects this deep-seated biblical belief in a God who is not only omnipotent but also just, righteous, and intimately attentive to the suffering of His people, even amidst their discipline.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes evident in Lamentations and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it profoundly underscores the theme of Divine Omniscience, emphasizing God's perfect, comprehensive, and active knowledge. The prophet's declaration that God has "seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations" speaks directly to God's all-knowing presence and awareness of every intricate detail of human experience, encompassing not only overt actions but also hidden intentions and secret plots. Secondly, the verse embodies the theme of Appeal for Justice. By confidently asserting God's observation of their adversaries' malice, the prophet implicitly appeals for divine intervention and righteous judgment, trusting that a just God will ultimately address wrongs and vindicate the oppressed. This aligns seamlessly with the biblical principle that vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to human hands. Thirdly, the verse vividly highlights the intense theme of Suffering and Persecution. It portrays the profound suffering and malicious persecution endured by Jeremiah and the Jewish people, describing both the hostile acts ("vengeance") and the premeditated evil thoughts ("imaginations") concocted against them, thereby underscoring the depth of their affliction and the malevolence of their enemies.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Lamentations 3:60 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of suffering and divine awareness. The most prominent is Apostrophe, as the speaker directly addresses God ("Thou hast seen"), thereby creating an intimate, urgent, and deeply personal plea. The repeated use of the intensifier "all" before both "vengeance" and "imaginations" functions as a form of Hyperbole or Intensification, emphasizing the totality and overwhelming nature of the enemies' malice. This rhetorical device powerfully underscores that no hostile act or wicked thought, however minute or concealed, has escaped God's comprehensive observation. There is also a clear, implicit Parallelism between "vengeance" (representing outward hostile acts) and "imaginations" (representing inward malicious plots), which highlights the complete depravity of the adversaries, encompassing both their deeds and their intentions. Finally, the verse is deeply steeped in Pathos, evoking profound emotion and a palpable sense of suffering and injustice, which serves to amplify the implicit appeal for divine intervention and righteous judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 3:60 stands as a powerful testament to the biblical truth of God's perfect omniscience and His unwavering commitment to justice. In the midst of overwhelming suffering and apparent abandonment, the prophet clings to the foundational belief that God sees all—not just the visible acts of cruelty but also the hidden, malicious intentions of the heart. This divine awareness is not passive; it forms the very basis for God's righteous judgment and ultimate vindication of His people. It offers profound reassurance to the afflicted that their pain is neither unseen nor unacknowledged by the sovereign Lord, providing a bedrock of hope that evil will not have the final word. The verse implicitly calls believers to entrust their grievances to God, knowing that He is the ultimate arbiter of justice, who will repay evil and ultimately deliver His own.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 3:60 offers profound comfort and a steadfast anchor for believers navigating a world often marked by injustice, malice, and unmerited suffering. In moments when we feel unseen, unheard, or unjustly targeted by the "vengeance" and "imaginations" of others, this verse serves as a powerful reminder that our Heavenly Father is perfectly aware of every detail. No malicious word, no hidden scheme, no unjust act escapes His discerning eye. This profound truth liberates us from the burdensome impulse to seek personal revenge, empowering us instead to entrust our grievances to the righteous Judge of all the earth. It cultivates a deep patience and trust, knowing that while justice may be delayed in human terms, it is never ultimately denied in God's perfect economy. Our hope is not in the immediate cessation of suffering, but in the certain knowledge that God sees, God knows, and God will ultimately act to vindicate His own and bring all hidden things to light. This perspective transforms our lament into a confident expectation of divine righteousness and ultimate restoration.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is the "me" in Lamentations 3:60, and why is this significant?
Answer: The "me" in Lamentations 3:60 primarily refers to the prophet Jeremiah, who is traditionally understood as the author of Lamentations. Throughout Chapter 3, the speaker fluidly shifts between a deeply personal lament and a representative voice for the suffering nation of Judah. Therefore, "me" signifies both Jeremiah's intense personal persecution and the collective anguish and profound injustice experienced by the Jewish people during and after the Babylonian conquest. This dual significance highlights that God sees both individual suffering and the corporate pain of His people, affirming His attentiveness to all dimensions of human affliction.
Does this verse imply that God directly causes the suffering, or merely observes it?
Answer: This verse emphatically emphasizes God's observation, rather than His direct causation, of the enemies' "vengeance" and "imaginations." While Lamentations acknowledges God's sovereign hand in allowing or even orchestrating the Babylonian invasion as a form of judgment for Israel's persistent sin (e.g., Lamentations 2:17), verse 60 specifically focuses on the malice and wicked intent of the enemies themselves. It underscores that God sees the evil intentions and actions of human agents, even when those actions are part of a larger divine plan. This distinction is crucial: God uses nations for His purposes, but He does not endorse or participate in their inherent wickedness. He sees their evil and will hold them accountable for their own malevolence.
How can I reconcile God seeing "all their vengeance and all their imaginations" with the continued suffering of the righteous?
Answer: Reconciling God's omniscience with ongoing suffering is a profound theological challenge, often referred to as the problem of evil. Lamentations 3:60 does not offer an immediate explanation for why suffering continues, but it does offer a crucial theological anchor: God's perfect awareness. The verse assures the sufferer that their pain is not invisible to God. While the timing and method of divine intervention remain God's sovereign prerogative, the knowledge that He sees every injustice provides a firm basis for hope and trust. It implies that justice will ultimately prevail, even if not in the immediate moment. This perspective encourages unwavering faith in God's ultimate plan and His promise to make all things new and to wipe away every tear from the eyes of His people.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 3:60, with its profound cry that God has "seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me," finds its ultimate and most poignant fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the quintessential "suffering servant" (as powerfully prophesied in Isaiah 53), against whom the full spectrum of human vengeance and wicked imaginations were unleashed. From the insidious plots of the religious leaders to the betrayal of Judas (John 13:2), the unjust trials (Mark 14:53-65), and the brutal crucifixion (Matthew 27), Jesus endured the complete malice of humanity. Yet, just as the prophet in Lamentations trusted that God saw, so too did the Father perfectly witness every act of violence and every evil thought directed against His beloved Son. The glorious resurrection of Jesus is God's ultimate vindication, a powerful and undeniable declaration that He indeed saw all, and that evil does not and will not have the final word. Through Christ, God not only sees our suffering but has personally entered into it, becoming the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the righteous Judge who will one day bring all hidden things to light and execute perfect justice (Revelation 20:11-15). In Him, the lament of "Thou hast seen" transforms into the triumphant assurance that God not only sees but has acted decisively to overcome all vengeance and evil imaginations through the cross and the power of the resurrection.