Lamentations 3:19
Lamentations 3:19 in Multiple Translations
Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Keep in mind my trouble and my wandering, the bitter root and the poison.
Don't forget everything I've suffered in my wandering, as bitter as wormwood and poison.
Remembring mine affliction, and my mourning, the wormewood and the gall.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.
Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall.
When I think about my suffering and my wandering away from home, it is like drinking a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
Berean Amplified Bible — Lamentations 3:19
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Lamentations 3:19 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
זְכָר
עָנְיִ֥/י
וּ/מְרוּדִ֖/י
לַעֲנָ֥ה
וָ/רֹֽאשׁ
זְכָר
zâkar
H2142
to remember
V-Qal-Impv-2ms
עָנְיִ֥/י
ʻŏnîy
H6040
affliction
N-ms | Suff
וּ/מְרוּדִ֖/י
mârûwd
H4788
wandering
Conj | N-ms | Suff
לַעֲנָ֥ה
laʻănâh
H3939
wormwood
N-fs
וָ/רֹֽאשׁ
rôʼsh
H7219
poison
Conj | N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Lamentations 3:19
זְכָר
zâkar
H2142
"to remember"
V-Qal-Impv-2ms
To remember means to recall or mark something, like God remembering his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 9:1 and Exodus 2:24.
Definition: 1) to remember, recall, call to mind 1a) (Qal) to remember, recall 1b) (Niphal) to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to remember, remind 1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance 1c3) to mention 1c4) to record 1c5) to make a memorial, make remembrance
Usage: Occurs in 223 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] burn (incense), [idiom] earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record(-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, [idiom] still, think on, [idiom] well. See also: Genesis 8:1; Psalms 74:2; Psalms 8:5.
עָנְיִ֥/י
ʻŏnîy
H6040
"affliction"
N-ms | Suff
This Hebrew word means affliction or misery, describing a state of trouble or hardship, as seen in the experiences of the Israelites in the Old Testament.
Definition: 1) affliction, poverty, misery 1a) affliction 1b) poverty
Usage: Occurs in 36 OT verses. KJV: afflicted(-ion), trouble. See also: Genesis 16:11; Job 36:21; Psalms 9:14.
וּ/מְרוּדִ֖/י
mârûwd
H4788
"wandering"
Conj | N-ms | Suff
This word describes someone who is wandering or an outcast, feeling lost and without a home, like a refugee.
Definition: restlessness, straying, wanderer, refugee
Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: cast out, misery. See also: Isaiah 58:7; Lamentations 1:7; Lamentations 3:19.
לַעֲנָ֥ה
laʻănâh
H3939
"wormwood"
N-fs
Wormwood is a poisonous plant, often used to symbolize bitterness. It is mentioned in the Bible as a metaphor for something accursed or evil, and is sometimes translated as hemlock or wormwood.
Definition: 1) wormwood 1a) bitterness (metaph.)
Usage: Occurs in 8 OT verses. KJV: hemlock, wormwood. See also: Deuteronomy 29:17; Lamentations 3:15; Proverbs 5:4.
וָ/רֹֽאשׁ
rôʼsh
H7219
"poison"
Conj | N-ms
The Hebrew word for poison refers to a harmful substance, possibly from a poppy plant. It appears in the Bible, including in the book of Deuteronomy, warning against poisonous things.
Definition: gall, venom, bitter, poisonous
Usage: Occurs in 12 OT verses. KJV: gall, hemlock, poison, venom. See also: Deuteronomy 29:17; Jeremiah 9:14; Psalms 69:22.
Study Notes — Lamentations 3:19
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Lamentations 3:19 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 3:19
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 3:19
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
- Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
- Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
- Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 3:19
- Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 3:19
- Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
- Sermons on Lamentations 3:19
Context — The Prophet’s Hope
17My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
19Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
20Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me. 21Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:15 | He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood. |
| 2 | Lamentations 3:5 | He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. |
| 3 | Psalms 89:50 | Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants, which I bear in my heart from so many people— |
| 4 | Nehemiah 9:32 | So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. |
| 5 | Job 7:7 | Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness. |
| 6 | Psalms 132:1 | O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured, |
| 7 | Jeremiah 9:15 | Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. |
| 8 | Psalms 89:47 | Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! |
Lamentations 3:19 Summary
[This verse is a prayer where the writer asks God to remember their difficult circumstances and the pain they are feeling, using the metaphor of 'wormwood and the gall' to describe their bitter suffering. The writer is expressing their feelings of isolation and distress, but also trusting that God is aware of their situation, as seen in Psalm 139:1-3, where David says, 'You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.' By bringing their struggles to God, the writer is able to find hope, just like in Lamentations 3:21, where they say, 'Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope.']
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the phrase 'wormwood and the gall' mean in Lamentations 3:19?
The phrase 'wormwood and the gall' is a metaphor for bitter suffering and pain, as seen in Deuteronomy 29:18 and Jeremiah 9:15, where wormwood represents a bitter plant and gall a poisonous substance.
Why is the writer asking God to remember their affliction?
The writer is asking God to remember their affliction because they feel forgotten and overwhelmed by their suffering, as expressed in Psalm 42:9, where the psalmist cries out to God, 'Why have you forgotten me?'
How can this verse be applied to our lives today?
This verse can be applied to our lives today by recognizing that God is aware of our struggles and sufferings, as seen in Psalm 56:8, where David says, 'You have kept count of my wanderings; put my tears in your bottle.'
What is the significance of the writer's 'affliction and wandering' in Lamentations 3:19?
The writer's 'affliction and wandering' represent the difficult circumstances and feelings of isolation they are experiencing, similar to the Israelites' wilderness wanderings in Exodus 16:35, where they faced many challenges and felt distant from God's presence.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I feel afflicted or wandering, and how can I bring these to God in prayer?
- How can I trust God's presence and care in the midst of bitter suffering, just like the writer of Lamentations 3:19?
- In what ways can I remember and reflect on God's faithfulness in my past experiences of hardship, as the writer does in Lamentations 3:20-21?
- What are some practical ways I can humble myself and acknowledge my dependence on God, as the writer does in Lamentations 3:20?
Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 3:19
Remembering mine affliction and my misery,.... The miserable affliction of him and his people; the remembrance of which, and poring upon it continually, caused the despondency before expressed:
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 3:19
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
If, according to our translation, we read Remembering, or While I remember, these two verses contain but one sentence; in tire former part the prophet in the name of this people expresseth their despairing condition; in the latter he gives the reason of it, viz. the people’ s poring upon their great and heavy afflictions, which he compares to wormwood and gall, two things excessively bitter, and often made use of to signify great affliction, 9:15 23:15 . But it may as well be read imperatively, Remember mine affliction; so the first of these two verses expresseth the dejection of the people’ s minds in their captivity, caused through their proneness to despair of any better condition that their angry God would bring them into. The 19th verse is a prayer directed to God, which showed that though they were mightily perplexed, yet they were not in utter despair; and to this sense the following verses seem to incline.
Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
Lamentations 3:19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.Ver. 19. Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall,] i.e., The bitterness that was in it, but of mine own commingling. Impatiens quisque bis affligitur, Impatience redoubleth an affliction.
Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
(19) Remembering.—The verb, which is rendered by the Authorised version as a gerundial infinitive, is better taken as an imperative, Remember mine affliction; the prayer being addressed to Jehovah. The two terms of the first clause are taken from Lamentations 1:7. The mourner begins his prayer, as it were, by a recapitulation of his sufferings. (Comp. Psalms 69:21.)
Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 3:19
19. God is now directly invoked. misery] mg. wandering, or, outcast state.
Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 3:19
Remembering - Or, as in the margin. It is a prayer to Yahweh. My misery - Or, “my” homelessness (Lamentations 1:7 note).
Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 3:19
PIOUS OF GOD’S AND MERCY, Lamentations 3:19-39.19. Remembering — Better, remember, as in the margin. The verb is an infinitive, as in the fourth commandment. Affliction, misery, wormwood, and gall are reminiscences of chapter 1.
Sermons on Lamentations 3:19
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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The Land Is in Ruins, Weep All Ye People! by Brian Long | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the desperate state of the nation during the time of Jeremiah. He emphasizes how Jeremiah's heart was deeply affected by the sins of God's p |
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(How to Understand the Kjv Bible) 12 Psalm 137 by Keith Simons | Keith Simons teaches on Psalm 137, emphasizing its prophetic nature and the deep sorrow of the Israelites in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem. He explores the contrast be |
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Wine for Gospel wantons... by Thomas Shepard | Thomas Shepard preaches on the consequences of spiritual drunkenness as described in Jeremiah 13:12-15, where God fills the inhabitants of the land with a spirit of drunkenness, le |
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Subjection Under God's Chastisement by A.W. Pink | A.W. Pink emphasizes the necessity of being in subjection to God's chastisement, acknowledging our inherent rebellious nature inherited from our first parents. He explains that tru |
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David and Goliath by Leonard Ravenhill | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, which is described as the glory of all lands on earth. He emphasizes the importance of cas |
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Presence of God by David Ravenhill | David Ravenhill emphasizes the profound longing for the presence of God, drawing parallels between the experiences of Moses and David in their pursuit of divine intimacy. He highli |
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Building the House of God - Part 2 by Phil Beach Jr. | Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes that the building of the house of God is not about physical structures but about the spiritual dwelling of God within His people. He urges the congregatio |