Lamentations 3:23 — Word Study
WLCחֲדָשִׁים֙ לַבְּקָרִ֔ים רַבָּ֖ה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ׃
BSAThey are new every morningchâdâsh [completely renewed, fresh, at the break of day, with each dawn] greatrab [abundant, exceeding] is Your faithfulnessʼĕmûwnâh [steadfast, unwavering, firmness, security, fidelity]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| חֲדָשִׁים֙ | [they are] new | Adj |
| לַבְּקָרִ֔ים | to the mornings | Preposition, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| רַבָּ֖ה | [is] great | Adj |
| אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ׃ | faithfulness your | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! |
| KJV | They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. |
| ASV | They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. |
| YLT | New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness. |
| WEB | They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. |
| BBE | They are new every morning; great is your good faith. |
Where they part company is in the nuances of חָדָשׁ and רַבָּ֖ה — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is structured around a main clause with descriptive phrases elaborating on God's mercies and faithfulness.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Lamentations 3:23
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Hope of God's Faithfulnessgenerated
Lamentations 3:23 expresses a profound truth about God's mercies, which are renewed each morning. This verse sits within a passage that reflects on the steadfast love of the LORD, emphasizing that even in times of suffering, there is hope and renewal. The surrounding verses highlight the importance of waiting on the LORD and seeking Him, reinforcing the message of His faithfulness.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 30:5 | For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning. |
| 2 | Isaiah 33:2 | O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. |
| 3 | Zephaniah 3:5 | The LORD within her is righteous; He does no wrong. He applies His justice morning by morning; He does not fail at dawn, yet the unjust know no shame. |
| 4 | Exodus 34:6 | Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, |
| 5 | Psalm 36:5 | Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָדָשׁ, cha.da.Shimgenerated
The word חָדָשׁ (chadash) means 'new' or 'fresh,' derived from a root that conveys the idea of novelty and recent creation. It is used here to emphasize the continual renewal of God's mercies, suggesting that each day brings a fresh experience of His grace.
This adjective is in the plural form, indicating that God's mercies are not just new once but are renewed continuously. The parsing as an adjective highlights its descriptive role, emphasizing the freshness of God's mercies every morning.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb in the verse is implied rather than stated, with the predicates חֲדָשִׁים֙ and רַבָּ֖ה describing the subjects. The structure emphasizes the qualities of God's mercies and faithfulness.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the adjectives, highlighting the freshness and greatness of God's attributes, which are central to the message of hope in this lament.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint does not provide a direct Greek equivalent for the Hebrew words in this verse, but the themes of renewal and faithfulness are consistent with the Greek translations of similar concepts found throughout the Old Testament.
The absence of a direct match in the Septuagint suggests a focus on the Hebrew text's nuances, particularly the freshness of God's mercies and the emphasis on His steadfastness.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:23 tells us that God's mercies are new every morning, highlighting His great faithfulness. This verse reassures us that each day offers a fresh start, rooted in God's unwavering love and commitment.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that each day brings a fresh experience of God's grace and compassion, reminding us of His constant love.
You can find hope and renewal in your daily life, trusting that God’s faithfulness is present in every situation.
Faithfulness reflects God's unchanging nature and reliability, providing a foundation for our trust in Him.
Morning symbolizes new beginnings and hope, representing the opportunity for renewal and restoration in our lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I recognize and appreciate the new mercies God provides each day?
- In what areas of my life do I need to trust in God's faithfulness more deeply?
- How does understanding God's renewal affect my perspective on challenges I face?
- What practices can help me remember to seek God each morning for His guidance and strength?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible[They are] new every morning,.... That is, the tender mercies or compassions of God are, which prove that they fail not; there are instances of them every day, not only in a temporal, but in a
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIt is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThese compassions of God are renewed day by day, to declare the great faithfulness of God in fulfilling his many promises made for mercy to his people.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.Ver. 23. They are new every morning.] Yea, every moment. We have continual experiments. Great is thy faithfulness.] God’ s mercy moved him to promise; his truth to perform. See 2 Samuel 7:18; 2 Samuel 7:21.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(23) They are new.—The subject of the sentence is found in the “compassions” of the preceding verse. With the dawn of every day there dawn also the mercies of Jehovah.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 23. They are new every morning] Day and night proclaim the mercy and compassion of God. Who could exist throughout the day, if there were not a continual superintending Providence? Who could be preserved in the night, if the Watchman of Israel ever slumbered or slept?
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges22, 23. There are metrical irregularities in these vv. as they stand. We should probably (with Löhr) read the first, “The Lord’s compassion ceaseth not”; “His love is not spent,” and the second, which is now too short in its first part, we may safely extend by supplying from the former clause “New is thy compassion every morning.”
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 3 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible23. New every morning — That is, Jehovah’s mercies are “new,” or repeated.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Lamentations 3 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant!
Tyndale line
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
They are renued euery morning: great is thy faithfulnesse.
Strictly literal
they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.
New every morning, abundant [is] Your faithfulness.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
they are new every morning; your faithfulness is great.
From the Latin
Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
Simplified
They're new every morning. Lord, you're completely faithful!”
They are new every morning; great is your good faith.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text of Lamentations 3:23 reads, "חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ," which translates to "They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!" The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in its word-by-word correspondence, maintaining the same meaning. There are no significant differences noted in the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls for this verse, confirming the consistency of the text across these ancient witnesses.
חֲדָשִׁים֙ לַבְּקָרִ֔ים רַבָּ֖ה אֱמוּנָתֶֽךָ׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Lamentations 3:23
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
חָדָשׁ (chadash) means 'new' or 'fresh.' It is derived from the root word represented by Strong's H2318. The entries indicate that it covers meanings related to novelty and freshness, with an Aramaic equivalent noted as חֲדַ֑ת (cha.dat).
H2319 חָדָשׁ new
2319 chadash khaw-dawsh'
from 2318; new:--fresh, new thing.
see HEBREW for 02318
חָדָשׁ (cha.dash) — New (Gate).
§ new, new thing, fresh
חָדָשׁ (cha.dash) — new.
new, new thing, fresh
Aramaic equivalent: cha.dat (חֲדַ֑ת "new" H2323)
Adj — AdjHAampa
בֹּ֫קֶר (boqer) means 'morning' and is derived from the root word for 'dawn.' It encompasses the time of day when light begins to appear, marking the end of night and the start of a new day. The term can also refer to the next day or morning after a specific point in time. It is associated with brightness and joy following periods of distress.
בֹּ֫קֶר 214 n.m. morning
morning (of point of time, time at which, never during which, Eng. morning = forenoon
morrow, next day
base
H1242 בֹּ֫קֶר morning . morning (of point of time, time at which, never during which, Eng. morning = forenoon
. morrow, next day
1242 boqer bo'-ker
from 1239; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally,
morning:--(+) day, early, morning, morrow.
see HEBREW for 01239
בֹּ֫קֶר (bo.qer) — morning.
1) morning, break of day
1a) morning
1a1) of end of night
1a2) of coming of daylight
1a3) of coming of sunrise
1a4) of beginning of day
1a5) of bright joy after night of distress (fig.)
1b) morrow, next day, next morning
HRd/Ncmpa — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absoluteHRd/Ncmpa
רַב (rav) means much, many, or great, often used in contrast to מְעַט (me'at). It can describe abundance in quantity or rank and is also used as a noun for chief or captain. The word conveys a range of meanings from numerous to exceedingly, and it can function as both an adjective and a noun.
רַב 429 adj. much, many, great
(oft. opp. מְעַט)
much: of substances
esp. of collectives, numerous
pl. many
רַב as subst. coll. pers.
cstr. = abounding in
מִן comp. = more numerous than
רַב = abundant, enough
as adv. much, exceedingly
less oft. great
base
רַב 49 n.m. chief
base
H7227a רַב much, many, great . (oft. opp. מְעַט) . . much: of substances
. esp. of collectives, numerous
. pl. many
. רַב as subst. coll. pers.
. cstr. = abounding in
. + מִן comp. = more numerous than
. רַב = abundant, enough
. as adv. much, exceedingly
. less oft. great
H7227b רַב chief
7227 rab rab
by contracted from 7231; abundant (in quantity, size, age,
number, rank, quality):--(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly),
captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man,
one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold,
things, a time), ((ship-))master, mighty, more, (too, very)
much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous,
populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).
see HEBREW for 07231
רַב (rav) — many.
adj
1) much, many, great
1a) much
1b) many
1c) abounding in
1d) more numerous than
1e) abundant, enough
1f) great
1g) strong
1h) greater than
adv
1i) much, exceedingly
רַב (rav) — chief.
captain, chief
Aramaic equivalent: rav.re.van (רַבְרְבָן "noble" H7261)
רַב (rav) — (Sidon) the Great.
Combined with tsi.don (צִידוֹן "Sidon" H6721H)
§ captain, chief
Adj — AdjHAafsa
The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה (*emuwnah*) is built from the root of H529, indicating concepts of firmness and steadfastness. It encompasses meanings such as fidelity, trust, and stability. The entries consistently highlight its moral implications, particularly in relation to faithfulness.
אֱמוּנָה n.f. firmness, steadfastness, fidelity
lit. firmness, steadiness
steadfastness
faithfulness, trust
base
H530 אֱמוּנָה firmness, steadfastness, fidelity . lit. firmness, steadiness
. steadfastness
. faithfulness, trust
530 'emuwnah em-oo-naw'); or (shortened) >emunah {em-oo-naw'
feminine of 529; literally firmness; figuratively security;
morally fidelity:--faith(-ful, -ly, -ness, (man)), set
office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily.
see HEBREW for 0529
אֱמוּנָה (e.mu.nah) — faithfulness.
firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp2ms