Lamentations 3:53 — Word Study
WLCצָֽמְת֤וּ בַבּוֹר֙ חַיָּ֔י וַיַּדּוּ־ אֶ֖בֶן בִּֽי׃
BSAThey dropped metsâmath■ [tried to kill me, cut off my life] alivechay [having physical or spiritual life, still breathing] into a pitbôwr [cistern, dungeon, or prison] and castyâdâh▸ [threw, laid] stonesʼeben [rocks, weights]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| צָֽמְת֤וּ | they destroyed | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| בַבּוֹר֙ | in the pit | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| חַיָּ֔י | life my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וַיַּדּוּ־ | and they threw down | Verb, Piel, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| אֶ֖בֶן | a stone | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| בִּֽי׃ | on me | Preposition, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me. |
| KJV | They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. |
| ASV | They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. |
| YLT | They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me. |
| WEB | They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me. |
| BBE | They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones. |
Where translations part company is in the rendering of צָֽמְת֤וּ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence is structured around a main action with additional phrases providing context and detail about the location and further actions taken.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbצָמַת
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 3:53
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 Lament of Sufferinggenerated
Lamentations 3:53 captures a moment of intense suffering, where the speaker feels abandoned and persecuted. The surrounding verses depict a broader context of despair, with enemies hunting the speaker without cause and overwhelming them with water, suggesting a feeling of drowning under oppression. This lament reflects the deep emotional turmoil experienced during times of crisis, resonating with the themes of loss and desperation found throughout the book.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah 37:20 | But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.” |
| 2 | Jeremiah 38:6–9 | So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. |
| 3 | Daniel 6:17 | A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed. |
| 4 | Matthew 27:60–66 | and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — צָֽמְת֤וּ, tza.me.Tugenerated
The verb צָמַת (tsamath) means to destroy or annihilate, indicating a complete end to life or existence. In this verse, it conveys the act of being thrown into a pit, suggesting an attempt to end the speaker's life.
The parsing as a perfect tense verb in the third person common plural indicates that this action has been completed by multiple agents, emphasizing the collective nature of the oppression faced by the speaker.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read through the lens of the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase dropped me alive.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb driving the sentence is צָֽמְת֤וּ, they dropped, which governs the action of being cast into a pit and having stones thrown upon the speaker. The structure emphasizes the sequence of actions taken against the speaker.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a prepositional phrase detailing the location and an object noun phrase describing the action taken against the speaker, illustrating a clear and direct presentation of the speaker's suffering.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates צָֽמְת֤וּ as ἐθανάτωσαν, which means they killed. This choice suggests a more explicit interpretation of the act as an attempt on the speaker's life, emphasizing the severity of the action.
The Greek term λάκκῳ for בַבּוֹר֙ indicates a pit or hole, consistent with the Hebrew but also suggesting a place of confinement or danger.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:53 describes a painful experience where the speaker feels they have been thrown alive into a pit and had stones cast upon them. This imagery reflects deep suffering and persecution, capturing the essence of despair found throughout the book of Lamentations.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Being dropped into a pit symbolizes a desperate situation, often representing feelings of abandonment and hopelessness.
The stones can symbolize further oppression or attempts to bury the speaker, adding to their suffering.
This verse highlights the intense emotional pain and persecution faced by the speaker, reflecting broader themes of suffering in Lamentations.
This verse encapsulates the feelings of despair and abandonment that permeate Lamentations, illustrating the struggles of the people during a time of crisis.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced feelings of abandonment or despair, similar to the speaker in this verse?
- How can I find hope in moments of deep suffering, as depicted in Lamentations?
- What actions can I take to support those who may feel trapped or oppressed in their circumstances?
- How does understanding the context of this verse help me relate to the struggles of others today?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:53 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThey have cut off my life in the dungeon,.... Jarchi interprets it, "they bound me in the prison.'' Jeremiah was both in a prison and in a dungeon, where he was deprived of the society of men, as if
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryMine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird - which is destitute of counsel and strength. The allusion seems to be to Proverbs 1:17 (Calvin).
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleDungeon seemeth not to be here taken literally, for the lowest and nastiest place in prisons, which probably was the portion but of a few of the Jews; but metaphorically, for the lowest and saddest condition of misery. Their enemies had brought them into the deepest miseries, to the cutting off of their lives; and as men use to roll great stones upon the mouths of dens and pits, where they have shut up persons, to make them sure from escaping out, so their enemies had dealt with them, doing what lay in them to make their condition remediless and desperate.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.Ver. 53. They have cut off my life in the dungeon.] Where I led a lifeless life; such as did Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, in King Stephen’ s time, who sustained such miseries in prison, ut vivere noluerit, mori nescierit, that live he would not, and yet die he could not. And cast a stone upon me.] As they did upon the mouths of dens, dungeons, or sepulchres, to make sure work. The Chaldee hath it, They stoned me.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(53) Cast a stone upon me.—The words admit of two meanings: (1) that they cast stones at him; (2) that they placed a stone over the opening of his dungeon so as to prevent escape.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThey have cut off my life in the dungeon - Or, “They destroyed my life in the pit,” i. e. tried to destroy it by casting me into the cistern, and covering the month with a stone. See the margin reference.
Read Albert Barnes on Lamentations 3 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible53. Cast a stone, etc. — They covered the pit in which the prophet was confined with a stone, to make escape hopeless.
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 dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.
They dropped me alive into a pit and cast stones upon me.
They shut me up in a pit and threw stones at me.
Tyndale line
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
They haue shut vp my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone vpon me.
Strictly literal
They have cut off my life in a pit, and cast a stone upon me.
They have cut off in a pit my life, And they cast a stone against me.
They have cut off my life in a pit, || And they cast a stone against me.
They have shut up in the dungeon my life, and have cast stones upon me.
They cast me into a pit and they threw a stone on me,
From the Latin
Sade. My life is fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me.
Simplified
They tried to kill me by tossing me into a pit and throwing stones at me.
They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones.
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 and the Septuagint align closely in their translation of this verse, with all six words matched in the Septuagint. The Dead Sea Scrolls show one word preserved with the remainder supplied by an editor, indicating some damage but maintaining the essential meaning.
צָֽמְת֤וּ בַבּוֹר֙ חַיָּ֔י וַיַּדּוּ־ אֶ֖בֶן בִּֽי׃
6 of the 6 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.
צמתו [בבור] [חי׳י] [וידו] [אבן] [ב׳י]
1 word on the leather — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
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 3:53
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.
צָמַת (tsamath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to put an end to or exterminate. It encompasses various forms, including to destroy, cut off, or vanish, with nuances in different stems indicating actions like being annihilated or causing annihilation. The entries highlight its use in contexts of termination and destruction, but do not present any significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[צָמַת] vb. put an end to, exterminate
Qal they have put an end to my life
Niph. be ended, annihilated
Pi. hath put an end to me
Pi‛lēl thine alarms have annihilated me
Hiph. exterminate, annihilate
base
H6789 צָמַת put an end to, exterminate .they have put an end to my life
. be ended, annihilated
. hath put an end to me
.thine alarms have annihilated me
. exterminate, annihilate
6789 tsamath tsaw-math'
a primitive root; to extirpate (literally or
figuratively):--consume, cut off, destroy, vanish.
צָמַת (tsa.mat) — to destroy.
1) to put an end to, cut off, destroy, exterminate, extirpate
1a) (Qal) to put an end to, terminate
1b) (Niphal) to be ended, be annihilated, be exterminated
1c) (Piel) to put an end to
1d) (Pilel) to be exterminated, be annihilated
1e) (Hiphil) to exterminate, annihilate
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
בּוֹר (bor) refers to a pit, well, or cistern, often used for water storage or as a dungeon. It can also denote a grave pit. The term appears in various contexts, including the specific location known as the cistern of Sirah, mentioned in 2 Samuel 3:26. The entries consistently emphasize its function as a hole or pit.
בּוֹר n.m. pit, cistern, well
cistern, containing water, made by digging
later appar. well
pit
dungeon
(poet. & late; never c. art.) pit of the grave
base
בּוֹר הַסִּרָה n.pr.loc. 2 S 3:26 (cistern of Sirah)
ref
H953a בּוֹר pit, cistern, well H953b בּוֹר הַסִּרָה (cistern of Sirah)
953 bowr bore
from 952 (in the sense of 877); a pit hole (especially one
used as a cistern or a prison):--cistern, dungeon, fountain,
pit, well.
see HEBREW for 0952
see HEBREW for 0877
בּוֹר (bor) — pit.
pit, well, cistern, dungeon, pit of the grave
בּוֹר (bor) — Cistern.
Cistern of Sirah
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
The word translates different Hebrew words of which the most important are:
(1) bor, "pit" or "cistern," made by digging, (Ge 37:20); hence, "dungeon" (Jer 38:6, margin "pit");
(2) be'er, "pit" or "well" made by digging (Ge 21:25);
(3) she'ol, generally rendered "hell" in the King James Version (see HELL);
Pit
A hole in the ground (Ex. 21:33, 34), a cistern for water (Gen. 37:24; Jer. 14:3), a vault (41:9), a grave (Ps. 30:3). It is used as a figure for mischief (Ps. 9:15), and is the name given to the unseen place of woe (Rev. 20:1, 3). The slime-pits in the vale of Siddim were wells which yielded asphalt (Gen. 14:10).
[HELL]
A reservoir, either natural or artificial, for water. Pits were sometimes used as dungeons, Ge 37:20; Jer 38:6; or being slightly covered, and baited, they served as traps to catch wild beasts, a device which illustrates the plots of designing men and women, Ps 119:85; Pr 22:14; 26:27; Eze 19:4. The word pit is also used to denote the grave, Ps 28:1; 30:3,9; and hell, Re 20:1.
The Hebrew word חַי (*chay*) means 'alive' or 'living' and covers a range of meanings related to life, including living beings, vitality, and freshness. It can refer to God, animals, vegetation, and even concepts like appetite and community. Variants include חַיָּה (*chayyah*), meaning 'living thing' or 'animal,' and חַיִּים (*chayim*), which emphasizes life and sustenance.
חַי adj. alive, living
of God, as the living one, the fountain of life
of man
of animals, alive, living
animals and man
(dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green
of water, fresh
(dub.) lively, active
reviving
base
[חַי] n.[m.] kinsfolk, pl. sf. 1 S 18:18
ref
חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal
animal
in general
wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity
living beings, of the cherubic chariot
life, only in late poetry
appetite, activity of hunger
revival, renewal
base
חַיָּה n.f. community
base
חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life
life: physical
life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence
sustenance, maintenance
base
H2416a חַי alive, living . . of God, as the living one, the fountain of life
. of man
. of animals, alive, living
. animals and man
. (dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green
. of water, fresh
. (dub.) lively, active
. reviving
H2416b חַי kinsfolk H2416c חַיָּה living thing, animal . animal . in general
. wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity
. living beings, of the cherubic chariot
. life, only in late poetry
. appetite, activity of hunger
. revival, renewal
H2416d חַיָּה community H2416e חַיִּים pl. abstr. emph. life . life: physical
. life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence
. sustenance, maintenance
2416 chay khah'-ee
from 2421; alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water,
year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine
singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether
literally or figuratively:--+ age, alive, appetite, (wild)
beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living
(creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be)
old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.
see HEBREW for 02421
חַי (chay) — alive.
adj
1) living, alive
1a) green (of vegetation)
1b) flowing, fresh (of water)
1c) lively, active (of man)
1d) reviving (of the springtime)
Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)
חַי (chay) — kinsfolk.
kinsfolk
חַיָּה (chay.yah) — living thing.
1) living thing, animal
1a) animal
1b) life
1c) appetite
1d) revival, renewal
Aramaic equivalent: che.va (חֵיוָא "beast" H2423)
חַיָּה (chay.yah) — community.
community
חַיִּים (chay.yim) — life.
1) life (abstract emphatic)
1a) life
1b) sustenance, maintenance
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
יָדָה (yadah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to throw or cast, particularly in the context of shooting arrows or stones. It also encompasses the meanings of giving thanks, praising, and confessing, especially in a ritual context. The word is built from a primitive root and has various forms, including Qal, Piel, Hiphil, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances of action.
[יָדָה] vb. throw, cast
Qal shoot (arrows) at
Pi. and they cast (stones) on me
Hiph.
give thanks, laud, praise
confess
Hithp.
confess
give thanks, in ritual worship
base
H3034 [יָדָה] throw, cast .shoot (arrows) at
. and they cast (stones) on me
. . give thanks, laud, praise
. confess
. . confess
. give thanks, in ritual worship
3034 yadah yaw-daw'
a primitive root; used only as denominative from 3027;
literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to
throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or
worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by
wringing the hands):--cast (out), (make) confess(-ion),
praise, shoot, (give) thank(-ful, -s, -sgiving).
see HEBREW for 03027
יָדָה (ya.dah) — to give thanks.
1) to throw, shoot, cast
1a) (Qal) to shoot (arrows)
1b) (Piel) to cast, cast down, throw down
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to give thanks, laud, praise
1c2) to confess, confess (the name of God)
1d) (Hithpael)
1d1) to confess (sin)
1d2) to give thanks
Aramaic equivalent: ye.da (יְדָא "to praise" H3029)
Conj | V-Piel-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Piel · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vpw3mp
The Hebrew word אֶ֫בֶן (*eben*) means 'stone' and encompasses various types, including common stones, precious stones, and stones used as weights or tools. It can also refer to metaphorical uses, such as a hardened heart or sinking in water. The entries highlight its physical and symbolic significance, with no notable disagreements among lexicons.
אֶ֫בֶן 274 n.f. stone
in natural state
stone, as material
precious stone, gen. with modifying word
stone containing metal, = ore
a weight, as orig. stone
plummet
objects like stone
in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
In topogr. terms
base
H68 אֶ֫בֶן stone . in natural state
. stone, as material
. precious stone, gen. with modifying word
. stone containing metal, = ore
. a weight, as orig. stone
. plummet
. objects like stone
. in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
. In topogr. terms
68 'eben eh'-ben
from the root of 1129 through the meaning to build; a
stone:--+ carbuncle, + mason, + plummet, (chalk-, hail-,
head-, sling-)stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).
see HEBREW for 01129
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone.
: stone
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
1e) weight
1f) plummet (stones of destruction) also made of metal
1g) stonelike objects, eg hailstones, stony heart, ice
1h) sacred object, as memorial Samuel set up to mark where God helped Israel to defeat the Philistines
1i) (simile)
1i1) sinking in water, motionlessness
1i2) strength, firmness, solidity
1i3) commonness
1j) (metaph)
1j1) petrified with terror
1j2) perverse, hard heart
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone: weight.
: weight
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
Stone
Stones were commonly used for buildings, also as memorials of important events (Gen. 28:18; Josh. 24:26, 27; 1 Sam. 7:12, etc.). They were gathered out of cultivated fields (Isa. 5:2; comp. 2 Kings 3:19). This word is also used figuratively of believers (1 Pet. 2:4, 5), and of the Messiah (Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11, etc.). In…
The allusion in Re 2:17 may be to the practice at the Olympic games of giving the successful competitor a white stone, inscribed with his name and the value of his prize; or to the mode of balloting with black and white stones on the question of the acquittal of an accused person, or his admission to certain privileges; if the stones deposited in the urn by the judges were all white, the decision was favorable. In early ages, flint-stone knives were in common use, instead of steel, Ex 4:25 Jos 5:2.
It was also customary to raise a heap or mound of stones in commemoration of any remarkable event, Ge 31:46 Jos 4:5-7 7:26 8:29…
נִי (ni) — me.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp1bs