Lamentations 3:56 — Word Study
WLCקוֹלִ֖י שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ אַל־ תַּעְלֵ֧ם אָזְנְךָ֛ לְרַוְחָתִ֖י לְשַׁוְעָתִֽי׃
BSAYou heardshâmaʻ■ [listened to, heeded] my pleaqôwl [voice, cry for help] Do notʼal [let not, hide not] ignoreʻâlam▸ [conceal, turn away from] my cryshavʻâh [sighing, desperate call] for reliefrᵉvâchâh [respite, breathing room]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| קוֹלִ֖י | voice my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ | you heard | Verb, Qal, perfect second person masculine singular |
| אַל־ | may not | Particle |
| תַּעְלֵ֧ם | you hide | Verb, Hiphil, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| אָזְנְךָ֛ | ear your | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| לְרַוְחָתִ֖י | to relief my | Preposition, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| לְשַׁוְעָתִֽי׃ | to cry for help my | Preposition, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.” |
| KJV | Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. |
| ASV | Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. |
| YLT | My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry. |
| WEB | You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.” |
| BBE | My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry. |
Where they part company is אַל — see How Translations Differ.
The structure consists of a main clause followed by a direct object and a negation, emphasizing the speaker's urgent request.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׁמַע
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 3:56
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 — A Lament for Helpgenerated
Lamentations 3:56 expresses a deep cry for help from the speaker, who feels abandoned and is urgently seeking God's attention. This verse is situated within a broader context of lamentation, where the speaker recounts their suffering and calls upon God for relief. The surrounding verses reflect a theme of desperation and the need for divine intervention, emphasizing the emotional weight of the speaker's plea.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Chronicles 33:13–19 | And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God. |
| 2 | Job 34:28 | They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted. |
| 3 | Psalm 3:4 | To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah |
| 4 | Psalm 6:8–9 | Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping. |
| 5 | Psalm 34:6 | This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — קוֹלִ֖י, ko.Ligenerated
The word קוֹל (qol), meaning 'voice' or 'sound,' indicates a personal cry that conveys urgency and emotion. It is a noun in the construct state, suggesting a direct relationship to the plea being made. This word encapsulates the essence of the speaker's call for help, emphasizing the need for God to hear their voice.
In this context, the speaker's voice is not just a sound; it represents their innermost feelings and desperation. The use of קוֹלִ֖י highlights the personal nature of the plea, as it is their own voice crying out for assistance.
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 structure of this verse is centered around the finite verb שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ, you heard, which governs the entire plea. The sentence includes several phrases that elaborate on the speaker's request: a direct object, a negation, and two prepositional phrases that specify the nature of the cry for help.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the plea itself, highlighting the urgency of the speaker's request. The verb appears first, establishing the action of hearing as the focal point of the verse.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ is rendered as ἤκουσας, which also means 'you heard.' This choice maintains the directness of the plea while aligning with the Greek understanding of attentive listening.
The Greek term κρύψῃς for תַּעְלֵ֧ם suggests a similar nuance of concealment, indicating that the translators aimed to capture the emotional weight of hiding from the speaker's call.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:56 shows the speaker crying out to God, asking Him to listen and not to hide from their desperate call for relief. This verse is part of a lament where the speaker expresses deep distress and seeks God's attention.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The speaker is expressing a deep need for God's attention and help, indicating that they feel vulnerable and in distress.
The plea is framed as a question to emphasize the urgency and desperation of the speaker's situation, highlighting their need for immediate divine intervention.
The word 'voice' signifies the personal and emotional nature of the speaker's cry, indicating that it is not just a request but a heartfelt expression of their suffering.
This verse reflects the broader themes of Lamentations, which include suffering, abandonment, and the desperate need for God's mercy and help.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel like I am crying out for help, and how can I express that to God?
- How can I ensure that I am truly listening to God's voice in my life, just as the speaker desires in this verse?
- What does it mean for me to seek relief from my struggles, and how can I approach God with my needs?
- How can I support others who are in distress and seeking help, following the example of the speaker in this verse?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:56 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThou hast heard my voice,.... Either in times past, when he cried unto him, and was delivered; and this was an encouragement to call upon him again in such extremity, who had shown himself to be a
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryI called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. I called upon thy name ... out of the low dungeon. Thus the spirit resists the flesh, and faith spurns the temptation (Calvin; Psalms 130:1; Jonah 2:2). Verse 56.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleI in former great afflictions applied myself unto thee, and thou didst hear me; show me now the same favour. Our former experiences of God’ s goodness to us in hearing our prayers ought to hold up our hands in prayer, mid beget a confidence in us that we, persisting in our duty, shall find God the same God, yesterday, this day, and for ever.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.Ver. 56. Thou hast heard my voice.] Seem a man’ s case never so desperate, if he can but find a praying heart, God will find a pitying heart. Prayer is the best lever at a dead lift. Hide not thine ear at my breathing.] As breathing is a proof of animal life, so is prayer, though never so weak, of spiritual. If therefore you cannot speak, weep - fietu saepe agitur non affatu, tears also have a voice; if you cannot weep, sigh - a storm of sighs may do as much as a shower of tears; if you cannot sigh, yet breathe, as here. God feels breath; and happy is he that can say, In te spero et respiro, In thee I…
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(56) Thou hast heard . . . hide not thine . . .—There is something eminently suggestive in the sequence of the two clauses. The recollection that prayer was answered in the past, prompts its utterance in the present. Historically, the words may point to the intervention of Ebed-melech in Jeremiah 38:7. At my breathing—i.e., the “sighs” or “sobs” of the mourner.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 56. Hide not thine ear at my breathing] He dared not even to complain, nor to cry, nor to pray aloud: he was obliged to whisper his prayer to God. It was only a breathing.
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges56. The word rendered “breathing” occurs but once elsewhere (Exodus 8:15 [Heb. Lamentations 3:11]), and has there the sense of respite, relief. Accordingly Ewald proposes (by a change of one consonant) to render my cry, and consider “at my cry” to be a gloss.
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 3 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible56. Hide not, etc. — Literally, hide not thine ear to my relief, to my cry: that is, turn not away from my cry.
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
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.”
You heard my plea: “Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”
Tyndale line
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thy ear at my breathing, at my cry.
Thou hast heard my voyce: stoppe not thine eare from my sigh and from my cry.
Strictly literal
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
My voice Thou hast heard, Hide not Thine ear at my breathing — at my cry.
You have heard my voice, do not hide Your ear at my breathing—at my cry.
Thou didst hear my voice: hide not thy ear to give me enlargement at my cry.
You heard my voice when I said, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help.'
From the Latin
Coph. Thou hast heard my voice: turn not away thy ear from my sighs, and cries.
Simplified
You heard me when I prayed, “Please don't ignore my cry for help.”
My voice came to you; let not your ear be shut to my breathing, to my cry.
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 reads: "קוֹלִ֖י שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ אַל־ תַּעְלֵ֧ם אָזְנְךָ֛ לְרַוְחָתִ֖י לְשַׁוְעָתִֽי׃" which translates to "You heard my plea: 'Do not ignore my cry for relief.'" The Septuagint aligns closely with the Masoretic Text, matching all seven words, although its word order and articles differ due to translation choices. The Dead Sea Scrolls (3Q3) contain a partially restored version of the text, where one word is fully supplied by an editor, but it preserves the essential meaning and structure of the Masoretic Text. Overall, the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls support the Masoretic Text's reading without significant differences in meaning.
קוֹלִ֖י שָׁמָ֑עְתָּ אַל־ תַּעְלֵ֧ם אָזְנְךָ֛ לְרַוְחָתִ֖י לְשַׁוְעָתִֽי׃
7 of the 7 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.
קול׳י שמעת [אל] [תעלם] [אזנ׳ך] [לרוחת׳י] [לשועת׳י]
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 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 3:56
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.
קוֹל (qol) primarily means 'voice' or 'sound,' encompassing various contexts such as music, noise, and even thunder. It can also denote lightness or frivolity. The word is built from a root meaning to call aloud and appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament, including a reference in Jeremiah 3:9.
ref
H6963a קוֹל sound, voice H6963b קֹל lightness, frivolity
6963 qowl kole
or qol {kole}; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a
voice or sound:--+ aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out),
fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim,
proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, +
yell.
קוֹל (qol) — voice.
: voice/shout/loud
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
קֹל (qol) — frivolity.
lightness, frivolity
קוֹל (qol) — voice: sound.
: sound/noise
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
קוֹל (qol) — voice: thunder.
: thunder
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
קוֹל (qol) — voice: message.
: message/proclaim
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
קוֹל (qol) — voice: [sound of].
: [sound_of](THING)
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
קוֹל (qol) — voice: listen.
: listen
1) voice, sound, noise
1a) voice
1b) sound (of instrument)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (shama`) means 'to hear' and encompasses a range of meanings including listening, obeying, and proclaiming. It is built from a primitive root and can imply attention and understanding. The entries highlight various grammatical forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of hearing and obeying. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.
שָׁמַע 1152 vb. hear
Qal 1052
subj. pers. hum.
י׳ (God) subj.
Niph. 42 be heard, of voice, sound
be heard of
be regarded, obeyed
= (favourable) hearing was granted to their voice.
Pi. he caused the people to hear
Hiph. 63
of man
י׳ subj.
base
H8085 שָׁמַע hear
8085 shama` shaw-mah'
a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with
implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to
tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X
carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content,
declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make
to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be)
obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish,
regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell,
understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.
שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: hear.
: hear
v
1) to hear, listen to, obey
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to
1a5) to understand (language)
1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)
1a7) to listen, give heed
1a7a) to consent, agree
1a7b) to grant request
1a8) to listen to, yield to
1a9) to obey, be obedient
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound)
1b2) to be heard of
1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed
1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound
1d2) to sound aloud (musical term)
1d3) to make proclamation, summon
1d4) to cause to be heard
n m
2) sound
שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: obey.
: obey
v
1) to hear, listen to, obey
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
V-Qal-Perf-2ms — Verb · Qal · perfect second person masculine singularHVqp2ms
אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.
אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
base
H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
408 'al al
a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified
negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,
nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing
(worth), rather than.
see HEBREW for 03808
אַל (al) — not.
1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)
1a) do not, let not (with a verb)
1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)
1c) not, no (with substantive)
1d) nothing (as substantive)
Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)
Part — ParticleHTn
עָלַם (alam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to conceal or hide. It covers various forms, including being hidden, hiding oneself, and the act of concealing something. The entries indicate its use in different grammatical stems, such as Qal, Niphal, Hiphil, and Hithpael, which express nuances of secrecy and concealment.
[עָלַם] vb. conceal
Qal as subst. our secret, i.e. hidden sin
Niph. be concealed
Hiph. conceal, hide
Hithp. and thou hide thyself completely from them (utterly neglect to aid)
base
H5956 [עָלַם] conceal
5956 `alam aw-lam'
a primitive root; to veil from sight, i.e. conceal (literally
or figuratively):--X any ways, blind, dissembler, hide
(self), secret (thing).
עָלַם (a.lam) — to conceal.
1) to conceal, hide, be hidden, be concealed, be secret
1a) (Qal) secret (participle)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be concealed
1b2) concealed, dissembler (participle)
1c) (Hiphil) to conceal, hide
1d) (Hithpael) to hide oneself
V-Hiphil-Juss-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect second person masculine singularHVhi2ms
The Hebrew word אֹ֫זֶן (*ozen*) means 'ear' and is derived from a root that suggests broadness. It refers to the physical ear as well as the organ of hearing, and can also imply the act of revealing or receiving divine revelation. The term appears in contexts such as Exodus 29:20.
אֹ֫זֶן 188 n.f. Ex 29:20 ear
ear, as part of body
especially as organ of hearing
open ears of, reveal to
base
H241 אֹ֫זֶן ear
241 'ozen o'-zen
from 238; broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form
in man):--+ advertise, audience, + displease, ear, hearing, +
show.
see HEBREW for 0238
אֹ֫זֶן (o.zen) — ear.
: ear
1) ear, as part of the body
2) ear, as organ of hearing
3) (subjective) to uncover the ear to reveal; the receiver of divine revelation
אֹ֫זֶן (o.zen) — ear: hearing.
: hearing
1) ear, as part of the body
2) ear, as organ of hearing
3) (subjective) to uncover the ear to reveal; the receiver of divine revelation
אֹ֫זֶן (o.zen) — ear: to ears.
: to[ears_of](PERSON)
1) ear, as part of the body
2) ear, as organ of hearing
3) (subjective) to uncover the ear to reveal; the receiver of divine revelation
HNcfsc/Sp2ms — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp2ms
רְוָחָה (rvachah) is a feminine noun meaning 'respite' or 'relief.' It is derived from the root word רָוַח (ravach), which also relates to the concept of breathing or relief. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning as a form of relief or a break from distress.
רְוָחָה n.f. respite, relief
base
H7309 רְוָחָה respite, relief
7309 rvachah rev-aw-khaw'
feminine of 7305; relief:--breathing, respite.
see HEBREW for 07305
רְוָחָה (re.va.chah) — relief.
respite, relief
Prep | N-fs | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncfsc/Sp1bs
שַׁוְעָה (shav'ah) refers to a cry for help or a hallooing. It is a feminine noun derived from another Hebrew word, שָׁוַע (shav'ah), which also relates to crying. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning as a call for assistance.
[שַׁוְעָה] n.f. cry for help
base
H7775 [שַׁוְעָה] cry for help
7775 shav`ah shav-aw'
feminine of 7773; a hallooing:--crying.
see HEBREW for 07773
שַׁוְעָה (shav.ah) — cry.
cry for help
Prep | N-fs | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncfsc/Sp1bs