Lamentations 3:60 — Word Study
WLCרָאִ֙יתָה֙ כָּל־ נִקְמָתָ֔ם כָּל־ מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֖ם לִֽי׃ ס
BSAYou have seenrâʼâh■ [observed, looked after] allkôl their malicenᵉqâmâh [vengeance, evil intentions] allkôl their plotsmachăshâbâh [devices, imaginations]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| רָאִ֙יתָה֙ | you have seen | Verb, Qal, perfect second person masculine singular |
| כָּל־ | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| נִקְמָתָ֔ם | vengeance their | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| כָּל־ | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֖ם | plans their | Noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| לִֽי׃ ס | to me | Preposition, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me. |
| KJV | Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. |
| ASV | Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. |
| YLT | Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me. |
| WEB | You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me. |
| BBE | You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me. |
Where they part company is נִקְמָתָ֔ם — see How Translations Differ.
One main verb governs the structure, with two noun phrases detailing what God has seen and a prepositional phrase indicating the target of the plots.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbרָאָה
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 3:60
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 to Godgenerated
Lamentations 3:60 is part of a series of pleas where the speaker expresses anguish over the wrongs done to him. The context includes previous verses where he calls upon God to see his suffering and vindicate him. This lament reflects a deep sense of betrayal and a desire for divine justice, similar to other laments found throughout the Psalms and prophetic literature.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:59 | You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me; vindicate my cause! |
| 2 | Psalm 10:14 | But You have regarded trouble and grief; You see to repay it by Your hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 11:19–20 | For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — רָאִ֙יתָה֙, ra.'I.tahgenerated
The verb רָאָה (ra'ah) means 'to see' and conveys a sense of observation and care. It is often used to describe God's attentive watch over His people, emphasizing His role as a provider and protector.
In this verse, the perfect tense indicates a completed action, suggesting that God has already seen the malice and plots against the speaker. This reinforces the idea that God is aware of all injustices and is called upon to act.
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 רָאִ֙יתָה֙, you have seen, governs the entire verse, with two noun phrases following: כָּל־ נִקְמָתָ֔ם and כָּל־ מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֖ם, both indicating what God has seen.
The structure emphasizes the totality of the malice and plots, with the repetition of כָּל־ (all) underscoring the completeness of the speaker's suffering.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates רָאִ֙יתָה֙ as εἶδες (you have seen), maintaining the sense of divine observation. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning and emphasizes God's awareness.
The Greek word ἐκδίκησιν is used for נִקְמָתָ֔ם, which carries a connotation of retribution or vengeance, reflecting a similar understanding of divine justice as in the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:60 expresses the speaker's plea to God, acknowledging that God has seen all the malice and plots against him. This verse highlights the speaker's trust in God's awareness and justice amid suffering.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The speaker refers to the evil intentions and harmful actions of his adversaries, emphasizing the depth of their hostility.
The speaker is directly addressing God, indicating a relationship of trust and reliance, believing that God sees and will respond to his suffering.
The repetition emphasizes the totality of the malice and plots, highlighting the extent of the speaker's distress and the comprehensive nature of God's observation.
Similar to other laments, this verse expresses anguish and a plea for justice, reflecting a common theme in the Psalms and prophetic writings where individuals cry out to God in their suffering.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced or observed malice in my own life?
- How can I trust God's awareness of my struggles as the speaker does?
- What does it mean to me that God sees all my circumstances?
- How can I respond to the injustices I see around me in light of this verse?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse includes reflections on the nature of God's justice and the acknowledgment of wrongdoing, as seen in the writings of Thomas Aquinas.
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,Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 3 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:60 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThou hast seen all their vengeance,.... The spirit of revenge in them; their wrath and fury, and how they burn with a desire of doing mischief; as well as their revengeful actions, carriage, and
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryO Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. Jeremiah cites God's gracious answers to his prayers, in times past, as an encouragement to his fellow-countrymen to trust in Him. Verse 58.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThou hast been a witness to all their fury and rage, and all their malicious and bloody contrivances against me.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance [and] all their imaginations against me.Ver. 60. Thou hast seen all their vengeance.] See on Lamentations 3:59. The saints fare the better for their enemies’ spite and cruelty; and they may very well plead and present it to God in prayer.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(60) All their imaginations . . .—Same word as the “devices” of Jeremiah 11:19; Jeremiah 18:18, to which the writer obviously refers.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 60. Thou hast seen - all their imaginations] Every thing is open to the eye of God. Distressed soul! though thou knowest not what thy enemies meditate against thee; yet he who loves thee does, and will infallibly defeat all their plots, and save thee.
Read AdamClarke 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 have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
You have seen all their vengeance and all their plans against me.
You have seen all their malice, all their plots against me.
You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me.
Tyndale line
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seene all their vengeance, and all their deuises against me.
Strictly literal
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their imaginations against me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, All their thoughts of me.
You have seen all their vengeance, || All their thoughts of me.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, all their plans against me.
You have seen their insults, all their plots against me—
From the Latin
Res. Thou hast seen all their fury, and all their thoughts against me.
Simplified
You have observed how vengeful they are and how often they've plotted against me.
You have seen all the evil rewards they have sent on me, and all their designs against me.
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 this verse, with six words matched exactly. The Dead Sea Scrolls show no variation in the text, but six words were supplied by an editor due to damage.
רָאִ֙יתָה֙ כָּל־ נִקְמָתָ֔ם כָּל־ מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֖ם לִֽי׃ ס
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.
[ראיתה] [כל] [נקמת׳ם] [כל] [מחשבת׳ם] [ל׳י]
nothing on the leather here — 6 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 3:60
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.
רָאָה (ra'ah) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to see' and encompasses a wide range of visual and perceptual actions, including looking, observing, and causing others to see. It can refer to both literal sight and figurative understanding, with various grammatical forms indicating different nuances, such as appearing or being visible. The entries indicate a rich semantic field without significant disagreement among lexicographers.
רָאָה 1315 vb. see
Qal 1141
see, subj.
see, c. acc. rei
see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design
see, so as to learn to know
abs. see, have (power of) vision
see = perceive
look at, see, by direct volition
of mental observation
c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest
see, c. acc. rei
Niph.
appear
be seen
be visible
Pu. appar. his bones are not detected
Hithp. recipr. look at each other
Hiph.
cause one to see something, shew
cause to experience something
cause to look intently at, to behold
Hoph.
be caused to see, be shewn
be exhibited to
base
H7200a רָאָה see .. . see, subj.
. see, c. acc. rei
. see, sq. acc. + cl. or phr. of closer design
. see, so as to learn to know
. abs. see, have (power of) vision
. see = perceive
. look at, see, by direct volition
. of mental observation
. . c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest
. see, c. acc. rei
. . appear
. be seen
. be visible
. appar. his bones are not detected
. recipr. look at each other
. . . cause one to see something, shew
. cause to experience something
. cause to look intently at, to behold
. . be caused to see, be shewn
. be exhibited to
H7200b רְאוּת look
7200 ra'ah raw-aw'
a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in
numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive,
intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve,
behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have
experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look
(on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up,
upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide,
regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one
another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X
surely, X think, view, visions.
רָאָה (ra.ah) — to see: see.
: see/show
1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to see
1a2) to see, perceive
1a3) to see, have vision
1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out
1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish
1a6) to look at, gaze at
1a7) to provide, choose
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to appear, present oneself
1b2) to be seen
1b3) to be visible
1c) (Pual) to be seen
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to see, show
1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at
1e) (Hophal)
1e1) to be caused to see, be shown
1e2) to be exhibited to
1f) (Hithpael) to look at each other, face
רָאָה (ra.ah) — to see: examine.
: examine/consider
1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to see
1a2) to see, perceive
1a3) to see, have vision
V-Qal-Perf-2ms — Verb · Qal · perfect second person masculine singularHVqp2ms
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
נְקָמָה (nqamah) refers to vengeance or avengement, stemming from the related word נָקָם (naqam). It encompasses the act of seeking revenge, whether by God, Israel, or their enemies. The term appears in contexts involving divine or national retribution.
נְקָמָה n.f. vengeance
base
H5360 נְקָמָה
5360 nqamah nek-aw-maw'
feminine of 5359; avengement, whether the act of the
passion:--+ avenge, revenge(-ing), vengeance.
see HEBREW for 05359
נְקָמָה (ne.qa.mah) — vengeance.
1) vengeance
1a) vengeance (by God, by Israel, by enemies of Israel)
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp3mp
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
מַחֲשָׁבָה (machashabah) refers to thoughts, devices, plans, or inventions, encompassing both good and bad intentions. It is derived from a root meaning to contrive or devise. The entries consistently highlight its use in contexts relating to intention and creativity.
מַחֲשָׁבָה n.f. thought, device
thought
device, plan, purpose
invention
base
H4284 מַחֲשָׁבָה thought, device . thought
. device, plan, purpose
. invention
4284 machashabah makh-ash-aw-baw'
or machashebeth {makh-ash-eh'-beth}; from 2803; a
contrivance, i.e. (concretely) a texture, machine, or
(abstractly) intention, plan (whether bad, a plot; or good,
advice):--cunning (work), curious work, device(-sed),
imagination, invented, means, purpose, thought.
see HEBREW for 02803
מַחֲשָׁבָה (ma.cha.sha.vah) — plot.
1) thought, device
1a) thought
1b) device, plan, purpose
1c) invention
N-fp | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHNcfpc/Sp3mp
נִי (ni) — me.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp1bs