Lamentations 3:63 — Word Study
WLCשִׁבְתָּ֤ם וְקִֽימָתָם֙ הַבִּ֔יטָה אֲנִ֖י מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ ס
BSAand when they riseqîymâh△ [stand up, get up from a seated position] see hownâbaṭ [look, regard carefully, or show favor] they mock me in songmangîynâh△ [ridicule, scorn, or deride, a mocking or derisive song, their music]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שִׁבְתָּ֤ם | sitting their | Verb qal infinitive construct common, suffix |
| וְקִֽימָתָם֙ | and rising their | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| הַבִּ֔יטָה | look at ! | Verb hiphil imperative second person masculine singular, suffix |
| אֲנִ֖י | I | Pronoun |
| מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ ס | [am] mocking song their | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song. |
| KJV | Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. |
| ASV | Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. |
| YLT | Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song. |
| WEB | You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song. |
| BBE | Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of מַנְגִּינָתָם — see How Translations Differ.
The structure has one main clause and two subordinate phrases, showing the actions of sitting and rising as contexts for mockery.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאֲנִי
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 5 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
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 3:63
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 the Afflictedgenerated
Lamentations 3:63 reflects the pain of the speaker as they endure mockery from their assailants. The surrounding verses highlight the ongoing slander and the speaker's plea for divine justice against those who scorn them. This lament captures the emotional turmoil experienced in the face of relentless ridicule, as seen in the context of the entire chapter.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 139:2 | You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. |
| 2 | Lamentations 3:14 | I am a laughingstock to all my people; they mock me in song all day long. |
| 3 | Job 30:9 | And now they mock me in song; I have become a byword among them. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — מַנְגִּינָתָם, man.gi.na.Tamgenerated
The noun מַנְגִּינָה (mangiynah) refers to a mocking or derisive song, derived from a root meaning 'to play music.' It conveys the idea of music that is intended to insult or belittle someone, emphasizing the emotional weight of the mockery faced by the speaker.
This term appears in Lamentations 3:63, illustrating how the speaker is subjected to ridicule through song, a powerful medium for scorn in biblical literature. The construction emphasizes the personal impact of such songs on the speaker's experience.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses mocking song to convey the derisive nature of the music.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb in this verse is הַבִּ֔יטָה, look at!, which governs the action of observing the mockery. The structure includes two noun phrases describing the subjects of the actions: שִׁבְתָּ֤ם and וְקִֽימָתָם֙, indicating both sitting and rising.
The order of the Hebrew words emphasizes the continuity of the speaker's experience, as they are mocked both in their moments of rest and activity.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word שִׁבְתָּ֤ם is rendered as αὐτῶν, indicating a direct correspondence. This choice suggests a direct observation of the actions of the subjects, maintaining the focus on the mockery.
The Greek translation does not capture the full nuance of the mocking song as presented in the Hebrew, which emphasizes the derisive nature of the music.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:63 describes how the speaker is mocked through songs by those around them, both when they sit and when they rise. This verse highlights the pain of being ridiculed and the emotional toll it takes on the individual.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The term refers to songs that ridicule or scorn the speaker, highlighting the derisive attitude of those around them.
Mentioning both actions emphasizes that the mockery occurs in all aspects of life, whether the speaker is at rest or in motion.
This verse reflects the broader theme of suffering and mockery faced by the people, capturing the emotional distress that permeates the book.
The speaker's experience serves as a reminder of the pain of mockery and the importance of seeking understanding and justice in the face of ridicule.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I respond to mockery or ridicule in my own life?
- In what ways can I support others who are facing similar challenges?
- What does this verse teach me about the nature of suffering?
- How can I find strength in the face of scorn and derision?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Thomas Aquinas comments on this verse, noting the accusation of sin against the people and their taunting of the speaker.
The people here are accused of their sins. First, regarding the affliction in their shame: "Thou hast heard their taunts, O Lord, all their devices against me." Which declares, as if: there is no need for proof.Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 3 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:63 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBehold their sitting down, and their rising up,.... All their actions; the whole course of their lives; all which fell under the divine omniscience, Psalms 139:2; but that is not barely here meant;
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; Thou hast heard their reproach - their reproachful language against me. Verse 62. The lips - the speeches. Verse 63.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThat is, at all times, when they sit down and rise up, I am their song. Though probably the words have a special reference to their sitting down at feasts, and at their merry meetings. I am all the subject of their discourse, they spend their time in mocking and scoffing at us, and at Jerusalem; we are they that make them sport.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I [am] their musick.Ver. 63. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up.] Or, At their both sitting down (to eat), and at their rising up (from eatting). I am their music master, their table talk, and the matter of their mirth; they make sport with us, as the Philistines did with Samson. David complaineth of the like evil dealing.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(63) Their sitting down, and their rising up . . .—The two words, as in Deuteronomy 6:7; Deuteronomy 11:19; Psalms 139:2; include the whole daily and hourly conduct of those spoken of. I am their musick.—The noun, though not identical, is cognate with that of Psa 69:12, of which the complaint is, as it were, an echo.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges63. song] Cp. Job 30:9. their sitting down, and their rising up] their whole course of life. Cp. Psalms 139:2.
Read Cambridge 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
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
When they sit and when they rise, see how they mock me in song.
Watch them from morning to evening; I am the object of their mocking songs.
Tyndale line
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music.
Behold, their sitting downe and their rising vp, how I am their song.
Strictly literal
Behold thou their sitting down and their rising up: I am their song.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Their sitting down, and their rising up, || Behold attentively, I [am] their song.
Oh look upon their sitting down, and their rising up: I am their [jeering] song.
Look at how they sit and then rise up; they mock me with their songs.
From the Latin
Sin. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their song.
Simplified
Just look! Whether they're sitting down and or standing up, they go on making fun of me in their songs.
Take note of them when they are seated, and when they get up; I am their song.
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 שִׁבְתָּ֤ם וְקִֽימָתָם֙ הַבִּ֔יטָה אֲנִ֖י מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ ס, which aligns with the Septuagint in parts but lacks complete correspondence. The Septuagint captures some elements but does not fully reflect the original Hebrew's structure and meaning.
שִׁבְתָּ֤ם וְקִֽימָתָם֙ הַבִּ֔יטָה אֲנִ֖י מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ ס
3 of the 5 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 3:63
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.
שֶׁ֫בֶת (shebeth) primarily means 'seat' or 'dwelling.' It can refer to a session or locality, indicating a place where one resides or sits. The entries consistently define it in relation to physical locations, without significant disagreement among the lexicons.
שֶׁ֫בֶת n.f. seat, dwelling, place
base
H7675 שֶׁ֫בֶת
7675 shebeth sheh'-beth
infinitive of 3427; properly, session; but used also
concretely, an abode or locality:--place, seat. Compare 3429.
see HEBREW for 03427
see HEBREW for 03429
שֶׁ֫בֶת (she.vet) — seat.
(Qal) seat, dwelling, place
HVqcc/Sp3mp — Verb qal infinitive construct common · suffixHVqcc/Sp3mp
קִימָה (qiymah) refers to a concept of rising or an arising. It is derived from the root word meaning to rise up, and it appears in Lamentations 3:63.
[קִימָה] n.f. rising up;—sf. La 3:63
ref
H7012 קִימָה
7012 qiymah kee-maw'
from 6965; an arising:--rising up.
see HEBREW for 06965
קִימָה (qi.mah) — rising.
rising up
Conj | N-fs | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncfsc/Sp3mp
נָבַט (nabat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to look or regard. It encompasses various nuances, such as looking intently, considering, and showing favor or care. The entries indicate its use in different grammatical forms, specifically the Piel and Hiphil stems, which emphasize the act of looking or regarding. No significant disagreements among lexicons are noted.
[נָבַט] vb. Pi., Hiph. look
Pi. look
Hiph. look
base
H5027 נָבַט look
5027 nabat naw-bat'
a primitive root; to scan, i.e. look intently at; by
implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care:--(cause
to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.
נָבַט (na.vat) — to look.
1) to look, regard
1a) (Piel) to look
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) tolook
1b2) to regard, show regard to, pay attention to, consider
1b3) to look upon, regard, show regard to
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms | Suff — Verb hiphil imperative second person masculine singular · suffixHVhv2ms/Sh
אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I
589 'aniy an-ee'
contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X
which, X who.
see HEBREW for 0595
אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.
I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)
HPp1bs — PronounHPp1bs
מַנְגִּינָה (mangiynah) refers to a mocking or derisive song, as noted in the entries. It is derived from a root meaning 'to play music' and is specifically mentioned in Lamentations 3:63. The term captures the idea of satire in musical form.
[מַנְגִּינָה] n.f. (mocking, derisive) song;—La 3:63
ref
H4485 מַנְגִּינָה
4485 mangiynah man-ghee-naw'
from 5059; a satire:--music.
see HEBREW for 05059
מַנְגִּינָה (man.gi.nah) — mocking.
mocking or derisive song
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp3mp