Lamentations 3:65 — Word Study
WLCתִּתֵּ֤ן לָהֶם֙ מְגִנַּת־ לֵ֔ב תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖ לָהֶֽם׃
BSAPutnâthan▸ [give, impose] a veil of anguishmᵉginnâh△ [covering, hardness, sorrow, heartache] over their heartslêb [minds, intellect] may Your curse betaʼălâh△ [imprecation, condemnation]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| תִּתֵּ֤ן | you will give | Verb, Qal, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| לָהֶם֙ | to them | Preposition, suffix |
| מְגִנַּת־ | shamelessness of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| לֵ֔ב | heart | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖ | curse your | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | [may it belong] to them | Preposition, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them! |
| KJV | Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. |
| ASV | Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them. |
| YLT | Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them. |
| WEB | You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them. |
| BBE | You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them. |
Where they part company is תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of two main clauses, each expressing a distinct plea to God.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָתַן
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 6 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 3:65
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 Judgmentgenerated
Lamentations 3:65 is a part of a larger lament where the speaker is expressing deep anguish over the actions of their enemies. The verses surrounding this one highlight the mockery and injustice faced, culminating in a plea for divine intervention and judgment against those who have caused suffering. This reflects the broader themes of Lamentations, which grapples with loss and the desire for justice.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 2:30 | But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day. |
| 2 | Isaiah 6:10 | Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. ” |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 27:15–26 | ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ |
| 4 | Psalm 109:17–18 | The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. |
| 5 | 1 Corinthians 16:22 | If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord! |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖, ta.'a.la.te.Khagenerated
The Hebrew word תַּאֲלָה (ta'alah) means 'curse' and is used to invoke a strong condemnation against someone. It conveys a sense of imprecation, suggesting a deep desire for divine retribution upon the enemies who have caused distress.
This word is a noun in the feminine singular form, indicating a specific type of curse or condemnation. Its usage in this verse emphasizes the speaker's earnest plea for God to act against those who have wronged them.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term curse.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb תִּתֵּ֤ן (ti.Ten), meaning 'you will give', governs the entire verse, with two phrases hanging off it: a noun phrase indicating what is to be given and a prepositional phrase describing to whom it is given.
The structure emphasizes the action of imposing a veil of anguish, indicating a direct plea to God for intervention against the enemies.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates תִּתֵּ֤ן as ἀποδώσεις (G591), meaning 'you will give'. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning but may reflect a different nuance in the Greek context, emphasizing the act of giving rather than imposing.
The Greek term used for 'curse' in the Septuagint is σου (G4675), which also conveys a sense of imprecation, similar to the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:65 expresses a plea for God to place a heavy burden of sorrow on the hearts of the enemies, asking for a curse to be directed at them. This verse is part of a lament that reflects the pain and injustice faced by the speaker.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The speaker is requesting that a heavy burden of sorrow be placed over the hearts of their enemies, indicating a desire for them to experience the consequences of their actions.
The invocation of a curse reflects the speaker's deep anguish and desire for divine justice against those who have caused suffering.
This verse is part of a lament where the speaker expresses grief over mockery and injustice, calling for God to intervene on their behalf.
The surrounding verses highlight the mockery faced by the speaker and their plea for God to repay their enemies according to their deeds.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced or witnessed injustice, and how can I respond to it?
- How do I understand the concept of divine justice in my own life?
- What does it mean to me to ask for God's intervention in difficult situations?
- How can I better empathize with those who are suffering, like the speaker in this verse?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:65 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleGive them sorrow of heart,.... That which will cause sorrow of heart; such judgments and punishments as will be grievous to them.
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryRender unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe word translated sorrow of heart is found no where else in holy writ, which makes a certain particular explication of it to be difficult, and hath given interpreters a strange liberty in translating it shield, sorrow, and grief, obstinacy or hardness of heart, perplexity, abjection or breaking of heart; the best guides we have to direct us in the sense of it are, 1. The other things joined with it; persecution, destruction, a recompence according to their works, so that some afflictive evil of a heavy nature is certainly signified by it. 2. The analogy of faith, which restraineth us from wishing or praying for spiritual or eternal evils against our worst enemies; it therefore probably…
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.Ver. 65. Give them sorrow of heart.] In place of their mad mirth and sinful music; turn their psalm - as the Vulgate rendereth the word music in the foregoing verse - into a black santis, as they call it, ferale carmen, a doleful ditty. Dabis eis scutum cordis, saith the Vulgate. And, indeed, the word rendered sorrow signifieth a shield or cover. It noteth, saith one, the cardiaca passio, whereby the heart is so oppressed, and there is such a stopping, that it is as it were covered sicut scute, as with a shield; there is a lid, as it were, put over the heart to keep off the most refreshing cordials, and so the heart is…
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(65) Sorrow of heart—Literally, covering, with a sense like that of the “veil upon the heart” of 2 Corinthians 3:15, and so signifying the blindness of obstinacy. The imperatives in both Lamentations 3:65-66 are better rendered as futures—Thou shalt give; Thou shalt persecute.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 65. Give them sorrow of heart] They shall have a callous heart, covered with obstinacy, and thy execration. The former is their state, the latter their fate. This is the consequence of their hardening their hearts from thy fear. Blayney translates, "Thou wilt give with a hearty concordance thy curse unto them." That is, Thou wilt give it to them freely, and without reserve; intimating that God felt no longer any bowels of compassion for them. Formerly he inflicted punishments with reluctance, while there was any hope of amendment: but, in the instance before us, the case was so hopeless, that God acts according to the simple principle of vindictive justice. The prophet therefore…
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges65. hardness] or, as mg. blindness, Heb. covering. Cp. 2 Corinthians 3:15. thy curse unto them] dependent on “wilt give,” or meaning, thy curse shall be unto them. Either of these explanations is more in accordance with the context than to make the clause an imprecation, May thy curse be upon them!
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
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.
Put a veil of anguish over their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
Give them a distraught heart; may your curse be on them!
Tyndale line
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them.
Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse to them.
Giue them sorow of heart, euen thy curse to them.
Strictly literal
give them obduracy of heart, thy curse unto them;
Thou givest to them a covered heart, Thy curse to them.
You give to them a covered heart, || Your curse to them.
Give them confusion of heart, thy curse he upon them.
You will let their hearts be shameless! May your condemnation be upon them!
From the Latin
Thau. Thou shalt give them a buckler of heart, thy labour.
Simplified
Give them a covering for their minds! May your curse be on them!
You will let their hearts be covered over with your curse on them.
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 agree closely, with all six words in the Hebrew verse matched in the Greek translation. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the text's meaning across these traditions.
תִּתֵּ֤ן לָהֶם֙ מְגִנַּת־ לֵ֔ב תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖ לָהֶֽם׃
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.
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 3:65
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.
The Hebrew word נָתַן (natan) means 'to give' and encompasses a wide range of applications such as putting, setting, and making. It can also indicate actions like bestowing, delivering, and assigning. The entries describe its use in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hophal, but do not present any significant disagreements among lexicons.
נָתַן 2007 vb. give, put, set
Qal 1917
give
Put, set
Make, constitute
Niph.
82be given
Be put, set
Hoph.
be given, bestowed
= be given to one for wife
be put upon
base
H5414 נָתַן give, put, set .. give
. Put, set
. Make, constitute
. . be given
. Be put, set
. . . be given, bestowed
. = be given to one for wife
. be put upon
5414 nathan naw-than'
a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of
application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe,
assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth,
hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, +
cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X
without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up),
grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up),
(give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that,
occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X
pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send
(out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander,
strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade,
turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to)
God, yield.
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: give.
: give/deliver/send/produce
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend
1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate
1a3) to make, constitute
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned
1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted
1c) (Hophal)
1c1) to be given, be bestowed, be given up, be delivered up
1c2) to be put upon
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: put.
: put/set/apppoint
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singularHVqi2ms
(nathan, yahabh, sum; didomi): "Give" is a very common word in the Old Testament. It is most frequently the translation of nathan, "to give" (Ge 1:29; 3:6; Ex 2:9; De 18,20, etc., over 800 instances); nathan is also translated "to give up" (De 23:14; Isa 43:6; Ho 11:8); of yahabh, "to give" (Ge 30:1; 1Ch 16:28 the King James Version). In Ps 55:22 we have the perfect with suffix, "Cast thy burden upon Yahweh," margin "what he hath given thee"; elsewhere it is…
הֶם (hem) — them.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine plural
HR/Sp3mp — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3mp
מְגִנָּה (meginnah) means 'covering' and can refer to blindness or obstinacy, particularly in a negative context. It is derived from the root word for 'cover' and appears in Lamentations 3:65. The lexicons agree on its meanings without significant disagreement.
[מְגִנָּה] n.f. covering, La 3:65
ref
H4044 מְגִנָּה
4044 mginnah meg-in-naw'
from 4042; a covering (in a bad sense), i.e. blindness or
obduracy:--sorrow. See also 4043.
see HEBREW for 04042
see HEBREW for 04043
מְגִנָּה (me.gin.nah) — covering.
1) covering
1a) covering, obstinacy, blindness (of the heart)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
The Hebrew word לֵב (lev) means 'heart' and encompasses the inner man, mind, will, and emotions. It refers to the center of feelings, intellect, and moral character, as well as the seat of appetites and courage. The entries suggest a broad range of meanings related to human experience and thought, with a specific mention of its use in Jeremiah 51:1.
לֵב 599 n.m. (f.) inner man, mind, will, heart
seldom of things in the midst of the sea
elsewhere of men
the inner man in contrast with the outer
the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will
specific reference to mind
spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will
spec. ref. to conscience
[various]
for the man himself
as seat of appetites
as seat of emotions and passions
seat of courage
base
לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash Je 51:1.
ref
H3820a לֵב inner man, mind, will, heart . seldom of things in the midst of the sea
. elsewhere of men . the inner man in contrast with the outer
. the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will
. specific reference to mind
. spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will
. spec. ref. to conscience
. [various]
. for the man himself
. as seat of appetites
. as seat of emotions and passions
. seat of courage
H3820b לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash
3820 leb labe
a form of 3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very
widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect;
likewise for the centre of anything:--+ care for, comfortably,
consent, X considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-),
(hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart((-ed)), X
heed, X I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), X regard((-ed)), X
themselves, X unawares, understanding, X well, willingly,
wisdom.
see HEBREW for 03824
לֵב (lev) — heart.
1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
1a) inner part, midst
1a1) midst (of things)
1a2) heart (of man)
1a3) soul, heart (of man)
1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
1a6) conscience
1a7) heart (of moral character)
1a8) as seat of appetites
1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage
לֵב (lev) — Leb.
§ Leb- = "heart of"
(probably a cryptic name for Babylon by Atbash)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
hart (lebh, lebhabh; kardia): The different senses in which the word occurs in the Old Testament and the New Testament may be grouped under the following heads:
1. Various Meanings:
It represents in the first place the bodily organ, and by easy transition those experiences which affect or are affected by the body. Fear, love, courage, anger, Joy, sorrow, hatred are always ascribed to the heart--especially in the Old Testament; thus courage for which usually ruach is used (Ps 27:14); joy (Ps 4:7); anger (De 19:6, "while his heart is hot," lebhabh); fear (1Sa 25:37); sorrow (Ps 13:2), etc.
Heart
According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.
The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6;
תַּאֲלָה (ta'alah) means 'curse' and is derived from the root word represented by Strong's H422. The term is notably referenced in Lamentations 3:65.
תַּאֲלָה n.f. curse La 3:65.
ref
H8381 תַּאֲלָה
8381 ta'alah tah-al-aw'
from 422; an imprecation:--curse.
see HEBREW for 0422
תַּאֲלָה (ta.a.lah) — curse.
curse
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp2ms
הֶם (hem) — them.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine plural
HR/Sp3mp — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3mp