Lamentations 3:9 — Word Study
WLCגָּדַ֤ר דְּרָכַי֙ בְּגָזִ֔ית נְתִיבֹתַ֖י עִוָּֽה׃ ס
BSAHe has barredgâdar■ [completely] my waysderek [paths, roads] with cut stonesgâzîyth [hewn] He has made my pathsnâthîyb [life's journey, spiritual] crookedʻâvâh■ [twisted, turned away from God]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| גָּדַ֤ר | he has walled up | Verb, Qal, perfect third person masculine singular |
| דְּרָכַי֙ | ways my | Noun common both plural construct, suffix |
| בְּגָזִ֔ית | with hewn [stone] | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| נְתִיבֹתַ֖י | paths my | Noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| עִוָּֽה׃ ס | he has made crooked | Verb, Piel, perfect third person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked. |
| KJV | He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. |
| ASV | He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked. |
| YLT | He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked. |
| WEB | He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked. |
| BBE | He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted. |
Where they part company is גָּדַר — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has two main clauses connected by a conjunction, illustrating the speaker's complete sense of obstruction and distortion.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbגָּדַר
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 3:9
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 3:9 expresses the speaker's anguish as he feels that God has completely closed off his paths with cut stones, making his life's journey difficult and twisted. This verse is part of a larger lament where the speaker describes a sense of isolation and despair, feeling as if his prayers are unheard and his way is barred. The surrounding verses emphasize the struggle and the sense of being trapped by circumstances beyond his control.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:11 | He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help. |
| 2 | Isaiah 30:28 | His breath is like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray. |
| 3 | Isaiah 63:17 | Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — גָּדַר, ga.Dargenerated
The verb גָּדַר (ga.Dar) means to wall up or wall off, indicating a barrier or obstruction. It is derived from a root that signifies the action of closing in or fencing off, often used in the context of construction or repair. In this verse, it conveys the sense of being completely shut in, with no escape.
The parsing indicates that this is a perfect tense verb in the Qal stem, showing a completed action. The emphasis is on the totality of the action — the speaker feels entirely blocked from his paths.
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 גָּדַר governs the first part of the verse, indicating the action of blocking or walling off, while the second verb עִוָּֽה describes the result of that action — making the paths crooked. This structure highlights the cause-and-effect relationship between the two actions.
The sentence is constructed with a noun phrase followed by a prepositional phrase, creating a clear image of the speaker's blocked paths and the nature of his journey. The Hebrew word order emphasizes the obstruction first, which sets the tone for the speaker's lament.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates גָּדַר as ἀνῳκοδόμησεν, which means 'to build up' or 'to construct'. This choice suggests a more active role of God in creating barriers, emphasizing the speaker's feeling of entrapment.
For עִוָּֽה, the LXX uses ἐτάραχεν, which means 'to disturb' or 'to throw into confusion'. This broadens the understanding of the speaker's path not just being crooked but also chaotic.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:9 shows the speaker feeling trapped by God, who has blocked his paths with cut stones and made his journey difficult. This reflects a deep sense of sorrow and isolation, as the speaker struggles with the feeling that his prayers are not being heard.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that the speaker feels completely obstructed in his life, as if God has built barriers that prevent him from moving forward.
The cut stones symbolize a strong and deliberate barrier, emphasizing the severity of the speaker's feelings of entrapment.
It means that the speaker's journey has become difficult and confusing, as if he is no longer on the right path.
The speaker is in a state of lament, expressing his sorrow and frustration at feeling abandoned and blocked in his prayers and life.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel blocked or hindered, and how can I seek God's guidance?
- How can I find hope when I feel that my paths are twisted or difficult?
- What does it mean for me to recognize the barriers in my life as I seek to follow God's will?
- How can I support others who are feeling trapped or hindered in their spiritual journey?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The verse is referenced by Thomas Aquinas, who discusses the implications of feeling trapped by external forces.
A remedy for an escape from enemies' siege is cut off. So, Verse 7 states: "He has walled me about so that I cannot excape." That is, by the besieging army.Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 3 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHe hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone,.... Not with a hedge of thorns, or mud walls, but with a fence of stones; and these not rough, and laid loosely together, but hewn and put in order, and well cemented.
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHe hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. Hedged - (Job 3:23; Hosea 2:6).
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWays in Scripture ordinarily signifies men’ s courses, and methods of counsels, and actions; if the term be taken in that sense here, it signifieth God’ s defeating all their methods and counsels taken for their own security, in the pursuit of which they met not with ordinary, but with insuperable difficulties, like walls of hewn stone. Nay, God had not only defeated their counsels, but had made them prove more fatal and pernicious to themselves, which seemeth to be intended, by making their ways crooked, which should have led right on to the end intended.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:9 He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.Ver. 9. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone,] i.e., Most strongly and closely, so that none can come at me. He hath made all my paths crooked.] So that all things go cross with me; and although they were never so well devised, yet still they sort out unto the worst.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) He hath inclosed.—Yet another figure of resourceless misery follows. A massive wall of stone runs across the mourner’s way. When he turns aside into by-paths, they are turned and twisted in labyrinthine confusion, and lead nowhither.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 9. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone] He has put insuperable obstacles in my way; and confounded all my projects of deliverance and all my expectations of prosperity.
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9. hath made my paths crooked] The writer, seeing that the direct way was as it were blocked, tried side paths, but found that they also failed to lead him in the desired direction. The figure expresses perplexity and dismay.
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 3 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleInclosed - Or, hedged Lamentations 3:7. Hath, made crooked - Or, “hath” turned aside.
Read Albert Barnes 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
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
He has blocked every road I take with a wall of hewn stones; he has made every path impassable.
Tyndale line
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
Strictly literal
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
He has hedged my ways with hewn work, || My paths He has made crooked.
He hath fenced up my ways with hewn stone, my paths hath he made crooked.
He blocked my path with a wall of hewn stone; he made my paths crooked.
From the Latin
Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
Simplified
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
He has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
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: גָּדַ֤ר דְּרָכַי֙ בְּגָזִ֔ית נְתִיבֹתַ֖י עִוָּֽה׃. The Septuagint matches all five words, indicating a strong agreement between the two texts in conveying the speaker's sense of obstruction and confusion.
גָּדַ֤ר דְּרָכַי֙ בְּגָזִ֔ית נְתִיבֹתַ֖י עִוָּֽה׃ ס
5 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 3:9
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.
גָּדַר (gadar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to wall up or wall off, indicating actions like closing in, fencing, or building a wall. It is described as a primitive root and includes meanings related to masons and repairers. The entries consistently emphasize its use in constructing barriers or enclosures.
גָּדַר vb. wall up or wall off, build a wall
base
H1443 גָּדַר wall up or wall off, build a wall
1443 gadar gaw-dar'
a primitive root; to wall in or around:--close up, fence up,
hedge, inclose, make up (a wall), mason, repairer.
גָּדַר (ga.dar) — to wall up/off.
1) to wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to wall up, shut off
1a2) masons (participle)
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singularHVqp3ms
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (derek) means way, road, or journey, and can refer to both literal paths and figurative courses of life or actions. It encompasses various aspects such as direction, manner, and moral character, often highlighting the nature of one's conduct. The term is used in both positive and negative contexts, reflecting the moral implications of one's path.
דֶּ֫רֶךְ 715 n.m. way, road, distance, journey, manner
way, road, path
journey
of direction, almost or quite = toward
way, manner
fig. of course of life, or action, undertakings
of moral action and character
of duty
specif.: in good sense
oftener in bad sense
way of י׳
base
H1870 דֶּ֫רֶךְ way, road, distance, journey, manner . way, road, path
. journey
. of direction, almost or quite = toward
. way, manner
. fig. of course of life, or action, undertakings
. . of moral action and character
. of duty
. specif.: in good sense
. oftener in bad sense
. way of י׳
1870 derek deh'-rek
from 1869; a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of
life or mode of action, often adverb:--along, away, because
of, + by, conversation, custom, (east-)ward, journey, manner,
passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-)way(-side),
whither(-soever).
see HEBREW for 01869
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — way: conduct.
: conduct/lifestyle
1) way, road, distance, journey, manner
1a) road, way, path
1b) journey
1c) direction
1d) manner, habit, way
1e) of course of life (fig.)
1f) of moral character (fig.)
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — Way.
This name means way, road
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — (King's) Highway.
This name means way, road
Combined with me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "King's" H4428I)
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — way: direction.
: direction
1) way, road, distance, journey, manner
1a) road, way, path
1b) journey
1c) direction
1d) manner, habit, way
1e) of course of life (fig.)
1f) of moral character (fig.)
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — way: road.
: road/route
1) way, road, distance, journey, manner
1a) road, way, path
1b) journey
1c) direction
1d) manner, habit, way
1e) of course of life (fig.)
1f) of moral character (fig.)
דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) — way: journey.
: journey
N-cp | Suff — Noun common both plural construct · suffixHNcbpc/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word גָּזִית (*gaziyth*) refers to something that is cut or hewn, specifically dressed stone. It is derived from the root meaning to cut, and its usage is primarily associated with stonework.
גָּזִית n.f. a cutting, hewing
base
H1496 גָּזִית cutting, hewing
1496 gaziyth gaw-zeeth'
from 1491; something cut, i.e. dressed stone:--hewed, hewn
stone, wrought.
see HEBREW for 01491
גָּזִית (ga.zit) — cutting.
a cutting, hewing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHR/Ncfsa
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…
נָתִיב (nathiyb) refers to a path or pathway, emphasizing a trodden track. It can denote both a physical path and the concept of travel or a traveler. The feminine form נְתִיבָה (nethiybah) shares the same meaning. The word is derived from an unused root meaning to tramp.
נָתִיב n.m. path, pathway
base
נְתִיבָה n.f. id. [n.gd.ab];—path
base
H5410a נָתִיב path, pathway H5410b נְתִיבָה id. [5410a]
5410 nathiyb naw-theeb'
or (feminine) nthiybah {neth-ee-baw'}; or nthibah (Jeremiah
6:16) {neth-ee-baw'}; from an unused root meaning to tramp; a
(beaten) track:--path((-way)), X travel(-ler), way.
נָתִיב (na.tiv) — path.
1) trodden with the feet, path, pathway
2) path, pathway, traveller
נְתִיבָה (ne.ti.vah) — path.
1) trodden with the feet, path, pathway
2) path, pathway, traveller
Also means: na.tiv (נָתִיב "path" H5410A)
N-cp | Suff — Noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHNcfpc/Sp1bs
עָוָה (avah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to bend or twist, both literally and figuratively. It encompasses actions like distorting paths, committing iniquity, and doing wrong. The entries indicate various forms, such as being bent or perverted (Niphal) and committing iniquity (Hiphil). There is some overlap in the definitions across the lexicons, but they consistently emphasize the themes of distortion and moral wrongdoing.
[עָוָה] vb. bend, twist
Niph. be bent, bowed down, twisted
Pi. my paths hath he twisted; its surface will he distort
Hiph. the right have I perverted
base
[עָוָה] vb. denom. commit iniquity, do wrong
Qal (late) she hath done wrong
Hiph. commit iniquity
base
H5753a עָוָה bend, twist . be bent, bowed down, twisted
. my paths hath he twisted; its surface will he distort
. the right have I perverted
H5753b עָוָה vb. denom. commit iniquity, do wrong
5753 `avah aw-vaw'
a primitive root; to crook, literally or figuratively (as
follows):--do amiss, bow down, make crooked, commit iniquity,
pervert, (do) perverse(-ly), trouble, X turn, do wickedly, do
wrong.
עָוָה (a.vah) — to twist.
1) to bend, twist, distort
1a) (Niphal) to be bent, be bowed down, be twisted, be perverted
1b) (Piel) to twist, distort
1c) (Hiphil) to do perversely
עָוָה (a.vah) — to pervert.
1) to commit iniquity, do wrong, pervert
1a) (Qal) to do wrong, commit iniquity
1b) (Hiphil) to commit iniquity
V-Piel-Perf-3ms — Verb · Piel · perfect third person masculine singularHVpp3ms
krook'-ed (`awah, `aqash, `aqalqal, `aqallathon, pethaltol; skolios): Primarily designates something that is bent, twisted or deformed (Isa 27:1; 45:2 the King James Version).
Figurative:
(1) It designates a course of action that deviates from rectitude, especially deceit, guile, hypocrisy (De 32:5; Pr 2:15; Ec 1:15; Lu 3:5; compare Php 2:15);