Lamentations 3:55–57
From the deepest pit, God drew near and told me not to fear
Study it word by word55I called on your name, YHWH, from the deepest cistern.
56My voice you heard; do not hide your ear to my relief, to my cry for help.
57You came near on the day I called on you; you said, “Do not fear.”
In its context
53They have ended in the cistern my life and cast a stone on me.
54Waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off.”
…
58You have pleaded, Adonai, the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.
59You have seen, YHWH, the wrong done to me; judge my right.
Its words in the original
- קָרָאתִיkarati· call, proclaim
Call: speak out to someone, summon, invite, give a name, proclaim; also read aloud. "Call on the name of YHWH" is to pray to him and worship him.
- שִׁמְshim· name
Name. In the Bible a name says who someone is; so it also means fame, renown or reputation.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- בּוֹרbor· pit, cistern
Pit or cistern dug to keep rainwater; when empty, it served as a prison; also the grave.
- תַּחְתִּיּוֹתtachtiyot· lowest
Lowest, the lower level; the depths.
- קוֹלִkoli· voice, sound
Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).
- שָׁמָעְתָּshamata· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- תַּעְלֵםtalem· hide, be hidden
Be hidden, escape notice; hide, conceal.
- אָזְנְazn· ear
Ear. "Speak in someone's ears" is to tell him something directly.
- רַוְחָתִravchati· relief
Relief, respite.
- שַׁוְעָתִshavati· cry for help
Cry for help.
- קָרַבְתָּkaravta· come near, bring near
Come near, approach. In the causative form, bring near, present an offering.
- יוֹםyom· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- אָמַרְתָּamarta· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- תִּירָאtira· fear
Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.