Lamentations 3:9
Lamentations 3:9 in Multiple Translations
He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
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 has put up a wall of cut stones about my ways, he has made my roads twisted.
He has put stone blocks in my way and sends me down crooked paths.
He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.
He hath hedged my ways with hewn work, My paths He hath made crooked.
He has walled up my ways with cut stone. He has made my paths crooked.
He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.
It is as though he has blocked my path with a high stone wall and has caused my path to become crooked.
Berean Amplified Bible — Lamentations 3:9
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Lamentations 3:9 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
גָּדַ֤ר
דְּרָכַ/י֙
בְּ/גָזִ֔ית
נְתִיבֹתַ֖/י
עִוָּֽה
גָּדַ֤ר
gâdar
H1443
to wall up/off
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
דְּרָכַ/י֙
derek
H1870
way
N-cp | Suff
בְּ/גָזִ֔ית
gâzîyth
H1496
cutting
Prep | N-fs
נְתִיבֹתַ֖/י
nâthîyb
H5410
path
N-cp | Suff
עִוָּֽה
ʻâvâh
H5753
to twist
V-Piel-Perf-3ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Lamentations 3:9
גָּדַ֤ר
gâdar
H1443
"to wall up/off"
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
To wall up or off means to build a barrier around something. This word is used in the Bible to describe the work of masons and the act of closing off or shutting in a place. It is often translated as 'to fence up' or 'to repair'.
Definition: 1) to wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to wall up, shut off 1a2) masons (participle)
Usage: Occurs in 10 OT verses. KJV: close up, fence up, hedge, inclose, make up (a wall), mason, repairer. See also: 2 Kings 12:13; Lamentations 3:9; Isaiah 58:12.
דְּרָכַ/י֙
derek
H1870
"way"
N-cp | Suff
Derek refers to a road or path, and can also mean a way of life or manner of action. It is often used to describe a journey or direction, and can be used figuratively to describe a person's character or moral path.
Definition: : 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.)
Usage: Occurs in 626 OT verses. KJV: along, away, because of, [phrase] by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever). See also: Genesis 3:24; Deuteronomy 28:29; 1 Kings 15:34.
בְּ/גָזִ֔ית
gâzîyth
H1496
"cutting"
Prep | N-fs
In the Bible, this word refers to cut or dressed stone, often used in construction, like the temple in 1 Kings 5:17. It describes something that has been carefully prepared. This word is about precision and craftsmanship.
Definition: a cutting, hewing
Usage: Occurs in 11 OT verses. KJV: hewed, hewn stone, wrought. See also: Exodus 20:25; 1 Kings 7:12; Isaiah 9:9.
נְתִיבֹתַ֖/י
nâthîyb
H5410
"path"
N-cp | Suff
In the Bible, this word means a path or road that people walk on, like a beaten track. It appears in books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, referring to a traveler's journey. The word is used to describe a way or pathway.
Definition: 1) trodden with the feet, path, pathway 2) path, pathway, traveller
Usage: Occurs in 26 OT verses. KJV: path(-way), [idiom] travel(-ler), way. See also: Judges 5:6; Proverbs 3:17; Psalms 78:50.
עִוָּֽה
ʻâvâh
H5753
"to twist"
V-Piel-Perf-3ms
This Hebrew word means to do wrong or commit iniquity, like when people turn away from God's laws. It appears in various forms, such as doing wickedly or perverting what is right. In the Bible, it is often used to describe those who stray from God's path.
Definition: 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
Usage: Occurs in 17 OT verses. KJV: do amiss, bow down, make crooked, commit iniquity, pervert, (do) perverse(-ly), trouble, [idiom] turn, do wickedly, do wrong. See also: 1 Samuel 20:30; Psalms 38:7; Psalms 106:6.
Study Notes — Lamentations 3:9
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Lamentations 3:9 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 3:9
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 3:9
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
- Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
- Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
- Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 3:9
- Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 3:9
- Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
- Sermons on Lamentations 3:9
Context — The Prophet’s Afflictions
7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush. 11He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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. |
| 2 | Lamentations 3:11 | He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help. |
| 3 | 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. |
| 4 | Hosea 2:6 | Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way. |
Lamentations 3:9 Summary
This verse means that God is in control of our lives and sometimes He allows or brings difficulties into our lives for His own purposes. It's like when a parent sets boundaries for their child to protect them, God is setting boundaries for us to help us grow and trust in Him. We can see this idea in other parts of the Bible, like in Psalm 119:71, where the psalmist says that it was good for him to be afflicted because it taught him God's statutes. We can trust that God is working everything out for our good, even when we don't understand what He is doing, as it says in Romans 8:28.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for God to bar someone's ways with cut stones?
This means that God is hindering or blocking the person's path, making it difficult for them to move forward, similar to how the Israelites were hindered by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7:10-11.
Why would God make someone's paths crooked?
God may allow difficulties and challenges in our lives to test our faith and trust in Him, as seen in Deuteronomy 8:2-3, where God led the Israelites through the wilderness to test their faith.
Is this verse saying that God is against us?
No, this verse is saying that God is in control and sometimes He allows or brings difficulties into our lives for His own purposes, as seen in Romans 8:28, where it says that God works all things together for good for those who love Him.
How can we respond when we feel like God has barred our ways?
We can respond by crying out to God in prayer, like the psalmist in Psalm 38:9, and trusting in His sovereignty and goodness, even when we don't understand what He is doing.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that you feel like God has barred your ways or made your paths crooked in your life?
- How do you respond when you face difficulties or challenges, and what can you learn from the example of the prophet Jeremiah in Lamentations?
- What are some things that you can do to trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, even when you don't understand what He is doing?
- How can you use this verse to encourage someone who is going through a difficult time?
- What are some ways that you can 'cry out' to God in prayer, like the psalmist in Psalm 38:9, when you are facing challenges or difficulties?
Gill's Exposition on Lamentations 3:9
He 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.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Lamentations 3:9
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. Hedged - (Job 3:23; Hosea 2:6).
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
Ways 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.
Trapp's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
Lamentations 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.
Ellicott's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
(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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
Verse 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.
Cambridge Bible on Lamentations 3:9
9. 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.
Barnes' Notes on Lamentations 3:9
Inclosed - Or, hedged Lamentations 3:7. Hath, made crooked - Or, “hath” turned aside.
Whedon's Commentary on Lamentations 3:9
9. Hewn stones would be of considerable size, and employed to make a strong wall. The term enclosed is the same as “hedged” in Lamentations 3:7.
Sermons on Lamentations 3:9
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Change Our Heart's - Part 5 by Richard Owen Roberts | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding God's love and hatred. He encourages the audience to study the Bible and search for references to God's love |
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Affection for Christ – Its Awakening, Decline, and Revival by C.A. Coates | C.A. Coates preaches about the importance of maintaining affection for Christ, emphasizing the need for the hidden spring of affections that satisfy Christ's heart above all else. |
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Love the Lord Jesus! by Thomas Shepard | Thomas Shepard preaches about the importance of loving the Lord, emphasizing the need to start loving Him now when there is every reason to do so. He addresses the question of how |
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Ii. to Lady Kenmure, on the Occasion of the Death of Her Infant by Samuel Rutherford | Samuel Rutherford preaches a message of comfort and encouragement to a grieving lady, reminding her that her suffering is a part of conforming to the image of Christ. He assures he |