Lamentations 3:18 — Word Study
WLCוָאֹמַר֙ אָבַ֣ד נִצְחִ֔י וְתוֹחַלְתִּ֖י מֵיְהוָֽה׃ ס
BSASo I sayʼâmar▸ [to myself, confess] My strengthnetsach [power, ability] has perishedʼâbad■ [is cut off, destroyed] along with my hopetôwcheleth [expectation, trust] from the LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, the covenant God]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וָאֹמַר֙ | and I said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect first person common singular |
| אָבַ֣ד | it has perished | Verb, Qal, perfect third person masculine singular |
| נִצְחִ֔י | endurance my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וְתוֹחַלְתִּ֖י | and hope my | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| מֵיְהוָֽה׃ ס | from Yahweh | Preposition, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.” |
| KJV | And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: |
| ASV | And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah. |
| YLT | And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah. |
| WEB | I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.” |
| BBE | And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord. |
Where they part company is אָבַד — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause introduces the speaker's declaration, followed by two phrases that detail what has been lost.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָמַר
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 3:18
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 Despairgenerated
Lamentations 3:18 expresses a profound sense of loss, where the speaker acknowledges the absence of strength and hope from the LORD. This verse is part of a larger reflection on suffering, where the speaker feels deprived of peace and prosperity, as noted in the preceding verse Lamentations 3:17. The lament captures a moment of deep emotional turmoil, resonating with the experiences of many who suffer and feel abandoned.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Samuel 27:1 | David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” |
| 2 | Job 6:11 | What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? |
| 3 | Job 17:15 | where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? |
| 4 | Psalm 31:22 | In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. |
| 5 | Psalm 116:11 | In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אָבַד, 'a.Vadgenerated
The verb אָבַד (avad) means 'to perish' or 'to be lost.' It conveys a sense of destruction or disappearance, applicable to people, animals, or objects. In this context, it signifies the complete loss of strength, emphasizing the depth of despair felt by the speaker.
The usage of אָבַד in this verse highlights the finality of loss, suggesting that the speaker's strength is not merely diminished but utterly destroyed, contributing to the overall theme of hopelessness in Lamentations.
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 finite verb אֹמַר֙, I said, governs the entire verse, with two phrases following it: a noun phrase that serves as the subject and another clause that describes the state of being. The structure emphasizes the speaker's declaration of loss.
The Hebrew word order places the verb first, highlighting the act of speaking as central to the expression of despair, followed by the details of what has been lost.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates אָבַד as ἀπώλετο (apōleto), which also means 'to perish' or 'to be lost.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the sense of destruction and loss.
This consistency in translation underscores the shared understanding of the depth of despair expressed in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:18 expresses a deep feeling of loss, where the speaker acknowledges that both their strength and hope from the LORD have perished. This verse captures a moment of intense emotional pain, reflecting the broader theme of suffering found in Lamentations.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It indicates a complete loss of power and ability, leaving the speaker feeling utterly defeated.
Hope is often tied to one's strength; when strength fails, hope can also diminish, leading to despair.
It emphasizes that the source of strength and hope is rooted in a relationship with God, making their loss even more profound.
It encapsulates the themes of suffering and abandonment that permeate the book, reflecting the emotional state of the speaker amidst their trials.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced loss of strength or hope in my own life?
- How can I find restoration in my relationship with God when I feel abandoned?
- What steps can I take to support others who are feeling hopeless?
- How does understanding the context of this verse help me process my own feelings of despair?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd I said, my strength and my hope are perished from the Lord.
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHe hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:Ver. 18. And I said.] But not so wisely. I was even almost tumbling into the pit of desperation. I was straddling over it, as it were, but God preserved me. My strength and my hope is perished.] My strength to bear these miseries, and my hope to be ever freed of them.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) I said, My strength.—The sorrow of the mourner comes to the very verge of despair. There was “no help for him from his God;” even that hope had left him. But, as the sequel shows, this despair was the beginning of a reaction. The very name of Jehovah (no longer Adonai) reminded him of the everlasting mercies.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 18. And my hope] That first, that last support of the miserable-it is gone! it is perished! The sovereign God alone can revive it.
Read AdamClarke 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
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.”
So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
So I said, “My endurance has expired; I have lost all hope of deliverance from the Lord.”
Tyndale line
And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah.
And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.
And I said, My strength and my hope hath perished from the LORD:
And I saide, My strength and mine hope is perished from the Lord,
Strictly literal
And I said, My strength is perished, and my hope in Jehovah.
And I say, Perished hath my strength and my hope from Jehovah.
And I say, My strength and my hope have perished from YHWH.
And I said, Lost is my strength, my expectation also from the Lord.
So I say, “My endurance has perished and so has my hope in Yahweh.”
From the Latin
Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.
Simplified
That's why I say, “My expectation of a long life is gone, along with all that I hoped for from the Lord.
And I said, My strength is cut off, and my hope from the Lord.
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 of Lamentations 3:18 reads, "וָאֹמַר֙ אָבַ֣ד נִצְחִ֔י וְתוֹחַלְתִּ֖י מֵיְהוָֽה׃ ס" which translates to, "So I say, 'My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.'" The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text, matching all five words in a word-by-word correspondence, although the word order and articles differ due to the nature of Greek syntax. There are no significant differences in meaning between these witnesses.
וָאֹמַר֙ אָבַ֣ד נִצְחִ֔י וְתוֹחַלְתִּ֖י מֵיְהוָֽה׃ 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 3:18
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.
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-1cs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect first person common singularHc/Vqw1cs
אָבַד (abad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to perish or be lost. It encompasses a range of meanings, including dying, vanishing, and destruction, often in a moral or judgment context. The word appears in various forms in the Old Testament, with uses related to individuals, nations, and inanimate objects. The lexicons indicate that it can also imply causing something to perish or stray.
אָבַד vb. perish (M I אבד, As. abâtu Dl W 184 Aram אֲבַד, Syriac).—
Qal Pf. א׳ Nu 21:30 +; אָבְדוּ ψ 10:16 + (+ Ez 6:3 𝔊 Co) etc.; Impf. יֹאבַד Jb 3:3 Je 4:9; יֹאבֵ֑ד Jb 20:7 + 2t.; 3fs. תֹּאבַד Dt 22:3 + 4t.; תֹּאבֵ֑ד Jb 8:13 + 3t.; יֹאבְדוּ Ju 5:31 + 3t.; יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Jb 4:9 +; 3fpl. וַתֹּאבַדְנָה֙ I S 9:3; תֹּאבֵדוּן Dt 4:26 +; נֹאבֵ֑ד Jon 1:6…
Read the full entry →H6 אָבַד perish .. perish, die, of individuals
. fig. perish, vanish, subj. memory
. be lost, strayed
. . cause to perish, destroy, kill
. fig. cause to vanish, blot out, do away with
. cause to stray, lose
. . destroy, put to death, in judgment
. fig. obj. name of kings; hope; voice of mirth etc.
6 'abad aw-bad'
a primitive root; properly, to wander away, i.e. lose
oneself; by implication to perish (causative,
destroy):--break, destroy(- uction), + not escape, fail,
lose, (cause to, make) perish, spend, X and surely, take, be
undone, X utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.
אָבַד (a.vad) — to perish.
1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) perish, die, be exterminated
1a2) perish, vanish (fig.)
1a3) be lost, strayed
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate
1b2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.)
1b3) cause to stray, lose
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to destroy, put to death
1c1a) of divine judgment
1c2) object name of kings (fig.)
Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (אֲבַד "to destroy" H0007)
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singularHVqp3ms
נֵ֫צַח (netsach) encompasses concepts of eminence, enduring strength, and perpetuity. It is derived from a root meaning 'goal' or 'bright object' and conveys ideas of splendor, truthfulness, and confidence. The term is used to express notions of victory and continual existence, often implying an everlasting quality.
נֵ֫צַח n.m. eminence, enduring, everlasting, perpetuity
base
H5331 נֵ֫צַח eminence, enduring, everlasting, perpetuity
5331 netsach neh'-tsakh
or netsach {nay'-tsakh}; from 5329; properly, a goal, i.e.
the bright object at a distance travelled towards; hence
(figuratively), splendor, or (subjectively) truthfulness, or
(objectively) confidence; but usually (adverbially),
continually (i.e. to the most distant point of
view); --alway(-s), constantly, end, (+ n-)ever(more),
perpetual, strength, victory.
see HEBREW for 05329
נֵ֫צַח (ne.tsach) — perpetuity.
1) eminence, perpetuity, strength, victory, enduring, everlastingness
1a) eminence
1b) enduring of life
1c) endurance in time, perpetual, continual, unto the end
1d) everlastingness, ever
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
תּוֹחֶ֫לֶת (towcheleth) means 'hope' and is derived from the root word for 'expectation' found in H3176. The entries consistently define it as a noun related to the concept of hope, without significant disagreement among the lexicons.
תּוֹחֶ֫לֶת n.f. hope
base
H8431 תּוֹחֶ֫לֶת
8431 towcheleth to-kheh'-leth
from 3176; expectation:--hope.
see HEBREW for 03176
תּוֹחֶ֫לֶת (to.che.let) — hope.
hope
Conj | N-fs | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHC/Ncfsc/Sp1bs
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
base
H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish
national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
see HEBREW for 01961
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03069
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.
Jehovah = "the existing One"
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npt