Lamentations 3:44 — Word Study
WLCסַכּ֤וֹתָה בֶֽעָנָן֙ לָ֔ךְ מֵעֲב֖וֹר תְּפִלָּֽה׃
BSAYou have coveredçâkak■ [hidden, fenced] with a cloudʻânân [a veil, a barrier] that no prayertᵉphillâh [supplication, request to God] can pass throughʻâbar [cross over, penetrate]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סַכּ֤וֹתָה | you have covered | Verb, Qal, perfect second person masculine singular |
| בֶֽעָנָן֙ | with cloud | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| לָ֔ךְ | yourself | Preposition, suffix |
| מֵעֲב֖וֹר | from passing through | Preposition, verb qal infinitive construct common |
| תְּפִלָּֽה׃ | prayer of | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through. |
| KJV | Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. |
| ASV | Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. |
| YLT | Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through. |
| WEB | You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. |
| BBE | Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through. |
The translations agree on the imagery of God covering Himself with a cloud, emphasizing the theme of divine concealment.
The structure features a main clause with two subordinate phrases, highlighting the action of covering and its implications.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectתְּפִלָּה
verbסָכַךְ
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 3:44
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 Peoplegenerated
Lamentations 3:44 expresses the deep sorrow of the people as they feel abandoned by God during their suffering. The preceding verses highlight their anguish and the sense of divine anger, culminating in this poignant statement about God's hiddenness. This lament reflects a broader theme in Lamentations, where the people cry out for mercy and restoration amidst devastation, as seen throughout the book.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 97:2 | Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation. |
| 2 | Lamentations 3:8 | Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer. |
| 3 | Psalm 80:4 | O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people? |
| 4 | Jeremiah 14:11 | Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 15:1 | Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סַכּ֤וֹתָה, sa.Ko.tahgenerated
The verb סַכַּךְ (*sakhach*) means 'to cover' or 'to fence in', suggesting a protective barrier. In this context, it conveys the idea of God hiding Himself, creating a separation from the prayers of the people.
The perfect tense indicates a completed action, emphasizing that God has indeed covered Himself in this way. The implications are profound, as it suggests a deliberate distancing from the cries for help.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered consistently across translations, with all versions agreeing on the notion of God covering Himself with a cloud that obstructs prayer.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb סַכּ֤וֹתָה, you have covered, anchors the sentence, with a prepositional phrase describing the means of covering and a noun phrase identifying what is obstructed.
The structure emphasizes the action of God and its consequences for the speaker's ability to communicate through prayer.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates סַכּ֤וֹתָה as ἐπεσκέπασας, suggesting a similar concept of covering or overshadowing. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of God's presence as both protective and distant.
The Greek term νεφέλην for 'cloud' maintains the imagery of divine concealment, reinforcing the lament's theme.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:44 describes how God has covered Himself with a cloud, making it impossible for prayers to reach Him. This verse reflects the deep sorrow of the people as they feel abandoned and unheard during their suffering.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This imagery suggests that God has hidden His presence, making it difficult for the people to reach Him with their prayers.
They feel a sense of abandonment and distance from God, believing that their cries for help are not being heard.
It encapsulates the themes of suffering, divine silence, and the longing for restoration that permeate the book.
Prayer is portrayed as a vital means of communication with God, and the inability to reach Him intensifies the people's despair.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I felt distant from God in my own life?
- How can I express my feelings of abandonment or sorrow to God in prayer?
- What does it mean for me to seek God's presence when it feels hidden?
- How can I support others who may feel unheard in their prayers?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The verse has been referenced by early theologians, including Thomas Aquinas, who discuss the implications of God's hiddenness in relation to prayer.
Second, is a refusal from prayer of a person sinning. Verse 44 thus says: "Thou hast wrapped thyself with a cloud", Namely, regarding such sins displaying faults against prayer.Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 3 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:44 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThou hast covered thyself with a cloud,.... With wrath and anger, as a cloud; he wrapped up himself in thick darkness, so as not to be seen or come at: sin, when it appears not pardoned, is as a
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleGod had covered them with wrath, overwhelming them with afflictions. so as they had no way to escape; and whereas in this distress they had nothing else to do but only to apply themselves to God, he had hid his face from them, so as they could get no comfortable sight of him; he was as one covered with a cloud, that could not be discerned through that opacous body. What is meant by this cloud, whether his fixed resolution to punish them, or his fresh remembrance of their sins, or his just will to be revenged on them, seems too curiously inquired. The phrase is a metaphor, and signifies no more than that God would not hear their prayers in their distress.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.Ver. 44. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud.] Hid thy face from us, and secreted thyself as a judge doth when he hath passed sentence upon a malefactor, that he may not be solicited to reverse it. That our prayers should not pass through.] The veil of the temple was of no debarring matter, but thin and pervious, that the incense might easily pass through it into the Holy of holies: but now it was otherwise; God had set a bar between him and his people.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges44. That Jehovah is veiled by darkness from human eyes is a thought which frequently meets us. See 1 Kings 8:12; Psalms 97:2; Isaiah 45:15.
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 3 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible44. That our prayer should not pass through — The cloud conceals God in the more benignant and paternal aspects of his character, and, what is more alarming and discouraging, renders him impervious to prayer.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon 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
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
You shrouded yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.
Tyndale line
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloude, that our prayer should not passe through.
Strictly literal
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through.
Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.
You have covered Yourself with a cloud, || So that prayer does not pass through.
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that no prayer should pass through.
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
From the Latin
Samech. Thou hast set a cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass through.
Simplified
You have wrapped yourself with a cloud that no prayer can penetrate.
Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.
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 on the wording of סַכּ֤וֹתָה בֶֽעָנָן֙, indicating a consistent understanding of God's hiddenness across these traditions.
סַכּ֤וֹתָה בֶֽעָנָן֙ לָ֔ךְ מֵעֲב֖וֹר תְּפִלָּֽה׃
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 3:44
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 סוּךְ (*sukh*) and its variants relate to the concepts of covering, protecting, and weaving together. It encompasses meanings such as to hedge in, overshadow, and screen, with implications of defense and joining. The entries reference various forms and usages, including a noun for 'protector' and verbs that describe actions of covering and weaving. Notably, the word appears in Exodus 33:22.
[סוּךְ, סִיךְ] vb. hedge, or fence about, shut in
base
[סָכַךְ] vb. overshadow, screen, cover
Qal
screen, cover
reflex. cover oneself
Hiph. screen, cover
Pilp. denom.
base
[סָכַךְ] vb. weave together;—Qal ψ 139:13
ref
סֹכֵךְ n. [m.] protector;—term. techn. of structure shielding stormers of city Na 2:6
H5526a סוּךְ, סִיךְ hedge, or fence about, shut in H5526b סָכַךְ overshadow, screen, cover H5526c סָכַךְ weave together H5526d סֹכֵךְ n. [m.] protector H5526e שָׂכַךְ cover, lay over, so as to screen H5526f שָׂכַךְ weave
5526 cakak saw-kak'
or sakak (Exod. 33:22) {saw-kak'}; a primitive root;
properly, to entwine as a screen; by implication, to fence in,
cover over, (figuratively) protect:--cover, defence, defend,
hedge in, join together, set, shut up.
סוּךְ (sukh) — to fence.
(Qal) to hedge, fence about, shut in
סָכַךְ (sa.khakh) — to cover.
1) to block, overshadow, screen, stop the approach, shut off, cover
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to screen, cover
1a2) to cover oneself
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to screen, cover
סָכַךְ (sa.khakh) — to weave.
1) to weave together
4a) (Qal) to weave together
1b) (Pilpel) to weave, weave together
סֹכֵךְ (so.kh) — protector.
protector (participle)
שָׂכַךְ (sa.khakh) — to cover.
(Qal) to cover, lay over
שָׂכַךְ (sa.khakh) — to weave.
1) to weave together
1a) (Qal) to weave together
1b) (Pilpel) to weave, weave together
V-Qal-Perf-2ms — Verb · Qal · perfect second person masculine singularHVqp2ms
עָנָן (anan) means 'cloud' and can refer to a cloud-mass or a theophanic cloud, which is a divine manifestation. It is derived from the root word עָנָה (anah). The term is used in contexts related to weather and divine presence.
עָנָן 87 n.m. cloud-mass, cloud
cloud-mass
cloud of incense
base
H6051 עָנָן cloud-mass, cloud
6051 `anan aw-nawn'
from 6049; a cloud (as covering the sky), i.e. the nimbus or
thunder-cloud:--cloud(-y).
see HEBREW for 06049
עָנָן (a.nan) — cloud.
1) cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass
1a) cloud-mass (of theophanic cloud)
1b) cloud
Aramaic equivalent: a.nan (עֲנָן "cloud" H6050)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
kloud (`anan, `abh; nephele, nephos):
I. Clouds in Palestine.
In the Bible few references are found of particular clouds or of clouds in connection with the phenomena of the weather conditions. The weather in Palestine is more even and has less variety than that in other lands. It is a long, narrow country with sea on the West and desert on the East. The wind coming from the West is always moist and brings clouds with it. If the temperature over the land is low enough the clouds will be condensed and rain will fall, but if the temperature is high, as in the five months of summer, there can be no rain even though clouds are seen. As a whole the winter is cloudy and the summer clear.
Cloud
The Hebrew so rendered means “a covering,” because clouds cover the sky. The word is used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as indicating the splendour of that glory which it conceals (Ex. 16:10; 33:9; Num. 11:25; 12:5; Job 22:14; Ps. 18:11). A “cloud without rain” is a proverbial saying, denoting a man who does not keep his promise (Prov. 16:15; Isa. 18:4; 25:5; Jude 1:12). A cloud is the figure of that which is transitory (Job 30:15;
The shelter given, and refreshment of rain promised, by clouds give them their peculiar prominence in Oriental imagery. When a cloud appears rain is ordinarily apprehended, and thus the "cloud without rain" becomes a proverb for the man of promise without performance. (Proverbs 16:15; Isaiah 18:4; 25:5; Jude 1:12) comp. Prov 25:14 The cloud is a figure of transitoriness, (Job 30:15; Hosea 6:4) and of whatever intercepts divine favor or human supplication. (Lamentations 2:1; 3:44) A bright cloud at times visited and rested on the mercy-seat. (
PILLAR OF, the miraculous token of the divine presence and care, Ex 14:24 16:10 Nu 12:5, which guided the Israelites in the desert; it was a means of protection and perhaps of shade by day, and gave them light by night, Ex 13:21,22 14:19,20. By it God directed their movements, Nu 9:15-23 14:14 De 1:33. See the beautiful application of the image to the future church in Isa 4:5.
ךְ (kh) — you.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person feminine singular
HR/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp2ms
The Hebrew word עָבַר (abar) is a versatile verb meaning to pass over, through, or by, and it encompasses a range of actions including crossing, traversing, and alienating. It can also imply causing something to pass or be transferred, as well as emotional states like anger in its Hithpael form. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, though they do not provide specific verse references.
עָבַר 648 vb. pass over, through, by, pass on
Qal
pass over
Pass beyond
Pass through, traverse
pass along by
pass by
sweep by, of scourge
be past, over, of time
pass along (from hand to hand)
Pass on, go on
Pass away
Niph. Impf. a stream which cannot be forded
Pi.
his bull impregnateth
cause one to cross river
cause something to pass over
make over to
devote children to (לְ) heathen god
pass along (from hand to hand)
cause to pass through
let pass through
cause to pass by
let pass by
cause arrow to pass beyond
cause to pass under rod, for counting
cause to pass away, take away
Hiph.
cause to pass over, bring over
he made to pass across with chains of gold
base
[עָבַר] vb. denom. Hithp. be arrogant, infuriate oneself
base
H5674a עָבַר pass over, through, by, pass on .. pass over
. Pass beyond
. Pass through, traverse
. . pass along by
. pass by
. sweep by, of scourge
. be past, over, of time
. pass along (from hand to hand)
. Pass on, go on
. Pass away
. Impf. a stream which cannot be forded
. . his bull impregnateth . cause one to cross river
. cause something to pass over
. make over to
. devote children to (לְ) heathen god
. pass along (from hand to hand)
. . cause to pass through
. let pass through
. . cause to pass by
. let pass by
. cause arrow to pass beyond
. cause to pass under rod, for counting
. cause to pass away, take away
. . cause to pass over, bring over
. he made to pass across with chains of gold
H5674b עָבַר vb. denom. Hithp. be arrogant, infuriate oneself
5674 `abar aw-bar'
a primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any
transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive,
intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
copulation):--alienate, alter, X at all, beyond, bring (over,
through), carry over, (over-)come (on, over), conduct (over),
convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail,
gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way,
in, on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle,
overrun, make partition, (cause to, give, make to, over)
pass(-age, along, away, beyond, by, -enger, on, out, over,
through), (cause to, make) + proclaim(-amation), perish,
provoke to anger, put away, rage, + raiser of taxes, remove,
send over, set apart, + shave, cause to (make) sound, X
speedily, X sweet smelling, take (away), (make to)
transgress(-or), translate, turn away, (way-)faring man, be
wrath.
עָבַר (a.var) — to pass.
1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over
1a2) to pass beyond
1a3) to pass through, traverse
1a3a) passers-through (participle)
1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant)
1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by
1a4a) passer-by (participle)
1a4b) to be past, be over
1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance
1a6) to pass away
1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory)
1a6b) to vanish
1a6c) to perish, cease to exist
1a6d) to become invalid, become obsolete (of law, decree)
1a6e) to be alienated, pass into other hands
1b) (Niphal) to be crossed
1c) (Piel) to impregnate, cause to cross
1d) (Hiphil)
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct commonHR/Vqcc
תְּפִלָּה (tefillah) means 'prayer' and is derived from the root meaning intercession or supplication. It encompasses various forms of prayer, including hymns and requests for divine attention. The term appears in contexts such as the titles of Psalms, emphasizing its liturgical significance.
תְּפִלָּה 77 n.f. prayer
base
H8605 תְּפִלָּה prayer
8605 tphillah tef-il-law'
from 6419; intercession, supplication; by implication, a
hymn:--prayer.
see HEBREW for 06419
תְּפִלָּה (te.phil.lah) — prayer.
1) prayer
1a) prayer
1b) pray a prayer
1c) house of prayer
1d) hear prayer
1e) in Ps titles (of poetic or liturgical prayer)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
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…