Lamentations 3:5 — Word Study
WLCבָּנָ֥ה עָלַ֛י וַיַּקַּ֖ף רֹ֥אשׁ וּתְלָאָֽה׃
BSAHe has besiegedbânâh■ [builded against, surrounded] meʻal and surrounded menâqaph▸ [compassed] with bitternessrôʼsh [gall, poison] and hardshiptᵉlâʼâh [travail, weariness]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בָּנָ֥ה | he has built | Verb, Qal, perfect third person masculine singular |
| עָלַ֛י | on me | Preposition, suffix |
| וַיַּקַּ֖ף | and he has surrounded [me] | Verb, Hiphil, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| רֹ֥אשׁ | poison | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וּתְלָאָֽה׃ | and hardship | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. |
| KJV | He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. |
| ASV | He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. |
| YLT | He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness. |
| WEB | He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. |
| BBE | He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow. |
Where they part company is רֹ֥אשׁ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence structure emphasizes the actions of besieging and surrounding, with the bitterness and hardship as the result of these actions.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbבָּנָה
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 3:5
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 Sufferinggenerated
Lamentations 3:5 expresses the profound anguish of the speaker, who feels besieged and overwhelmed by bitterness and hardship. This verse is part of a larger lament that recounts various forms of suffering, emphasizing the emotional and physical toll experienced by the speaker. The context reveals a struggle with despair, as seen in the preceding and following verses, which describe further afflictions and feelings of isolation.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 3:7–9 | He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. |
| 2 | Job 19:8 | He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness. |
| 3 | Lamentations 3:19 | Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. |
| 4 | Psalm 69:21 | They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 8:14 | Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בָּנָה, ba.Nahgenerated
The verb בָּנָה (ba.Nah) means 'to build' and is used here in a figurative sense to indicate being fortified against or surrounded. The parsing as a perfect tense indicates a completed action by the subject, emphasizing the speaker's feeling of being encircled by difficulties.
This word can also imply establishing something, which in this context suggests a sense of entrapment, as if the speaker is surrounded by walls built of bitterness.
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 verbs בָּנָה and וַיַּקַּף govern the structure of the verse, indicating actions taken against the speaker. The first verb sets the tone of being built against, while the second emphasizes the act of surrounding.
The Hebrew word order places the verbs prominently, emphasizing the actions of besieging and surrounding, which are central to the speaker's experience of hardship.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בָּנָה as ἀνῳκοδόμησεν, which carries the meaning of building or establishing, similar to the Hebrew. This choice reflects an interpretation that emphasizes the act of being fortified against something.
The Greek rendering of וַיַּקַּף as ἐκύκλωσεν suggests a surrounding action, reinforcing the imagery of entrapment found in the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 3:5 shows the speaker feeling trapped and overwhelmed by bitterness and hardship. The verse reflects a deep sense of suffering, as part of a larger lament about the struggles faced in life.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The phrase indicates a feeling of being surrounded and trapped by difficulties, much like a city under siege.
Bitterness here represents emotional pain and distress, suggesting that the speaker's experiences are filled with sorrow.
The hardship refers to various struggles and difficulties, possibly both physical and emotional, that weigh heavily on the speaker.
This imagery conveys a sense of entrapment and helplessness, reflecting the speaker's despair in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel besieged by challenges or difficulties?
- How can I identify and address feelings of bitterness in my own experiences?
- What steps can I take to cope with hardship and find relief from distress?
- How does understanding the context of this lament help me relate to my own struggles?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHe hath builded against me,.... Fortresses, as the Targum adds; as when forts and batteries were raised by the Chaldeans against the city of Jerusalem, in which the prophet was: and compassed [me]
Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryMy flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. My flesh and my skin hath he made old - (Job 16:8, "Thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me, and my leanness rising up"). Verse 5.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleHe hath not builded with me, increasing my prosperity, and protecting my houses, but he hath builded forts, and batteries, and castles, (military buildings,) to batter down my walls and houses, ,3. And compassed me with gall and travel; or with poison, venom, and misery, as some translate it; and it seems more proper than gall and travel, which have no cognation one with another. We are not well acquainted with the ancient dialect of other countries: the sense is obvious, God had surrounded them with misery and calamities.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed [me] with gall and travail.Ver. 5. He hath builded against me.] Bulwarks and batteries. And compassed me with gall and travel.] Or, With venom and vexation. See Jeremiah 8:14. In these and the like hyperbolic expressions we must note that words are too weak to utter the greatness of the saints’ grief, when they lie under the sense of God’ s wrath and heavy displeasure.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(5) He hath builded.—The attack of sorrow is presented under the figure of a siege. In the next clause the figure is dropped. “Gall” stands, as in Jeremiah 8:14, for bitterest sorrow. “Travel” is the old English form of “travail,” the two forms, originally identical, being now used with different meanings.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 5. He hath builded against me] Perhaps there is a reference here to the mounds and ramparts raised by the Chaldeans in order to take the city.
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges5. He hath builded against me, and compassed] Here as in Lamentations 3:3 we have to deal with the idiom by which two verbs are used where we should in English have a verb and adverb. Translate therefore He hath builded against me round about. gall] See on Jeremiah 8:14. The combination with “travail” suggests some corruption in the text. Löhr adopts for his translation (though with some hesitation) bitterness and wormwood. travail] weariness, hardship. From 1611 to the American edition of 1867 all editions of the Authorized Version had travel both here and in the case of Num 20:14. It was probably in comparatively recent times that the two modes of spelling came to be definitely…
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 3 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHe hath builded ... - The metaphor is taken from the operations in a siege. Gall and travail - Or “travail;” i. e. bitterness and weariness (through toil).
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 besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has built against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has besieged and surrounded me with bitter hardship.
Tyndale line
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
He hath built against me, and compassed me with gall and labor.
He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.
Strictly literal
He hath built against me, and encompassed [me] with gall and toil.
He hath built up against me, And setteth round poverty and weariness.
He has built up against me, || And sets around poverty and weariness.
He hath built around me, and encompassed me with poison and hardship.
He built up siege works against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
From the Latin
Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall and labour.
Simplified
He has besieged me, surrounding me with bitterness and misery.
He has put up a wall against me, shutting me in with bitter sorrow.
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 this verse, with all five Hebrew words matched in the Greek translation. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the speaker's plight across these texts.
בָּנָ֥ה עָלַ֛י וַיַּקַּ֖ף רֹ֥אשׁ וּתְלָאָֽה׃
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 3:5
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 בָּנָה (banah) means "to build" and encompasses various forms such as rebuilding, establishing, and making permanent. It can refer to physical construction, like building a house or family, as well as metaphorical uses, such as the establishment of restored exiles. The entries indicate that it can also imply being built up, particularly in the context of a childless wife becoming a mother.
בָּנָה 373 vb. build
Qal build
Niph.
be built
be rebuilt
(fig.) of restored exiles, = established
established, made permanent
base
H1129 בָּנָה build .build
.. . be built
. be rebuilt
. . (fig.) of restored exiles, = established
. established, made permanent
1129 banah baw-naw'
a primitive root; to build (literally and
figuratively):--(begin to) build(-er), obtain children, make,
repair, set (up), X surely.
בָּנָה (ba.nah) — to build.
1) to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to build, rebuild
1a2) to build a house (ie, establish a family)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be built
1b2) to be rebuilt
1b3) established (of restored exiles) (fig.)
1b4) established (made permanent)
1b5) to be built up (of childless wife becoming the mother of a family through the children of a concubine)
Aramaic equivalent: be.nah (בְּנָה "to build" H1124)
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singularHVqp3ms
The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
base
עַל, עָ֑ל
subst. height
As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
—
of clothing, etc., which any one wears
With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears
. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
5921 `al al
properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the
singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a
particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always
in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great
variety of applications (as follow):--above, according
to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because
of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both
and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in
(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,
through(-out), to, touching, X with.
see HEBREW for 05920
עַל (al) — upon.
prep
1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards
1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)
1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)
1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)
1e) over (of suspension or extension)
1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)
1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)
1h) to (as a dative)
[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.
conj
Prep | Suff — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp1bs
נָקַף (naqaph) is a Hebrew verb with meanings related to striking and surrounding. It can denote striking off or going around, encompassing, or completing a circuit. The entries suggest it covers both violent actions, like cutting down, and more passive ones, like surrounding or encompassing. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[נָקַף] vb. strike off
Niph. and the thickets of the forest shall be struck away
Pi. after my skin, which they have struck off
base
[נָקַף] vb. go around (intrans.)
Qal let feasts go around
Hiph.
go around, surround, encompass
make the round, i.e. complete the circuit
make round, round off (lit.)
base
H5362a נָקַף strike off H5362b נָקַף go around (intrans.) .let feasts go around
. . go around, surround, encompass
. make the round, i.e. complete the circuit
. make round, round off (lit.)
5362 naqaph naw-kaf'
a primitive root; to strike with more or less violence (beat,
fell, corrode); by implication (of attack) to knock together,
i.e. surround or circulate:--compass (about, -ing), cut down,
destroy, go round (about), inclose, round.
נָקַף (na.qaph) — to strike.
1) to strike, strike off
1a) (Piel) to strike off skin
Aramaic equivalent: ne.qash (נְקַשׁ "to knock" H5368)
נָקַף (na.qaph) — to surround.
1) to go around, compass, round
1a) (Qal) to go around
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to go around, surround, encompass, enclose
1b2) to make the round, complete the circuit
1b3) to make round, round off
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vhw3ms
רֹאשׁ (ro'sh) refers to a bitter and poisonous herb, often associated with venom or poison. The entries suggest it may specifically denote a plant like the poppy, and it is used figuratively to indicate bitterness or toxicity. The term appears in contexts related to poison, gall, and hemlock.
רֹאשׁ and רוֹשׁ n.m. a bitter and poisonous herb, then venom, alw. fig.
base
H7219 רֹאשׁ and רוֹשׁ a bitter and poisonous herb, then venom, alw. fig.
7219 ro'sh roshe
or rowsh (Deut. 32:32) {roshe}; apparently the same as 7218;
a poisonous plant, probably the poppy (from its conspicuous
head); generally poison (even of serpents):--gall, hemlock,
poison, venom.
see HEBREW for 07218
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — poison.
gall, venom, bitter, poisonous
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
poi'-z'-n (chemah, ro'-sh; thumos, ios): Residents in Palestine must, from the first, have been acquainted with venomous serpents. Six species of these are widely diffused in the land, and at least three of them are fairly common in places. Besides, there are scorpions, centipedes and the large spider, which are as much dreaded by the fellahin as are the serpents, not to speak of the minor but very serious discomforts of mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks, some of which were credited with lethal powers. In The Wisdom of Solomon 16:9 the Revised Version (British and American) we read that "the bites of locusts and flies did slay, and there was not found a healing for their life." There are also many poisonous plants, such as belladonna, henbane, thorn apple, and the opium poppy. None of these is mentioned in the Bible; the only names found there are the hemlock (Conium maculatum) of
Poison
(1.) Heb. hemah, “heat,” the poison of certain venomous reptiles (Deut. 32:24, 33; Job 6:4; Ps. 58:4), causing inflammation.
(2.) Heb. rosh, “a head,” a poisonous plant (Deut. 29:18), growing luxuriantly (Hos. 10:4), of a bitter taste (Ps. 69:21; Lam. 3:5), and coupled with wormwood; probably the poppy. This word is rendered “gall”, q.v., (Deut. 29:18; 32:33; Ps. 69:21;
תְּלָאָה (tela'ah) refers to concepts of weariness, hardship, and distress. It is built from the root associated with toil and trouble, covering a range of meanings related to physical or emotional strain. The entries consistently emphasize its connection to hardship without significant disagreement among lexicons.
תְּלָאָה n.f. weariness, hardship
base
H8513 תְּלָאָה weariness, hardship
8513 tla'ah tel-aw-aw'
from 3811; distress:--travail, travel, trouble.
see HEBREW for 03811
תְּלָאָה (te.la.ah) — hardship.
toil, hardship, distress, weariness
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa