Lamentations 3:17
And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
Original Language Analysis
מִשָּׁל֛וֹם
from peace
H7965
מִשָּׁל֛וֹם
from peace
Strong's:
H7965
Word #:
2 of 5
safe, i.e., (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e., health, prosperity, peace
נַפְשִׁ֖י
my soul
H5315
נַפְשִׁ֖י
my soul
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
3 of 5
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
Cross References
Isaiah 59:11We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.Isaiah 54:10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.Isaiah 38:17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.Psalms 119:155Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.Job 7:7O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.Jeremiah 14:19Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!Jeremiah 8:15We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!Jeremiah 16:5For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.Zechariah 8:10For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.Genesis 41:30And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
Historical Context
Seventy-year exile meant most would die before restoration. Prosperity seemed permanently gone.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we maintain faith when blessing feels permanently lost?
- What does it mean to have 'peace' removed from the soul, and how does this relate to alienation from God?
- How can believers maintain hope when prosperity and inner peace seem permanently lost?
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Analysis & Commentary
Soul removed from peace, forgetting prosperity. Depression when blessing seems permanently lost. Yet verse 21 turns toward hope.