Lamentations 3:23
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Hebrews 10:23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)Psalms 30:5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.Isaiah 33:2O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.Psalms 89:33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.Psalms 36:5Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.Zephaniah 3:5The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.Psalms 146:6Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:Exodus 34:6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,Hebrews 6:18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Historical Context
Contrasts with the daily deterioration during the siege when each morning brought fresh horrors. Now, even in exile's aftermath, Jeremiah affirms the opposite: each morning brings fresh evidence of God's sustaining faithfulness. This theology later influenced Jewish morning prayers (Shacharit) that daily recite God's faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you approach each day expecting fresh evidence of God's faithfulness, or do you carry yesterday's disappointments into today's opportunities for grace?
- How does the context of this declaration—spoken amid ruins, not prosperity—authenticate its truth more powerfully than if it had been written during Solomon's golden age?
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Analysis & Commentary
They are new every morning (חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים, chadashim labqarim)—God's mercies are 'renewed' daily like the manna in the wilderness, emphasizing daily dependence and fresh provision. 'Morning' (boqer) carries connotations of hope after darkness, new beginnings after night's despair. Great is thy faithfulness (רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ, rabbah emunatekha)—'Emunah' is firmness, reliability, steadfastness. This declaration has become one of Scripture's most beloved affirmations, yet emerged from Jerusalem's ruins. The acrostic continues with the letter chet, structuring even desperate hope within ordered Hebrew poetry.