Lamentations 3:40
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Original Language Analysis
נַחְפְּשָׂ֤ה
Let us search
H2664
נַחְפְּשָׂ֤ה
Let us search
Strong's:
H2664
Word #:
1 of 6
to seek; causatively, to conceal oneself (i.e., let be sought), or mask
דְרָכֵ֙ינוּ֙
our ways
H1870
דְרָכֵ֙ינוּ֙
our ways
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
2 of 6
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
וְֽנַחְקֹ֔רָה
and try
H2713
וְֽנַחְקֹ֔רָה
and try
Strong's:
H2713
Word #:
3 of 6
properly, to penetrate; hence, to examine intimately
וְנָשׁ֖וּבָה
and turn again
H7725
וְנָשׁ֖וּבָה
and turn again
Strong's:
H7725
Word #:
4 of 6
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);
Cross References
2 Corinthians 13:5Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?Psalms 119:59I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.Psalms 4:4Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.Isaiah 55:7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.Hosea 6:1Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.1 Corinthians 11:28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.1 Corinthians 11:31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.2 Chronicles 30:6So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.Deuteronomy 4:30When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;Ezekiel 18:28Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Historical Context
This call to self-examination reverses the pattern in Jeremiah's earlier ministry when people blamed God for their suffering (Jeremiah 2:35). Now, after judgment has fallen, Jeremiah calls for honest acknowledgment of sin rather than self-justification. The acrostic continues (verse 40 begins with nun), structuring even the call to repentance within poetic order.
Questions for Reflection
- When you experience hardship, is your first instinct to examine your own ways or to question God's justice?
- What specific 'ways' in your life need searching and trying before God—patterns of thought, relationship habits, use of resources, priorities?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Let us search and try our ways (נַחְפְּשָׂה דְרָכֵינוּ וְנַחְקֹרָה, nachpesah derakeinu venachqorah)—Two intensive Hebrew verbs: 'search' (chaphas) means to dig, investigate thoroughly; 'try' (chaqar) means to examine, test. The plural 'us' shifts from individual (verses 25-39) to corporate—Israel must collectively examine its covenant violations. And turn again to the LORD (וְנָשׁוּבָה עַד־יְהוָה, venashuvah ad-YHWH)—'Turn' (shuv) is the Hebrew word for repentance, meaning to return, reverse direction. The phrase 'turn again' or 'return back' acknowledges that Israel has strayed and must retrace steps back to covenant faithfulness. Self-examination precedes restoration.