Lamentations 3:53
They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Jeremiah 38:6 provides the historical referent: "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire." The intention was assassination without direct execution—letting Jeremiah die slowly in the pit.
Ancient cisterns were underground chambers carved into rock, used for water storage. When empty or muddy, they served as prisons (Genesis 37:24, Zechariah 9:11). The muddy conditions and lack of food/water made them death traps. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian rescued Jeremiah using ropes and rags (Jeremiah 38:10-13), demonstrating God's providential preservation.
The practice of sealing tombs with stones was common. Jesus's tomb was sealed with "a great stone" (Matthew 27:60). Daniel's lions' den was sealed with a stone (Daniel 6:17). The stone symbolized finality—no escape, no hope. Yet in each case, God miraculously delivered: Jeremiah pulled from the cistern, Daniel protected in the den, Jesus resurrected from the tomb. The stone intended to seal death became testimony to divine power.
Questions for Reflection
- How does being thrown into a pit and sealed with a stone illustrate the experience of apparently hopeless circumstances?
- What does Jeremiah's literal rescue from the cistern teach about God's ability to deliver from impossible situations?
- In what ways does Christ's tomb being sealed with a stone connect to this verse, and how does His resurrection provide ultimate hope?
- How should believers maintain faith when circumstances seem as final and hopeless as a sealed pit?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
The imagery darkens: "They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me." The Hebrew tsamequ vabbor chayayi vayyaddu-even bi describes being trapped and sealed in a pit. Tsamequ (צָמְתוּ) means to destroy, exterminate, or cut off. Vabbor (וַבּוֹר, "in the pit/cistern") refers to an underground chamber, often used for imprisonment or execution.
"Cast a stone upon me" (vayyaddu-even bi, וַיַּדּוּ־אֶבֶן בִּי) suggests sealing the pit's opening with a stone, leaving the victim to die of exposure, thirst, or suffocation. This echoes Jeremiah's literal experience—thrown into a cistern that was muddy and intended as his tomb (Jeremiah 38:6). The stone sealing suggests finality—no escape possible.
Theologically, the pit often symbolizes death, Sheol, or overwhelming crisis (Psalm 40:2, 88:3-6). Yet the very fact this verse exists—that the speaker survived to testify—previews deliverance. Just as Jeremiah was pulled from the cistern (Jeremiah 38:10-13), God delivers those who cry to Him from the depths. This anticipates verses 55-57 where the speaker calls from the pit and God answers. Ultimate the imagery points to Christ, whose tomb was sealed with a stone (Matthew 27:60), yet who rose victorious over death.