Lamentations 5:3
We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
Original Language Analysis
הָיִ֙ינוּ֙
H1961
הָיִ֙ינוּ֙
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
2 of 6
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
אֵ֣ין
and fatherless
H369
אֵ֣ין
and fatherless
Strong's:
H369
Word #:
3 of 6
a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle
אָ֔ב
H1
אָ֔ב
Strong's:
H1
Word #:
4 of 6
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
Cross References
Jeremiah 18:21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.Exodus 22:24And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.Jeremiah 15:8Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.Hosea 14:3Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
Historical Context
Conquest killed males—soldiers and leaders—leaving women and children without protection.
Questions for Reflection
- How should vulnerable suffering motivate compassion and justice?
- How does the absence of fathers intensify the vulnerability and grief of orphaned children?
- What does this verse teach about the generational impact of judgment and loss?
Analysis & Commentary
Fatherless and widows—most vulnerable in society. War creates orphans/widows whom God commands we protect.