Lamentations 3:15
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Lamentations 3:15
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
Chapter Context
Lamentations 3 is a funeral dirge chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of sacrifice, faith, discipleship. Written during just after Jerusalem's fall (c. 586 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Written amid the devastating aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-66: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it foreshadows Christ's work through typology and prophetic elements. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Lamentations and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Lamentations 3:15
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
Analysis
Continued suffering described: "He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood" (hisbi'ani ba-merurim hirvani la'anah, הִשְׂבִּעַנִי בַמְּרוּרִים הִרְוַנִי לַעֲנָה). The verb sava (שָׂבַע, "filled, satisfied") normally describes positive satiation (Psalm 103:5, 107:9), but here it's perverted—filled not with good things but merurim (מְרוּרִים, "bitterness"). La'anah (לַעֲנָה, "wormwood") is the bitter herb from verse 19. Being "drunken" (hirvani, הִרְוַנִי) with wormwood suggests overwhelming, disorienting bitterness. Deuteronomy 29:18 warns of idolatry producing "a root that beareth gall and wormwood." Revelation 8:11 uses wormwood for divine judgment. The imagery conveys that suffering isn't minor discomfort but consuming, all-encompassing bitterness that saturates existence. Yet the very act of describing it in prayer to God shows that even overwhelming bitterness needn't sever relationship. The darkest laments in Scripture are still prayer—maintaining connection with God through suffering.
Historical Context
Wormwood (la'anah, Artemisia absinthium) is an extremely bitter plant used medicinally in small doses but poisonous in large amounts. Being 'drunken' with it would cause severe nausea, disorientation, and potentially death. The metaphor captures both the pervasive nature of suffering (like drunkenness affecting all faculties) and its intensely unpleasant character (like consuming poison). The exile generation experienced this comprehensively—every aspect of life was bitter. Loss of land, temple, independence, loved ones, certainty—all compounded into overwhelming grief. Jeremiah 9:15 and 23:15 use identical language as God's threatened judgment: 'I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.' The fulfillment was literal—life tasted of nothing but bitterness. Yet Exodus 15:22-25 shows God can make bitter waters sweet. The principle: God who sends bitterness can also remove it.
Reflection
- What does it mean to be 'filled' and 'drunken' with bitterness, and how does this imagery help us acknowledge rather than minimize deep suffering?
- How can even the bitterest experiences be brought to God in prayer rather than driving us away from Him?
- In what ways does Christ taste the ultimate bitterness (the cup of God's wrath, Matthew 26:39) so believers eventually taste only sweetness?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: Jeremiah 9:15