Lamentations 3:18

“And I said, my strength and my hope are perished from the Lord.] The former of these words signifies, according to Aben Ezra, “my standing”, my subsistence, my continuance in being, or my perpetuity; according to Jarchi, my abiding f65 in this world; it is rendered “blood” in (<236303>Isaiah 63:3); which is the support of life; and which when gone, or ceases to circulate, a man ceases to be: the sense is, that the prophet, or those he represents, looked upon themselves as dead men, at least of a short continuance; their natural strength was exhausted, and they must quickly die, and had no hope of living, or of enjoying the divine favour, or good things, at the hand of God. Some understand it…”

“from the Lord--that is, my hope derived from Him (Psa 31:22).”

“Having dwelt upon the difficulties which hemmed in his path, he now shows that there are dangers attending upon escape. Lamentations 3:11 The meaning is, “God, as a lion, lying in wait, has made me turn aside from my path, but my flight was in vain, for springing upon me from His ambush lie has torn me in pieces.” Desolate - Or, astonied, stupefied that he cannot flee. The word is a favorite one with Jeremiah. Lamentations 3:12 This new simile arises out of the former one, the idea of a hunter being suggested by that of the bear and lion. When the hunter comes, it is not to save him. Lamentations 3:14 Metaphor is dropped, and Jeremiah shows the real nature of the arrows which rankled in him…”

“Sa1 27:1; Job 6:11, Job 17:15; Psa 31:22, Psa 116:11; Eze 37:11 Lamentations 3:19”