Lamentations 3:10 Meaning and Explanation
“He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →He pictures God as a bear lying in ambush and a lion crouched in hiding, waiting to fall upon him.
What Does Lamentations 3:10 Mean?
The sufferer reaches for the most fearsome images he knows: a bear lying in wait, a lion hidden and ready to spring. These are predators that ambush, that strike when least expected from concealment. To feel that God has become like this is among the most anguished things the poem says.
Yet these are the words 'as' and 'like' again — God 'was unto me as' a bear. The man is describing how the affliction has felt, the experience of being hunted, not making a final pronouncement about God's nature. The poem holds this terror honestly, the way a sufferer must sometimes voice the worst before he can find his way back. It records the feeling without letting it become the last word, for the last word of this very chapter will be mercy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 3:10
What does Lamentations 3:10 mean?
He pictures God as a bear lying in ambush and a lion crouched in hiding, waiting to fall upon him.