Lamentations 3:12 Meaning and Explanation

The image returns to the bent bow that appeared in chapter two, but now it is intensely personal: 'set me as a mark for the arrow.' The sufferer feels himself the bullseye, the chosen target toward which the weapon is aimed. There is a loneliness in this, the sense of being singled out for the shot.

To feel oneself the particular object of God's aim is a heavy burden, and the poem lets the man carry it openly. He is not striking a brave pose; he is telling the truth of how things seem. The honesty matters, for a faith that can say 'I feel like a target' and still keep speaking to God is a faith that has not let go. The arrows fall in the next verses, and then, against all expectation, the dawn breaks.