Lamentations 3:13 Meaning and Explanation
“He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →He feels pierced to the core, as if God's arrows had entered his inmost being.
What Does Lamentations 3:13 Mean?
The arrows strike home. They 'enter into my reins' — the reins are the kidneys, which ancient speech understood as the seat of the deepest emotions and the inmost self. The wound is not on the surface but at the very center of the person, in the place where conscience and feeling dwell.
This is suffering felt to the depths, not glancing but penetrating. The whole quiver seems emptied into him. The poem has now traced the descent about as far as it can go: besieged, chained, hunted, pierced through. The sufferer has held nothing back in naming his pain. What follows is the great surprise of the book, that a heart pierced this deeply can still turn and find, beneath the wound, an unfailing mercy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 3:13
What does Lamentations 3:13 mean?
He feels pierced to the core, as if God's arrows had entered his inmost being.