Lamentations 3:18 Meaning and Explanation
“And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At his lowest he declares that both his strength and his hope in the LORD have perished.
What Does Lamentations 3:18 Mean?
This is the very bottom: 'My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD.' The sufferer says aloud that hope itself is gone, and gone specifically as it relates to God. Strength has failed and hope has died. It is the darkest sentence in the chapter, spoken by a man who feels he has nothing left.
And yet, crucially, even this despair is spoken to and about the LORD. He has not stopped reckoning with God; his very complaint is that his hope in God has perished. The next verses will show that this was not the end of the story but the turning point. Often it is only when we have admitted that our own strength and hope are truly gone that we become able to receive a hope that does not come from ourselves at all.
Lamentations 3:18 in the Original Language
tiqvah (תִּקְוָה), 'hope' -- expectant trust in what is to come, here declared dead at the chapter's lowest point.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lamentations 3:18
What does Lamentations 3:18 mean?
At his lowest he declares that both his strength and his hope in the LORD have perished.