Lamentations 3:29 Meaning and Explanation

'He putteth his mouth in the dust' is an image of utter humility, bowing the face all the way to the ground before God. It is the posture of one who makes no demands, who lays aside all pride and self-justification and simply submits. The mouth that might complain is pressed instead into the dust in silence.

'If so be there may be hope.' The humility is not despairing but expectant. He bows low precisely because he believes there may yet be hope in doing so. This is faith at its most stripped-down: not certain of the outcome, not making claims, but humbling itself before God in the trust that mercy might be found there. And the whole chapter has already shown that for those who so humble themselves, hope is not disappointed.