Lamentations 3:56-58

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Lamentations 3:56 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Hear my plea”) parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”
2. Lamentations 3:56 tn Heb “my voice.”
3. Lamentations 3:56 tn The preposition ל (lamed) continues syntactically from “my plea” in the previous line (e.g. Ex 5:2; Josh 22:2; 1 Sam 8:7; 12:1; Jer 43:4).
4. Lamentations 3:57 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered someone.
5. Lamentations 3:57 tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).
6. Lamentations 3:58 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) as in the following verse. See the tc note at 1:14.
7. Lamentations 3:58 tn This verb, like others in this stanza, could be understood as a precative (“Plead”).
8. Lamentations 3:58 tn Heb “the causes of my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of a part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).