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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Lamentations 3:39–42

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

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Reference depth

From verse 39

  1. Micah 7:9Rank 1 from verse 39
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    9I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

  2. Proverbs 19:3Rank 2 from verse 39
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    3The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.

  3. Genesis 4:5–7Rank 3 from verse 39
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    5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

    6And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

    7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

  4. Jeremiah 30:15Rank 4 from verse 39
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    15Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

  5. 2 Kings 3:13Rank 5 from verse 39
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    13And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

From verse 40

  1. 2 Corinthians 13:5Rank 1 from verse 40
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    5Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

  2. Psalms 139:23–24Rank 2 from verse 40
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    23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

    24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

  3. Joel 2:12–13Rank 3 from verse 40
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    12¶ Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

    13And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

  4. Isaiah 55:7Rank 4 from verse 40
    Open

    7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

  5. Psalms 4:4Rank 5 from verse 40
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    4Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

From verse 41

  1. Psalms 25:1Rank 1 from verse 41
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    1UNTO thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

  2. Psalms 28:2Rank 2 from verse 41
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    2Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

  3. Psalms 143:6–8Rank 3 from verse 41
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    6I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

    7Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

    8Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

  4. Psalms 86:4Rank 4 from verse 41
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    4Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

  5. 1 Thessalonians 2:8Rank 5 from verse 41
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    8So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

From verse 42

  1. Jeremiah 5:7–9Rank 1 from verse 42
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    7¶ How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

    8They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.

    9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

  2. Luke 15:18–19Rank 2 from verse 42
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    18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

    19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

  3. Nehemiah 9:26Rank 3 from verse 42
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    26Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

  4. 2 Kings 24:4Rank 4 from verse 42
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    4And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the Lord would not pardon.

  5. Daniel 9:5–14Rank 5 from verse 42
    Open

    5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

    6Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

    7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

    8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

    9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

    10Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

    11Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

    12And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

    13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

    14Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Lamentations 3:39

COMBINED MEANING

wherefore

↗

1. For that reason, or as a conclusion from what precedes; therefore or consequently. 2. For what reason or purpose; why.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

living

↗

Sense 1: Alive or having life. Sense 2: As a noun, one's means of support or possessions.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

man

↗

1. A human being or person. 2. Mankind collectively. 3. A male person.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

sins

↗

Transgressions or offences against God and his law, and the guilt for them.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Lamentations 3:40

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

us

↗

The first-person plural object pronoun, referring to the speaker together with one or more others as recipients or objects of an action or relation.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

search

↗

Sense 1: To seek carefully, examine, explore, or inquire in order to find or know. Sense 2: A careful examination or inquiry made to find or know.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

try

↗

Sense 1: To examine, test, prove, search, or discern. Sense 2: To refine or prove by fire so that quality is made manifest.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

turn

↗

Sense 1: To change direction, position, condition, purpose, or allegiance; to cause such a change. Sense 2: One’s time or occasion in an order or succession.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

again

↗

Another time; once more; back to a former place or condition; or in return.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Lamentations 3:41

COMBINED MEANING

let

↗

Sense 1: To allow or permit; in older KJV use, also to hinder or restrain. Sense 2: To lower or send down.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

us

↗

The first-person plural object pronoun, referring to the speaker together with one or more others as recipients or objects of an action or relation.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

lift

↗

Sense 1: To raise, bear up, or elevate physically. Sense 2: To direct upward or raise in expression, as the eyes, hands, voice, soul, prayer, or countenance. Sense 3: To exalt, restore, strengthen, or raise in condition or honour. Sense 4: To raise or wield against, as a hand, tool, weapon, or standard. Sense 5: In lift from off, to remove or take away.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

heart

↗

Sense 1: The bodily organ. Sense 2: The inward person: the mind, will, affections, conscience, or moral character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

hands

↗

Sense 1: The end parts of the arms used for holding and working. Sense 2: Figures of power, possession, agency, or aid.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Lamentations 3:42

COMBINED MEANING

transgressed

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of transgress, meaning to break or pass beyond a law, command, duty, or rightful boundary.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

rebelled

↗

Refused obedience, resisted authority, revolted, withdrew allegiance, or turned against the Lord, his words, or an appointed ruler.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

hast

↗

Sense 1: Have: possess, hold, receive, or experience. Sense 2: Used as an auxiliary verb.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

pardoned

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of pardon, meaning to forgive an offense or offender; to remit an offense, guilt, or penalty.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

FOLLOW THE THEME

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Surrounding Verses

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38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

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40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

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41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

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42We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.

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43Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

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