Lamentations 3:12

JPS Old Testament

He hath bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He strung his bowand set me as the target for his arrow.

Hebrew Names Version
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

King James Version
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

English Standard Version
he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow.

New American Standard Bible
He bent His bow And took aim at me as a target for the arrow.

New Century Version
He prepared to shoot his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

Amplified Bible
He has bent His bow And set me as a target for the arrow.

World English Bible
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He hath bent his bow & made me a marke for the arrow.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He bent His bow And set me as a target for the arrow.

Legacy Standard Bible
He bent His bowAnd set me as a target for the arrow.

Berean Standard Bible
He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow.

Contemporary English Version
God took careful aim and shot his arrows

Complete Jewish Bible
He has bent his bow and used me as a target for his arrows.

Darby Translation
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Easy-to-Read Version
He made his bow ready. He made me the target for his arrows.

George Lamsa Translation
He has bent his bow, and set me up as a mark for the arrow.

Good News Translation
He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

Lexham English Bible
He has bent his bow and set me as the target for the arrow.

Literal Translation
He has trod His bow and set me up as a mark for the arrow.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He hath bent his bowe, and made me as it were a marck to shute at.

American Standard Version
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Bible in Basic English
With his bow bent, he has made me the mark for his arrows.

King James Version (1611)
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a marke for the arrow.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He hath bent his bowe, and made me as it were a marke to shoote at.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
HE. He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

English Revised Version
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Deleth. He bente his bowe, and settide me as a signe to an arowe.

Update Bible Version
He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Webster's Bible Translation
He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

New English Translation
He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrow.

New King James Version
He has bent His bow And set me up as a target for the arrow.

New Living Translation
He has drawn his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

New Life Bible
He used His bow, and set me as a mark for His arrow.

New Revised Standard
he bent his bow and set me as a mark for his arrow.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He hath trodden his bow, and set me up, as a mark for the arrow.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Daleth. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for his arrows.

Revised Standard Version
he bent his bow and set me as a mark for his arrow.

Young's Literal Translation
He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.

Contextual Overview

¹ I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. ² He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light. ³ Surely against me He turneth His hand again and again all the day. ⁴ My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones. ⁵ He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. ⁶ He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. ⁷ He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go forth; He hath made my chain heavy. ⁸ Yea, when I cry and call for help, He shutteth out my prayer. ⁹ He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He hath made my paths crooked. ¹⁰ He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

bent: Job 6:4, Job 7:20, Job 16:12, Job 16:13, Psalms 7:12, Psalms 7:13, Psalms 38:2

Reciprocal: Psalms 21:12 - make Psalms 64:7 - God Psalms 91:5 - nor Lamentations 2:4 - bent Ezekiel 5:16 - the evil

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said: 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.'

Genesis 2:20
And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him.

Genesis 2:22
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said unto the woman: 'What is this thou hast done?' And the woman said: 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.'

Genesis 3:20
And the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Genesis 3:21
And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.

Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.

Job 31:33
If after the manner of men I covered my transgressions, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom--

Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of man perverteth his way; and his heart fretteth against the LORD.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He hath bent his bow,.... Which is put for all the instruments, of war; the Chaldeans were archers, and shot their arrows into the city:

and set me as a mark for the arrow; as a target to shoot at; signifying that God dealt with him, or his people, as enemies, the object of his wrath and indignation; and if he directed his arrow against them, it must needs hit them; there was no escaping his vengeance; see Job 7:20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Having dwelt upon the difficulties which hemmed in his path, he now shows that there are dangers attending upon escape.

Lamentations 3:11

The meaning is, “God, as a lion, lying in wait, has made me turn aside from my path, but my flight was in vain, for springing upon me from His ambush lie has torn me in pieces.”

Desolate - Or, astonied, stupefied that he cannot flee. The word is a favorite one with Jeremiah.

Lamentations 3:12

This new simile arises out of the former one, the idea of a hunter being suggested by that of the bear and lion. When the hunter comes, it is not to save him.

Lamentations 3:14

Metaphor is dropped, and Jeremiah shows the real nature of the arrows which rankled in him so deeply.

Lamentations 3:15

“He hath” filled me to the full with bitterness, i. e. bitter sorrows Job 9:18.

Lamentations 3:16

Broken my teeth with gravel stones - His bread was so filled with grit that in eating it his teeth were broken.

Lamentations 3:17

Prosperity - literally, as in the margin, i. e. I forgot what good was, I lost the very idea of what it meant.

Lamentations 3:18

The prophet reaches the verge of despair. But by struggling against it he reaches at length firm ground.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. — One might conjecture that the following thought in the Toozek i Teemour was borrowed from this: -

"One addressed the caliph Aaly, and said, 'If the heavens were a bow, and the earth the cord thereof; if calamities were arrows, man the butt for those arrows; and the holy blessed God the unerring marksman; where could the sons of Adam flee for succour?' The caliph replied, 'The children of Adam must flee unto the Lord.'" This was the state of poor Jerusalem. It seemed as a butt for all God's arrows; and each arrow of calamity entered into the soul, for God was the unerring marksman.