Lamentations 3:36
in Lamentations 3to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
KJV
To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
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This verse in Lamentations 3
Commentary
7 notes on this verseTo subvert a man in his cause - To prevent his having justice done him in a lawsuit, etc., by undue interference, as by suborning false witnesses, or exerting any kind of influence in opposition to truth and right. - Blayney. The Lord approved not - Instead of אדני Adonai, seventeen MSS., of Kennicott’s, and one ancient of my own, have יהוה Yehovah. Approveth not, לא ראה lo raah, doth not see, turns away his face from it, abhors it.
This site's exposition
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land
on Lamentations 3:34-36
The unit lists three wrongs: to crush prisoners, “to deny a man justice before the Most High”, and “to subvert a man in his lawsuit”. In the Hebrew all three hang on one main clause held to the end, “of these the Lord does not approve”.
This site's exposition
to subvert a man in his lawsuit
Here the sentence of the triplet closes on its verb. Adam Clarke explains the Hebrew verb as a refusal to look, the Lord turning His face from the wrong in disgust. Albert Barnes lists the three wrongs as cruelty to prisoners, a corrupt tribunal and justice perverted.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A contention from divine justice is here advanced. First is eliminated a tyrannical oppression from divine justice. As stated: "To crush under foot": like a tyrant, who externally opposes any judgment. Then: "all the prisoners of the earth." Namely, all those afflicted. To which Psalm …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
If men injure them under colour of law, and in the pretended administration of justice,--if they turn aside the right of a man, so that he cannot discover what his rights are or cannot come at them, they are out of his reach,--if they subvert a man in his cause, and bring in a wrong verdict, or give a false judgment, let them know, (1.) That God sees them.
To subvert a man in his cause,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
This triplet has an infinitive in the beginning of each verse, the governing finite verb being in the end of La 3:36, "the Lord approveth not," which is to be repeated in each verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְעַוֵּ֤ת | leavet | to subvert | H5791 → | |
| אָדָם֙ | ʾadam | anyone | H120 → | |
| בְּרִיב֔וֹ | berivo | in case at law his | H7379 → | |
| אֲדֹנָ֖י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| רָאָֽה׃ ס | raah | he has seen | H7200 → | 1300 times |
לְעַוֵּ֤תto subvert
leavetH5791 →
אָדָם֙anyone
ʾadamH120 →
בְּרִיב֔וֹin case at law his
berivoH7379 →
אֲדֹנָ֖י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
רָאָֽה׃ סhe has seen
raahH7200 →1300 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Habakkuk 1:13Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than…
it leads to
- Psalms 5:4–5
For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.
- Psalms 34:15–16
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- Jeremiah 12:1–2
Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live…
- Psalms 5:4–5
Through
Jeremiah 22:3This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 21:12
O house of David, this is what the LORD says: ‘Administer justice every morning, and rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor, or My wrath will go forth like fire…
- Jeremiah 22:17
“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”
- Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- Jeremiah 21:12
Through
Isaiah 59:15Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
it leads to
- Micah 7:2
The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
- Micah 7:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Lamentations
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Lamentations.