Lamentations 3:37 (ASV)

Passage

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

Lamentations 3:36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

Lamentations 3:38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?

Lamentations 3:39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "cometh", "pass", "lord", and "commandeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "cometh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "To subvert a man in his cause..." into verse 38's "Out of the mouth of the Most...", so "saith" and "cometh" belong inside that flow. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "saith" and "cometh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.