Lamentations 3:53 (ASV)

Passage

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

Lamentations 3:52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause.

Lamentations 3:53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me.

Lamentations 3:54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

Lamentations 3:55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "life", "dungeon", "cast", "stone", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "life" and "dungeon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 52's "They have chased me sore like a..." into verse 54's "Waters flowed over my head I said...", so "life" and "dungeon" 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 "life" and "dungeon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.