Lamentations 3:7 (ASV)

Passage

He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

Lamentations 3:6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

Lamentations 3:7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy.

Lamentations 3:8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "walled", "forth", "chain", and "heavy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hath" and "walled", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "He hath made me to dwell in..." into verse 8's "Yea when I cry and call for...", so "hath" and "walled" 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 "hath" and "walled" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.