Lamentations 3:9 (ASV)

Passage

He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

Nearby Context

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.

Lamentations 3:10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

Lamentations 3:11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "walled", "ways", "hewn", "stone", "paths", and "crooked". 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 8's "Yea when I cry and call for..." into verse 10's "He is unto me as a bear...", 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.