Lamentations 3:12 (DBY)

Passage

He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Nearby Context

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

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

Lamentations 3:12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

Lamentations 3:13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

Lamentations 3:14 I am become a derision to all my people; their song all the day.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He hath turned aside my ways and..." into verse 13's "He hath caused the arrows of his...", so "hath" and "bent" 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 "bent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.