Lamentations 3:16 (DRB)

Passage

Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:14 He. I am made a derision to all my people, their song all the day long.

Lamentations 3:15 He. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath inebriated me with wormwood.

Lamentations 3:16 Vau. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes.

Lamentations 3:17 Vau. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things.

Lamentations 3:18 Vau. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "He He hath filled me with bitterness..." into verse 17's "Vau And my soul is removed far...", so "hath" and "broken" 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 "broken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.