Lamentations 3:20 (DRB)

Passage

Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.

Nearby Context

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

Lamentations 3:19 Zain. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood and the gall.

Lamentations 3:20 Zain. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me.

Lamentations 3:21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.

Lamentations 3:22 Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "zain", "mindful", "remember", "soul", "shall", "languish", and "within". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "zain" and "mindful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Zain Remember my poverty and transgression the..." into verse 21's "Zain These things I shall think over...", so "zain" and "mindful" 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 "zain" and "mindful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.