Lamentations 3:29 (DRB)

Passage

Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:27 Teth. It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.

Lamentations 3:28 Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.

Lamentations 3:29 Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Lamentations 3:30 Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.

Lamentations 3:31 Caph. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "mouth", "dust", and "hope". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "mouth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "Jod He shall sit solitary and hold..." into verse 30's "Jod He shall give his cheek to...", so "shall" and "mouth" 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 "shall" and "mouth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.