Lamentations 3:3 (DRB)

Passage

Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:1 Aleph. I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation.

Lamentations 3:2 Aleph. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light.

Lamentations 3:3 Aleph. Only against me he hath turned, and turned again his hand all the day.

Lamentations 3:4 Beth. My skin and my flesh he hath made old, he hath broken my bones.

Lamentations 3:5 Beth. He hath built round about me, and he hath compassed me with gall, and labour.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "aleph", "only", "against", "hath", "turned", and "hand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "aleph" and "only", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Aleph He hath led me and brought..." into verse 4's "Beth My skin and my flesh he...", so "aleph" and "only" 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 "aleph" and "only" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.