Lamentations 3:8 (DRB)

Passage

Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:6 Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.

Lamentations 3:7 Ghimel. He hath built against me round about, that I may not get out: he hath made my fetters heavy.

Lamentations 3:8 Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9 Ghimel. He hath shut up my ways with square stones, he hath turned my paths upside down.

Lamentations 3:10 Daleth. He is become to me as a bear lying in wait: as a lion in secret places.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Ghimel He hath built against me round..." into verse 9's "Ghimel He hath shut up my ways...", so "ghimel" and "entreat" 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 "ghimel" and "entreat" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.