Lamentations 3:9 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Lamentations 3:11 Daleth. He hath turned aside my paths, and hath broken me in pieces, he hath made me desolate.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Ghimel Yea and when I cry and..." into verse 10's "Daleth He is become to me as...", so "ghimel" and "hath" 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 "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.