Lamentations 3:12 (GNV)

Passage

He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:10 He was vnto me as a beare lying in waite, and as a Lion in secret places.

Lamentations 3:11 He hath stopped my wayes, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

Lamentations 3:12 He hath bent his bow and made me a marke for the arrow.

Lamentations 3:13 Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer to enter into my reines.

Lamentations 3:14 I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He hath stopped my wayes and pulled..." into verse 13's "Hee caused the arrowes of his quiuer...", so "hath" and "bent" 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 "hath" and "bent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.