Lamentations 3:39 (GNV)

Passage

Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:37 Who is he then that sayth, and it commeth to passe, and the Lord commandeth it not?

Lamentations 3:38 Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not euill and good?

Lamentations 3:39 Wherefore then is the liuing man sorowfull? man suffreth for his sinne.

Lamentations 3:40 Let vs search and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord.

Lamentations 3:41 Let vs lift vp our hearts with our handes vnto God in the heauens.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "liuing", "sorowfull", "suffreth", and "sinne". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "liuing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "Out of the mouth of the most..." into verse 40's "Let vs search and try our wayes...", so "wherefore" and "liuing" 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 "wherefore" and "liuing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.