Lamentations 3:4 (GNV)

Passage

My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:2 He hath ledde mee, and brought me into darkenes, but not to light.

Lamentations 3:3 Surely he is turned against me: he turneth his hand against me all the day.

Lamentations 3:4 My flesh and my skinne hath he caused to waxe olde, and he hath broken my bones.

Lamentations 3:5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall, and labour.

Lamentations 3:6 He hath set me in darke places, as they that be dead for euer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "flesh", "skinne", "hath", "caused", "waxe", "olde", and "broken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "flesh" and "skinne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Surely he is turned against me he..." into verse 5's "He hath builded against me and compassed...", so "flesh" and "skinne" 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 "flesh" and "skinne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.