Lamentations 3:8 (GNV)

Passage

Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.

Nearby Context

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

Lamentations 3:7 He hath hedged about mee, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chaines heauy.

Lamentations 3:8 Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9 He hath stopped vp my wayes with hewen stone, and turned away my paths.

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "He hath hedged about mee that I..." into verse 9's "He hath stopped vp my wayes with...", so "showte" and "shutteth" 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 "showte" and "shutteth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.