Lamentations 3:39 (KJV)

Passage

Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

Lamentations 3:38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

Lamentations 3:39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

Lamentations 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

Lamentations 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "doth", "living", "complain", "punishment", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "doth", 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 us search and try our ways...", so "wherefore" and "doth" 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 "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.