Lamentations 5:21 (LSB)

Passage

Cause us to return to You, O Yahweh, that we may be returned; Renew our days as of old,

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:19 You, O Yahweh, sit enthroned forever; Your throne is from generation to generation.

Lamentations 5:20 Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

Lamentations 5:21 Cause us to return to You, O Yahweh, that we may be returned; Renew our days as of old,

Lamentations 5:22 Even if You have utterly rejected us And are exceedingly angry with us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cause", "return", "yahweh", "returned", "renew", and "days". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cause" and "return", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Why do You forget us forever Why..." into verse 22's "Even if You have utterly rejected us...", so "cause" and "return" 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 "cause" and "return" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.