Lamentations 3:18 (WEB)

Passage

I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.”

Nearby Context

Lamentations 3:16 He has also broken my teeth with gravel. He has covered me with ashes.

Lamentations 3:17 You have removed my soul far away from peace. I forgot prosperity.

Lamentations 3:18 I said, “My strength has perished, along with my expectation from Yahweh.”

Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitterness.

Lamentations 3:20 My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "strength", "perished", "along", "expectation", and "yahweh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "strength", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "You have removed my soul far away..." into verse 19's "Remember my affliction and my misery the...", so "said" and "strength" 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 "said" and "strength" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.