Lamentations 5:21 (YLT)

Passage

Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:19 Thou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation.

Lamentations 5:20 Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

Lamentations 5:21 Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

Lamentations 5:22 For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us--exceedingly?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turn", "back", "jehovah", "thee", "renew", and "days". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "back", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Why for ever dost Thou forget us..." into verse 22's "For hast Thou utterly rejected us Thou...", so "turn" and "back" 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 "turn" and "back" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.