Lamentations 3:6
New International Version
He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

New Living Translation
He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead.

English Standard Version
he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.

Berean Standard Bible
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.

King James Bible
He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

New King James Version
He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.

New American Standard Bible
He has made me live in dark places, Like those who have long been dead.

NASB 1995
In dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead.

NASB 1977
In dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead.

Legacy Standard Bible
Dark places He has made me inhabit, Like those who have long been dead.

Amplified Bible
He has made me live in dark places Like those who have long been dead.

Christian Standard Bible
He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages.

American Standard Version
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

Contemporary English Version
he forced me to sit in the dark like someone long dead.

English Revised Version
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He has made me live in darkness, like those who died a long time ago.

Good News Translation
He has forced me to live in the stagnant darkness of death.

International Standard Version
He has forced me to live in darkness, like those who are long dead.

Majority Standard Bible
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.

NET Bible
He has made me reside in deepest darkness like those who died long ago.

New Heart English Bible
He has made me to dwell in dark places, like those that have been long dead.

Webster's Bible Translation
He hath set me in dark places, as they that are dead of old.

World English Bible
He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
In dark places He has caused me to dwell, "" As the dead of old.

Young's Literal Translation
In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.

Smith's Literal Translation
He caused me to dwell in darknesses as the dead of old.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Beth. He hath set me in dark places as those that are dead for ever.

Catholic Public Domain Version
BETH. He has gathered me into darkness, like those who are forever dead.

New American Bible
He has left me to dwell in dark places like those long dead.

New Revised Standard Version
he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He has made me to dwell in darkness, like a dead man for ever.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
In darkness he made me dwell like the dead for eternity
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He hath made me to dwell in dark places, As those that have been long dead.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He has set me in dark places, as them that have long been dead.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeremiah's Afflictions
5He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages. 7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.…

Cross References
Psalm 143:3
For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.

Isaiah 59:9-10
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. / Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.

Job 30:26-28
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell. / I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me. / I go about blackened, but not by the sun. I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

Psalm 88:6
You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.

Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Isaiah 42:7
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

Job 19:8
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness.

Psalm 107:10-14
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains, / because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. / He humbled their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. ...

Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Matthew 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

Luke 1:79
to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

John 12:35
Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,


Treasury of Scripture

He has set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

in dark

Psalm 88:5,6
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand…

Psalm 143:3,7
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead…

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Ago Caused Dark Darkness Dead Dwell Kept Places
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Ago Caused Dark Darkness Dead Dwell Kept Places
Lamentations 3
1. The prophet bewails his own calamities
22. By the mercies of God, he nourishes his hope
37. He acknowledges God's justice
55. He prays for deliverance
64. And vengeance on his enemies














He has made me dwell in darkness
This phrase reflects the deep sense of despair and abandonment experienced by the speaker, traditionally understood to be the prophet Jeremiah. The imagery of dwelling in darkness is often used in the Bible to signify a state of spiritual desolation or divine judgment. In the context of Lamentations, it reflects the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The darkness symbolizes the absence of God's presence and favor, a theme echoed in other scriptures such as Psalm 88:6, where the psalmist laments being placed in the lowest pit, in darkness and depths. This darkness can also be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual blindness and separation from God that sin brings, as seen in Isaiah 59:2.

like those dead for ages
This part of the verse emphasizes the severity of the speaker's condition, comparing it to the state of the dead who have been long forgotten. In ancient Near Eastern culture, being cut off from the living and consigned to Sheol, the abode of the dead, was a fate feared by many. This comparison underscores the hopelessness and isolation felt by the speaker, akin to being in a grave. The reference to the dead also connects to the broader biblical theme of death as the ultimate separation from God, which is overcome through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Christ's victory over death offers hope and restoration, contrasting the despair depicted here. This phrase can also be linked to Ezekiel 37, where the vision of the dry bones represents Israel's restoration from a state of death-like exile.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
- Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He laments the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people.

2. Jerusalem
- The city that has been destroyed by the Babylonians, leading to the deep sorrow and lament expressed in the book.

3. Babylonian Exile
- The event during which the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians, leading to the context of despair and darkness described in Lamentations.
Teaching Points
Understanding Suffering
Recognize that suffering and feelings of darkness are part of the human experience, as seen in the lives of biblical figures like Jeremiah and Job.

God's Presence in Darkness
Even in the darkest times, God is present. The lament is a form of prayer, acknowledging God's sovereignty even when He seems silent.

Hope Beyond Despair
While Lamentations expresses deep sorrow, it also points to the hope and faithfulness of God, encouraging believers to trust in His ultimate plan.

The Role of Lament
Lament is a valid and important expression of faith, allowing believers to bring their deepest pains and questions before God.

Community in Suffering
The communal aspect of lament in Lamentations reminds us of the importance of supporting one another in times of trial.(6) He hath set me in dark places.--A verbal reproduction of Psalm 143:3. The "dark places" are those of hell or Hades. For dead of old read dead eternally or dead for ever, the adverb looking forward rather than back.

Verse 6. - This verse is verbally reproduced in Psalm 143:3. In dark places; i.e. in Hades (comp. Psalm 88:7). As they that be dead of old. A strange comparison; for what difference can it make whether the dead are men of the ancient or the modern world? The rendering, however, though perfectly admissible, is less suitable to the context than as they that are forever dead; who have entered "the land from which there is no return" (an Assyrian title of Hades). Comp. "the everlasting house," i.e. the grave (Ecclesiastes 12:5), "the everlasting sleep" (Jeremiah 51:39, 57).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He has made me dwell
הוֹשִׁיבַ֖נִי (hō·wō·šî·ḇa·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in darkness
בְּמַחֲשַׁכִּ֥ים (bə·ma·ḥă·šak·kîm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4285: Darkness, a dark place

like those dead
כְּמֵתֵ֥י (kə·mê·ṯê)
Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

for ages.
עוֹלָֽם׃ (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 3:6 He has made me to dwell (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 3:5
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