Lamentations 3:20

[Waynec]

from the DR Lam 3:20 20 Zain. I will be mindful, and remember, and my soul shall languish within me. 21 Zain. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope.

The Ignatius bible reads: My spirit ponders continually and is bowed down withing me. All the bibles that I have read this way.

If you read this in context to me is says that the writer is pondering his sins and his spirit is bowed down but he will remember God promises and then will he have hope.

The JW’s have this to mean that without fail Jehovah Himself will remember and bow low over the sinner.
There are other verses in the bible that say that God will bow down to reach us but I don not think that this is one of them.

Here is the reasoning for their interpretation : The ancient scribes, or Sopherim, changed this verse to say that Jeremiah, not Jehovah, is the one bowing low. They evidently thought it unfitting to attribute to God such a humble act. As a result, many translations miss the point of this beautiful verse. However, The New English Bible accurately has Jeremiah saying to God: “Remember, O remember, and stoop down to me.(From their book Draw Close to Jehovah)

Can anyone either prove or disprove what they have to say? How do they know how the ancient scribes translated this verse? As usual, they do not cite their reference.

Thank you for all the help you can give me.

 

[jcrichton]

Hi!

The problem, in my estimation, always comes from “piece-meal” study of Scriptures…

The two prevailing arguments:

A) God bows down to man (as if to uplift him)
B) man’s weight (his sin/s and disobedience) causes his own spirit to succumb/bow down

What is the whole passage speaking to… God’s uplifting man by bowing down to him or man’s preoccupation with his error, his disobedience, his loss of Grace, his estrangement from God, his culpability, his deterioration from holiness, the weighing down of his incompetence and inability to remain Faithfull and Obedient to God?

Let’s see the queues:

I am the man that see my poverty by the rod of his indignation. And he hath broken my teeth one by one, he hath fed me with ashes. And my soul is removed far off from peace, I have forgotten good things. And I said: My end and my hope is perished from the Lord. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood, and the gall. I will be mindful and remember, and my soul shall languish within me. These things I shall think over in my heart, therefore will I hope. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him. (Lamentations 3)

…and where does this feeling come from… form God’s Mercy or Justice or Love or from Israel’s commitment to reject Yahweh God and embrace the world’s non-gods?:

3 Juda hath removed her dwelling place because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage: she hath dwelt among the nations, and she hath found no rest: all her persecutors have taken her in the midst of straits. (Lamentations 1)

These are holy men; they are laden with Judah’s sins and disobedience… Israel weighs them down deep in their souls.

God does not need to bow down to man to lift man up!

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[Waynec]

Thank you for this. Food for thought.