Lamentations 3:44

Lam 3:44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that [our] prayer should not pass through.

Ver. 44. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud.] Hid thy face from us, and secreted thyself as a judge doth when he hath passed sentence upon a malefactor, that he may not be solicited to reverse it.

That our prayers should not pass through.] The veil of the temple was of no debarring matter, but thin and pervious, that the incense might easily pass through it into the Holy of holies: but now it was otherwise; God had set a bar between him and his people.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(Lam 3:8). The "cloud" is our sins, and God's wrath because of them (Isa 44:22; Isa 59:2).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Prophet confirms the same thing, but the words are different. He again repeats the word to cover; but, that the metaphor might be clearer and more fully explained, he says, with a cloud. He simply intimates, that a cloud interposed, that God might more unrestrainedly punish the Jews, as they had deserved. Isaiah speaks somewhat otherwise, but for the same purpose:

“The hand of God,” he says, “is not shortened, nor are his ears more deaf; but your sins have interposed a distance between you and God.” (Isaiah 59:1, 2.)

There is no doubt but that Isaiah meant the same thing as our Prophet, even that God’s nature never changes; and, therefore, that when he seems to rage against his people, the cause ought to be ascribed to their sins, because God ever remains like himself. We know what is said in the Psalms,

“Thou art God who hearest prayer.” (Psalm 65:3.)

God, then, is always ready to hear his people, and he also possesses power sufficient to help them; but the distance arises from our sins. And so the Prophet now says that a cloud interposed.

Nearly the same sentence is found in the third chapter, as we have seen; for there the Prophet said, in the name of the whole people, that they had become separated from God, but that it was a separation, not because God had changed his purpose, but because the people had, in a manner, rejected his favor. Thou hast, then, he says, covered thyself with a cloud, that is, thou hast made for thyself a covering, that prayer may not pass through. This seems, indeed, very strange, because God advances to meet all the miserable, and promises to hear their prayers: what, then, can this mean, that a cloud interposed that prayer might not go through to him? even that the Jews did not pray aright, and that they had closed up against themselves every access by which God could admit them. In short, the faithful do not here contend with God, as though they had been deceived by his promises, but confess that they were unworthy to pray to God, and they also acknowledge that they did not pray aright. And according to this sense they say, that they were hindered, as though a cloud interposed, so that their prayer could not ascend to God. It follows, —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

44. That Jehovah is veiled by darkness from human eyes is a thought which frequently meets us. See 1Ki_8:12; Psa_97:2; Isa_45:15.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not,.... From weeping, as the Targum: the prophet was continually weeping; the distresses of his people were always uppermost in his mind; and which so affected him, that it drew tears from his eyes, which constantly trickled down his cheeks:

without any intermission; or, "without intermissions" (n); there were no stops or pauses in his grief, and in the expressions of it: or it may be rendered, "because there were no intermissions" (o); that is, of the miseries of his people; so Jarchi,

"because there were no changes and passing away;''

that is of evils; and to the same purpose the Targum,

"because there is none that intermits my distress, and speaks comforts to me.''

(n) "a non intermissionibus", Montanus, Calvin; "sine intervallis", Cocceius. (o) "Eo quod nullae sunt intermissiones", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tigurine version.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Cloud. Isaias lix. 2., and Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 21. These expressions are admirable.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

God had covered them with wrath, overwhelming them with afflictions. so as they had no way to escape; and whereas in this distress they had nothing else to do but only to apply themselves to God, he had hid his face from them, so as they could get no comfortable sight of him; he was as one covered with a cloud, that could not be discerned through that opacous body. What is meant by this cloud, whether his fixed resolution to punish them, or his fresh remembrance of their sins, or his just will to be revenged on them, seems too curiously inquired. The phrase is a metaphor, and signifies no more than that God would not hear their prayers in their distress.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

44. That our prayer should not pass through — The cloud conceals God in the more benignant and paternal aspects of his character, and, what is more alarming and discouraging, renders him impervious to prayer.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That our prayer should not pass through. So Isa_58:4, "Ye do not so fast at this time as to make your voice to be heard on Psa_55:1, "Hide not. thyself from my supplication.

God covering himself with a cloud.

There are dark hours when God not only seems to be hidden from view, but to be so wrapped in thick clouds that even our prayers cannot penetrate to him. Let us consider when and how far this is really the case.

I SOMETIMES IT IS ONLY APPARENT. We lose heart and confidence. Discouraged and saddened, we cease to believe that God is listening to our cry. We can never see God nor hear any audible response to our cry and must always pray in faith; and therefore when faith fails we are ready to say that God does not hear us. We should remember that God"s attention is not confined to the evidences of it that he may afford to us. He may hear us without telling us that he does, or he may simply delay the response for good and wise reasons. Let us, therefore, beware of the folly of judging of God"s actions by our own passing moods.

II SOMETIMES IT IS REAL, BUT MERCIFUL. God does not always accept our prayers even when he is regarding us favourably.

1. He may be trying our faith. It may be better for us that our faith should be tested and strengthened than that we should have the particular thing we desire.

2. We may be asking unwisely. Perhaps the greatest unkindness would be to answer our foolish prayer according to our wish. The mother must turn a deaf ear to the cry of her child for a poisonous fruit. It is hard thus to refuse. Nothing tries love more severely. It is a proof of the great love of God that he is firm in thus apparently treating us with indifference when all the while his heart yearns to comfort us.

III SOMETIMES IT IS BOTH REAL AND WRATHFUL. God will not always hearken to prayer. There are circumstances that raise great banks of clouds between our souls and Heaven such as the most vehement petition cannot pierce.

1. Unrepented sin. If we have sinned ever so heavily and confess our iniquity, heaven is open to hear the faintest sigh of penitence. But against impenitence it is firm as brass.

2. Self-will. So long as we are praying, rebelliously demanding our own way and not submitting to God"s will, no prayer of ours can reach his throne in heaven. We may dare to lay our wish before God in humility, but yet in frank expression of it. Nevertheless, it can only be entertained by God when we add in spirit, if not in words, "Not my will, but thine, be done." Thus may we cry to the void and have back only the mocking echo of our foolish prayer. We may send urgent requests towards heaven, and they will only lose themselves in the thick, black clouds of Divine disfavour which come between us and God. It is hopeful, however, for a soul to know this. When we see the cloud we are halfway towards the removal of it.

IV IT IS THE WORK OF CHRIST TO DISSIPATE THE CLOUD THAT SHUTS OUR PRAYER OUT FROM GOD.

1. He permits us to pray in his Name, with his authority, and pleading his merit.

2. He teaches us to pray in the right spirit of penitence, submission, and faith.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

The prayer that began in Lamentations 3:42 continues.

You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through

This represents God refusing to listen to the people's prayer. AT: "You refuse to listen to our prayers. It is as though you put a cloud between us and you so that our prayers cannot get to you" (See: Metaphor)

You have made us like filthy scum and refuse among the nations

The people of Israel are compared to filthy scum and refuse. Possible meanings are 1) God has caused the nations to think of his people as worthless. AT: "You have made the nations think of us as scum and garbage" or 2) God's forcing his people to live among the nations is like throwing them away as garbage. AT: "You have thrown us away like filthy garbage among the nations" (See: Simile)

panic and pitfall have come upon us, ruin and destruction

The abstract nouns "panic," "pitfall," "ruin" and "destruction" can be expressed with verbs. AT: "we are panicking. We are trapped, and we are being ruined and destroyed" or "we are terrified and trapped. We are being completely destroyed" (See: Abstract Nouns)

pitfall

This refers to falling into a pit. Here it represents being trapped in any way.

have come upon us

"have happened to us"

ruin and destruction

These two words share similar meanings and refer to the destruction of Jerusalem. AT: "total destruction" (See: Doublet)

translationWords

pray

people group

adversary

mock

fear

pit

desolate

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.