Ratapan 3:55-57

ק (Qof)

3:55 I have called on your name, O Lord,

from the deepest pit. ¹ 

3:56 You heard ²  my plea: ³ 

“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!” ⁴ 

3:57 You came near ⁵  on the day I called to you;

you said, ⁶  “Do not fear!”

[3:55]  ¹ tn Heb “from a pit of lowest places.”

[3:56]  ² tn The verb could be understood as a precative, “hear my plea,” parallel to the following volitive verb, “do not close.”

[3:56]  ³ tn Heb “my voice.”

[3:56]  ⁴ tn The preposition ל (lamed) continues syntactically from “my plea” in the previous line (e.g. Ex 5:2; Josh 22:2; 1 Sam 8:7; 12:1; Jer 43:4).

[3:57]  ⁵ tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered.

[3:57]  ⁶ tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).