Ratapan 3:23-25

3:23 They are fresh ¹  every morning;

your faithfulness is abundant! ² 

3:24 “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself, ³ 

so I will put my hope in him.

ט (Tet)

3:25 The Lord is good to those who trust ⁴  in him,

to the one ⁵  who seeks him.

[3:23]  ¹ tn Heb “they are new.”

[3:23]  ² tn The adjective רַב (rav) has a broad range of meanings: (1) quantitative: “much, numerous, many (with plurals), abundant, enough, exceedingly” and (2) less often in a qualitative sense: “great” (a) of space and location, (b) “strong” as opposed to “weak” and (c) “major.” The traditional translation, “great is thy faithfulness,” is less likely than the quantitative sense: “your faithfulness is abundant” [or, “plentiful”]. NJPS is on target in its translation: “Ample is your grace!”

[3:24]  ³ tn Heb “My soul said…” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= I ).

[3:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “wait for him”

[3:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the soul…” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= “the soul who seeks him”) for the whole person (= “the person who seeks him”).