Ratapan 3:34

ל (Lamed)

3:34 To crush underfoot

all the earth’s prisoners, ¹ 

Ratapan 3:46

פ (Pe)

3:46 All our enemies have gloated over us; ² 

Ratapan 3:51

3:51 What my eyes see ³  grieves me ⁴  –

all the suffering of the daughters in my city. ⁵ 

Ratapan 3:61-62

ש (Sin/Shin)

3:61 You have heard ⁶  their taunts, O Lord,

all their plots against me.

3:62 My assailants revile and conspire ⁷ 

against me all day long.

[3:34]  ¹ tn Heb “prisoners of earth/land.” The term ארצ may refer to (1) the earth or (2) a country or (3) the promised land in particular (as well as other referents). “Earth” is chosen here since the context presents God’s general principles in dealing with humanity. Given the historical circumstances, however, prisoners from the land of Israel are certainly in the background.

[3:46]  ² tn Heb “open wide their mouths.”

[3:51]  ³ tn Heb “my eye causes grief to my soul.” The term “eye” is a metonymy of association, standing for that which one sees with the eyes.

[3:51]  ⁴ tn Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= me).

[3:51]  ⁵ tn Heb “at the sight of all the daughters of my city.” It is understood that seeing the plight of the women, not simply seeing the women, is what is so grievous. To make this clear, “suffering” was supplied in the translation.

[3:61]  ⁶ tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Hear”).

[3:62]  ⁷ tn Heb “the lips of my assailants and their thoughts.”