Because of this, our hearts are sick; ¹  because of these things, we can hardly see ²  through our tears. ³ 

biblegateway Lam 5:17

Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim;

Because of this, our heart is sick; because of these, our eyes grow dim:

This is why we feel sick. This is why our eyes see less and less.

biblegateway Lam 5:17

Because of this our hearts are faint; because of these things our eyes grow dim

For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,

bibleoremus Lam 5:17

Because of this our hearts are sick, because of these things our eyes have grown dim:

This is why we are sick at heart; all this is why our eyes grow dim:

biblegateway Lam 5:17

Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim;

For this our heart is faint; for these [things] our eyes are dim.

biblegateway Lam 5:17

Because of this, our hearts are sick; ¹  because of these things, we can hardly see ²  through our tears. ³ 

¹ tn Heb “are faint” or “are sick.” The adjective דַּוָּי (davvay, “faint”) is used in reference to emotional sorrow (e.g., Isa 1:5; Lam 1:22; Jer 8:18). The related adjective דָּוֶה (daveh) means “(physically) sick” and “(emotionally) sad,” while the related verb דָּוָה (davah) means “to be sad.” The cognate Aramaic term means “sorrow,” and the cognate Syriac term refers to “misery.”

² tn Heb “our eyes are dim.” The physical description of losing sight is metaphorical, perhaps for being blinded by tears or more abstractly for being unable to see (= envision) any hope. The collocation “darkened eyes” is too rare to clarify the nuance.

³ tn The phrase “through our tears” is added in the translation for the sake of clarification.