Lamentations 3:22-24 teaches that God’s steadfast love and compassion keep His people from being completely destroyed, and that His faithfulness is fresh every day. The writer, sitting in the ruins of Jerusalem after its fall, chooses to hold onto hope because of who God is rather than because of how things look.
These verses come from the book of Lamentations, a collection of five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians around 586 BC. Chapter 3 is unusual because its speaker moves from deep despair into a surprising statement of trust.
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (WEB)
Lamentations 3:22-24 Summary
The passage opens with a claim that the speaker and the surviving people have not been wiped out completely. The reason given is not their own strength or goodness but the LORD’s loving kindness and compassion, which have not run out. Verse 23 adds that these mercies arrive new each morning, and that God’s faithfulness is great.
Verse 24 turns the lament into personal confidence. The speaker declares that the LORD is his portion, meaning his inheritance and all he needs, and so he will wait for God with hope. The movement runs from what God has done, to what God is still doing, to the decision to keep trusting Him.
Context of Lamentations 3:22-24
Lamentations is traditionally attributed to Jeremiah, though the book itself does not name its author. It was written for a community that had watched the temple burn and the city lie in ruins, and it gives voice to grief that the people could not otherwise speak aloud. The poems are acrostics in Hebrew, with each section following the alphabet, which gives the grief an ordered shape.
The verses just before this passage, in verses 19-21, describe bitterness and a soul bowed down. The speaker says, “This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.” Verses 22-24 explain what he is recalling: the character of God, not the state of the city. The verses after it, 25-27, continue the thought by saying the LORD is good to those who wait for him.
Lamentations 3:22-24 Verse by Verse
Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever.
(WEB)
This psalm repeats the phrase about God’s enduring love, calling the people to give thanks because His steadfast love lasts forever. It shows how the same theme of unfailing kindness runs through Israel’s worship.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(WEB)
Paul lists the things that cannot separate believers from God’s love in Christ. The passage extends the confidence of Lamentations into the New Testament, grounding hope in a love that nothing in life can overcome.
A Prayer Based on Lamentations 3:22-24
Lord, I come to You this morning with a heart that feels heavy and a list of worries that started before I was even awake. Thank You that Your loving kindness has not run out, and that Your compassion is still here for me today. Help me receive the mercy You have prepared for this day, one step at a time. Remind my soul that You are my portion, enough for whatever waits ahead, and teach me to wait on You with hope. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main meaning of Lamentations 3:22-24?
The main meaning is that God’s steadfast love and compassion have not ended, even in the middle of great suffering. Because of His faithfulness, the speaker chooses to place his hope in the LORD. The passage links lament with a renewed trust in God’s character.
Why does it say God’s mercies are new every morning?
The phrase suggests that God’s kindness is given freshly each day rather than stored up once for all. It encourages people to depend on God daily. The image of morning also points to hope arriving after a long night.
Who wrote Lamentations 3:22-24?
Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, although the book does not name its author. The poems were written after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. Scholars continue to discuss the authorship, but the traditional view remains widely held.
