Lamentations 3:64 is a prayer for justice. The writer asks the LORD to repay the people who have wronged him, trusting that God will deal with them according to what they have done. The speaker is a survivor of the fall of Jerusalem, and he is speaking to God in the middle of his grief.
You will pay them back, the LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Lamentations 3:64 (WEB)
What Lamentations 3:64 Means
The verse begins with the word “pay them back,” which means to return what is owed. The writer is not asking God for mercy on his enemies here. He is asking God to act as the fair judge who settles accounts. The phrase “according to the work of their hands” points to the idea that people reap what their actions have sown. Their violence and scheming will come back on their own heads.
It is important to see what the verse does not say. It does not tell you to take revenge, and it does not promise that you will be the one to enforce justice. It is a request placed entirely in God’s hands. The writer hands over the question of vengeance to the only one who can judge rightly.
The Context of Lamentations 3:64
Lamentations is a collection of five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The book is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, though the text itself is anonymous. Its first readers were the surviving community of Judah, many of them exiled, who were trying to make sense of the ruin of their city, their temple, and their hope.
The verses just before this one describe the speaker’s enemies mocking him and plotting against him. Verse 63 says he has become their song, the object of their ridicule. Verse 64 answers that mockery by turning the matter over to God. Read in this setting, the verse is not a bloodthirsty outburst. It is the cry of someone who has been humiliated and who refuses to pretend that the wrong does not matter.
Key Phrases in Lamentations 3:64
Romans 12:19
Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
(WEB)
Paul echoes this trust in God’s justice and urges believers to leave vengeance to him. Romans 12:19 gives the same reassurance that the wrongdoer will be dealt with, while calling the reader to restraint.
Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in him, and he will do this…
(WEB)
This psalm invites the faithful to commit their way to the LORD and wait patiently for him. It pairs well with Lamentations 3:64 because it shows that handing over injustice to God is an act of active trust, not passive resignation.
A Short Prayer From Lamentations 3:64
Lord, you have seen what has been done to me, and you have heard the words that were spoken against me. I bring those wrongs to you rather than carrying them alone or nursing them in silence. Help me to trust that you will repay each person according to what they have done, and that nothing escapes your sight. Keep my heart from becoming bitter, and free me from the need to settle every account myself. Give me patience to wait on you and wisdom to act honestly in the meantime. Amen.
