Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

LAMENTATIONS 3:49KJV
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Lamentations 3:49 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 3:49 mean?

Lamentations 3:49 describes the speaker’s unending sorrow, pictured as tears that keep flowing without pause or relief. The verse uses the image of constant weeping to show deep grief that does not let up, emphasizing a sense of overwhelming sadness.

The speaker here is traditionally understood to be Jeremiah, expressing his heartbreak over the suffering and destruction of Jerusalem after its fall. The verse is part of a larger lament, where the prophet mourns not only his own pain but also the pain of his people. The language shows just how persistent and consuming this grief is, with no break or comfort in sight.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 3:49

  • עַיִן (ʿayin, "eye"): This word is often used in Hebrew poetry as a way to talk about a person’s feelings, especially sorrow, by describing tears coming from the eye.
  • נָגַר (nagar, "down"): This verb means to flow or pour down, painting a vivid picture of tears streaming continuously, not just a few drops but a steady flow.
  • דָּמָה (damah, "ceaseth"): This word carries the sense of stopping or being silent. Here, it stresses that the tears do not stop; the grief is ongoing.
  • הַפְּסֵק (haphseq, "intermission"): This word means a pause or break. Its use here underlines that there is no relief or interruption in the weeping, making the sorrow feel relentless.

Why Lamentations 3:49 matters

  • The verse helps readers grasp the depth of sorrow experienced by those who witnessed Jerusalem’s destruction, moving beyond a simple statement of sadness to a sense of never-ending grief.
  • By using strong imagery and specific words for “ceaseth” and “intermission,” the verse emphasizes just how overwhelming and inescapable the pain is, which can help modern readers understand the emotional weight carried by the survivors.
  • This verse fits into the larger structure of Lamentations, where the prophet’s personal grief mirrors the collective suffering of the people, highlighting the shared experience of loss and the absence of comfort.

Where else these words appear

“down” Hebrew H5064 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Samuel 14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
  • Psalms 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
  • Ezekiel 35:5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

“ceaseth” Hebrew H1820 · used in 14 verses

  • Psalms 49:12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
  • Jeremiah 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
  • Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.