Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

LAMENTATIONS 3:66KJV
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Lamentations 3:66 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 3:66 mean?

Lamentations 3:66 is a prayer asking God to pursue and destroy the enemies of the speaker in anger, removing them completely from under God’s authority in the heavens. The verse expresses a strong plea for divine judgment against those who have caused suffering.

The speaker is traditionally understood to be Jeremiah, voicing the pain and anger of the people of Jerusalem after the city’s destruction. This verse comes at the end of a long lament, where the speaker turns to God and asks for justice against those who have wronged Israel. The language is intense, reflecting the deep hurt and desire for God to act decisively.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 3:66

  • "Persecute" (רָדַף, radaph) means to chase or pursue. Here, it is a request for God to actively go after the enemies, not just passively let them be.
  • "Destroy" (שָׁמַד, shamad) means to wipe out or annihilate. The word carries a sense of total removal, not just defeat.
  • "Anger" (אַף, aph) literally means "nose" or "face," but is often used for fierce anger or wrath in Hebrew. It emphasizes the intensity of the emotion behind the request.
  • "Heavens" (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim) refers to the sky or the realm above, but in this context, it means under God’s universal authority.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH) is the personal name of Israel’s God, highlighting that the request is directed to the covenant God of Israel.

Why Lamentations 3:66 matters

  • Lamentations 3:66 shows that the Bible includes honest expressions of pain and the desire for justice, even when those prayers are harsh.
  • The verse is the climax of a personal prayer, reminding readers that lament can include asking God to deal with injustice, not just expressing sorrow.
  • This plea connects to the wider theme of Lamentations: wrestling with suffering, seeking God’s help, and trusting that God sees and responds to wrongs.

Where else these words appear

“destroy” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
  • Esther 4:8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.

“Persecute” Hebrew H7291 · used in 135 verses

  • Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
  • Judges 8:4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
  • Psalms 38:20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.