# Lamentations 3.23 **Book:** [Lamentations](/codex/lamentations/) · ASV ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 21. This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope. 22. It is of Jehovah's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. > > **23. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.** > > 24. Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25. Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 21. This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope. 22. It is because of Yahweh’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. “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.” 25. Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. recall: Heb. make to return to my heart 22. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. > > **23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.** > > 24. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 21. This I turn to my heart, therefore I hope. 22. The kindnesses of Jehovah! For we have not been consumed, For not ended have His mercies. > > **23. New every morning, abundant [is] thy faithfulness.** > > 24. My portion [is] Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him. 25. Good [is] Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul [that] seeketh Him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** traditionally Jeremiah (the anonymous narrator of Lamentations) - **Audience:** the survivors of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem - **Location:** Jerusalem in ruins (586 BC) - **Time period:** immediately after the Babylonian conquest, c. 586-585 BC ## Theological reading Lamentations 3:23 is one of the OT's most theologically striking *emunah* verses, set in the midst of the deepest lament in Scripture. Lamentations 3 is the central acrostic of the book, and verses 19-39 form the theological crux: in the rubble of Jerusalem, the speaker turns from the abyss of his suffering to the inexhaustible *hesed* and *emunah* of YHWH. The verse's pastoral force depends on its context, *great is thy faithfulness* is not a sunshine doxology but a hard-won confession of trust in the aftermath of national catastrophe. The verse generates the modern hymn *Great Is Thy Faithfulness* (Thomas Chisholm, 1923), which has become the most-sung *emunah* hymn in English Protestant tradition. Together with [Deuteronomy 32.4](/codex/deuteronomy-32-4/) and [Psalms 89.1-2](/codex/psalms-89-1-2/), Lam 3:23 forms the OT triad of foundational *emunah* texts. ## Key words - [H0530 - emunah](/codex/h0530-emunah/), *emunah*, *"great is thy faithfulness"* - [H2617 - hesed](/codex/h2617-hesed/), *hesed* (v. 22) ## See also - [H0530 - emunah](/codex/h0530-emunah/), the lexical hub - [H2617 - hesed](/codex/h2617-hesed/) - [Lamentations](/codex/lamentations/) - [Problem of Evil](/codex/problem-of-evil/) ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Argument from Meaningful Suffering](/codex/argument-from-meaningful-suffering/), via [Lamentations 3.21-26](/codex/lamentations-3-21-26/) - [Faith is Belief Without Evidence Objection Defeater](/codex/faith-is-belief-without-evidence-objection-defeater/) - [OT vs NT God Objection Defeater](/codex/ot-vs-nt-god-objection-defeater/), via [Lamentations 3.22-23](/codex/lamentations-3-22-23/) **Concepts:** - [100 Verses of Compassion and God's Goodness](/codex/100-verses-of-compassion-and-gods-goodness/) - [Atheism](/codex/atheism/), via [Lamentations 3.22-23](/codex/lamentations-3-22-23/) - [Faith is Belief Without Evidence Objection](/codex/faith-is-belief-without-evidence-objection/) - [OT vs NT God Objection](/codex/ot-vs-nt-god-objection/), via [Lamentations 3.22-23](/codex/lamentations-3-22-23/) **Lexicon:** - [H0530 - emunah](/codex/h0530-emunah/) - [H0539 - aman](/codex/h0539-aman/) ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.