Lamentations 3:2

He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Into darkness.—The moral darkness of perplexity as well as misery. The cry of the mourner was like that of Ajax (Hom. Il. xvii. 647), “Slay me if thou wilt, but slay me in the light.”

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-20 The prophet relates the more gloomy and discouraging part of his experience, and how he found support and relief. In the time of his trial the Lord had become terrible to him. It was an affliction that was misery itself; for sin makes the cup of affliction a bitter cup. The struggle between unbelief and faith is often very severe. But the weakest believer is wrong, if he thinks that his strength and hope are perished from the Lord.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That hath seen affliction - i. e. hath experienced, suffered it.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. darkness—calamity.

light—prosperity.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Darkness in Scripture (metaphorically taken) signifies ignorance, sin, and misery; and light signifies knowledge, a state of grace, or a state of mirth and jollity; they are both here taken in the latter sense, as light is taken, Esther 8:16 Micah 7:8 Job 18:5 Psalm 97:11; and also darkness is used, Jeremiah 13:16 2 Samuel 22:29 Proverbs 20:20 Joel 2:2 Ezekiel 32:8. The sense is, God hath not brought me into a joyful and prosperous, but into a sad and calamitous, estate and condition.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He hath led me, and brought me into darkness,.... Which oftentimes signifies distress, calamity, and affliction, of one sort or another: thus the Jews were brought into the darkness of captivity; Jeremiah to the darkness of a dungeon, to which there may be an allusion; and Christ his antitype was under the hidings of God's face; and at the same time there was darkness all around him, and all over the land; and all this is attributed to God; it being by his appointment, and by his direction and permission:

but not into light; prosperity and joy; the affliction still continuing; though God does in his due time bring his people to the light of comfort, and of his gracious presence, as he did the above persons; see Psalm 97:11.

Geneva Study Bible

He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Lamentations 3:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"Me hath He (God) led and brought through darkness (חשׁך, local accus.), and not light," is a combination like that in Job 12:25 and Amos 5:18. The path of Jeremiah's life certainly lay through darkness, but was not wholly devoid of light, because God had promised him His protection for the discharge of his official functions. The complaint applies to all the godly, to whom, at the fall of Jerusalem, no light appeared to cheer the darkness of life's pathway.