Lamentations 3:17-18
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This verse highlights that the absence of peace and happiness isn't just a lack of good things, but a complete forgetting of what "good" even looks like. The prophet's soul is so far removed from a state of well-being that the very concept of prosperity has faded from memory, a profound indicator of deep spiritual and emotional desolation.
my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah is in deep distress, lamenting the utter devastation of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people under God's wrath. He describes his personal experience of affliction, feeling completely abandoned and forgotten by God, as if his soul has been thrust away from any semblance of peace or well-being. In this state of despair, he can no longer even recall what happiness or prosperity feels like.
When we say 'peace,' what do we usually mean? It's easy to think of it as just the absence of conflict. But the Bible often paints a much bigger picture.
In this verse, the prophet isn't just lamenting a lack of safety from enemies. He's talking about a profound sense of well-being that's been completely stripped away.
A Deeper Kind of Peace
The prophet feels so far from this comprehensive peace that it's as if it never existed.
Imagine losing the very memory of happiness. That's the raw emotion captured here, a state so bleak that even the concept of 'good' becomes a forgotten language.
The phrase 'I have forgotten what happiness is' isn't just hyperbole; it's a stark description of profound despair.
The Mind Under Duress
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This is more than just sadness; it's a disorientation of the soul, where the very definition of a good life has been erased by hardship.
Understand the original words
nephesh · Hebrew Noun
In biblical usage, refers to the inner life of a person, including their emotions, desires, and spiritual capacity. It is the seat of life and consciousness that experiences deep anguish or joy.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
A fundamental state of wholeness, well-being, health, and harmony with God and others. It represents the fullness of life as God intended, often contrasted with chaos or distress.
tocholeth · Hebrew Noun
The confident expectation of future good based on God's character and promises. It is not wishful thinking but a firm assurance anchored in the faithfulness of the Lord.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of God (Yahweh), revealing Him as the self-existent, faithful, and personal God who keeps His promises to His people.
The profound despair and sense of lost prosperity in Lamentations 3:17 vividly capture the trauma of Jerusalem's destruction and the subsequent Babylonian exile, a national catastrophe that shattered the people's sense of security and well-being.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem, exiling some of the Judean elite, including the prophet Daniel. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline and Babylonian dominance.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Jerusalem is besieged and conquered again. King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
After a prolonged siege and rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroys Jerusalem and its Temple. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon.
c. 586-538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, stripped of their homeland, king, and central place of worship. This period of profound loss and disorientation shapes their identity and theology.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, ushering in the Persian Empire. This shifts the political landscape and offers a glimmer of hope for the exiles.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the end of the major exile.
This passage uses very similar phrasing, describing a soul feeling cast off and overwhelmed by troubles, mirroring Lamentations' deep sense of despair and lost peace.
Jeremiah 20:14-18Jeremiah, like the author of Lamentations, expresses profound anguish and questions his birth due to immense suffering, highlighting the burden of prophecy and national calamity.
Job 30:26-27Job's lament echoes the loss of peace and happiness, describing a time when he expected good but found only disaster, feeling like he no longer knows what comfort is.
Romans 8:38-39This New Testament passage provides a powerful contrast, asserting that no tribulation, distress, or hardship can separate us from God's love, which stands in stark opposition to the utter desolation felt in Lamentations 3:17.
pooleLamentations 3:17: "And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity."
Peace here signifieth prosperity , rather than a freedom from war . Though during the siege they were far from peace in a strict sense, yet in their captivity they had that peace; but both their minds were far off from quiet, and their persons from prosperity: the prophet owneth God as the cause of this. They had in Canaan lived prosperously, but now they thought of it no more, nor understood what such a…
pulpitLamentations 3:17: "And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity."
Verse 17. - Thou hast removed my soul; rather, thou hast rejected my soul. The words look like a quotation from Psalm 88:14 (Hebrew, 15), where they are undoubtedly an address to Jehovah. But there is another rendering, which grammatically is equally tenable, and which avoids the strangely abrupt address to God, viz. My soul is rejected (from peace).
This verse highlights that the absence of peace and happiness isn't just a lack of good things, but a complete forgetting of what "good" even looks like. The prophet's soul is so far removed from a state of well-being that the very concept of prosperity has faded from memory, a profound indicator of deep spiritual and emotional desolation.
The prophet Jeremiah is in deep distress, lamenting the utter devastation of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people under God's wrath. He describes his personal experience of affliction, feeling completely abandoned and forgotten by God, as if his soul has been thrust away from any semblance of peace or well-being. In this state of despair, he can no longer even recall what happiness or prosperity feels like.
The prophet Jeremiah is in deep distress, lamenting the utter devastation of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people under God's wrath. He describes his personal experience of affliction, feeling completely abandoned and forgotten by God, as if his soul has been thrust away from any semblance of peace or well-being. In this state of despair, he can no longer even recall what happiness or prosperity feels like.
"my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”" — This verse highlights that the absence of peace and happiness isn't just a lack of good things, but a complete forgetting of what "good" even looks like. The prophet's soul is so far removed from a s…
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Last reviewed October 2026
