Lamentations 3:38
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Lamentations 3:38
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse uses a rhetorical question not to deny God's sovereignty, but to emphasize that even hardships and troubles ultimately originate from His pronouncements and plans. This is not about God causing sin, but about His authority over all of life's circumstances, whether perceived as "good" or "bad," to fulfill His purposes.
The prophet Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people, grapples with the harsh realities of God's judgment. In the preceding verses, he has described the suffering and affliction that have befallen them, acknowledging that these troubles are far less than their sins deserve. This verse continues this reflection by posing a rhetorical question, acknowledging that both calamity and prosperity ultimately originate from God's sovereign hand.
When disaster strikes, it's easy to feel like life is chaotic and out of control. But what if even the 'bad' things ultimately serve a divine purpose?
This verse confronts us with a profound truth: God, the Most High, is the ultimate source of both good and bad that happens in our lives. The original Hebrew phrasing is actually a question, strongly implying that, yes, these things do come from God's mouth.
This isn't to say God causes sin or delights in suffering. Rather, it means that all circumstances, even those we perceive as 'evil' or afflictive (like calamities, punishments, or hardships), are ultimately under His sovereign control and directed by His will. He permits them, directs them, and uses them for His purposes, just as He directs the good things.
Think of it like a sculptor. The chisel can cause pain as it chips away, but the sculptor's intent is to reveal beauty. God's hand, though it may wield the chisel of hardship, is guided by wisdom and love, working towards a greater good.
If God is the source of all, does that make Him responsible for sin? This verse requires careful consideration to avoid misunderstanding God's character.
It's crucial to understand what 'evil' refers to in this context. The commentaries rightly point out that this verse does not mean God is the author of sin itself. Sin originates from rebellion against God, not from His decree.
Instead, the 'evil' spoken of here refers to afflictions, judgments, and the difficult dispensations of providence that God permits or ordains as part of His plan. While sin brings suffering, God's relationship to that suffering is one of sovereign direction and purpose, not sinful intent.
God's permissive will allows for evil to occur, but His active will directs all things – including permitted evil – towards righteous ends. He never tempts people to sin, nor does He endorse wrongdoing. His authority over adversity is about His ultimate control and redemptive purpose, not His endorsement of sin.
Understand the original words
‘Elyown · Hebrew Noun
The sovereign God over all creation; the title emphasizes His supremacy, transcendence, and absolute authority over all earthly powers and events.
ra‘ah · Hebrew Noun
In this context, referring to the moral or physical hardships, calamities, or afflictions that result from human transgression. It reflects the consequences of turning away from God’s holiness.
This verse speaks powerfully from the ashes of Jerusalem's destruction and the trauma of exile. It's a profound reflection that even in the midst of devastating judgment, the people of God are wrestling with the truth that all of life, both sorrow and blessing, ultimately flows from the sovereign hand of the Most High.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation of its people and the scattering of the ten tribes.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and takes a first group of Jewish exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
More Jewish people, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon following a revolt against Babylonian rule.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon.
This passage echoes the sentiment of Lamentations, with Job's wife suggesting he curse God and die, to which Job wisely responds that they should accept good from God but not bad, affirming God's sovereignty over all circumstances.
Isaiah 45:7This verse directly states that God forms light and creates darkness, and makes peace and creates calamity, powerfully illustrating the concept that both 'good' and 'bad' ultimately originate from God's sovereign hand.
Amos 3:6Amos questions whether disaster can strike a city if the Lord has not ordained it, reinforcing the theological point that even calamitous events are within God's decree and plan.
Romans 9:20-21Paul uses the analogy of a potter and clay to describe God's absolute authority over creation, including the ability to make vessels for honor and dishonor, which aligns with God's sovereign power over both blessings and hardships.
pooleLamentations 3:38: "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?"
In the Hebrew the form of these words is interrogatory, as much as if he should say, Doth not evil come out of God’s mouth from his direction and command, and from his providence, as well as good? He speaks of evils of punishment, judicial afflictive dispensations; so it agreeth with Job 2:10 Amos 3:6 . It is no reproach unto God to make him the author of his own punishments, though we call them evil.
wesleyLamentations 3:38: "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?"
3:38 Evil - Doth not evil or trouble come out of God's mouth from his direction, and providence, as well as good?
The verse uses a rhetorical question not to deny God's sovereignty, but to emphasize that even hardships and troubles ultimately originate from His pronouncements and plans. This is not about God causing sin, but about His authority over all of life's circumstances, whether perceived as "good" or "bad," to fulfill His purposes.
The prophet Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people, grapples with the harsh realities of God's judgment. In the preceding verses, he has described the suffering and affliction that have befallen them, acknowledging that these troubles are far less than their sins deserve. This verse continues this reflection by posing a rhetorical question, acknowledging that both calamity and prosperity ultimately originate from God's sovereign hand.
The prophet Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of his people, grapples with the harsh realities of God's judgment. In the preceding verses, he has described the suffering and affliction that have befallen them, acknowledging that these troubles are far less than their sins deserve. This verse continues this reflection by posing a rhetorical question, acknowledging that both calamity and prosperity ultimately originate from God's sovereign hand.
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c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers the Babylonian Empire, opening the door for the Jewish exiles to return to Judah.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, ending the Babylonian exile.
"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?" — The verse uses a rhetorical question not to deny God's sovereignty, but to emphasize that even hardships and troubles ultimately originate from His pronouncements and plans. This is not about God cau…