Lamentations 3:38-39
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The verse's question isn't asking if God causes evil in the sense of sin, but rather if He is the ultimate source of all circumstances, including trials and hardships that feel "bad." This challenges us to see even difficult providences as flowing from God's sovereign hand, not as random events.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the devastation of Jerusalem, is reflecting on the source of both prosperity and ruin. In the preceding verses, he's acknowledged God's sovereignty over all events, including the extreme suffering his people are enduring. This verse grapples directly with the difficult truth that even calamities and afflictions, which we perceive as "bad," ultimately originate from God's pronouncement and permissive will, just as blessings do.
It's easy to see God in the good things, but what about the bad? This verse challenges us to look deeper.
The prophet Jeremiah asks a powerful question here: 'Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?'
This isn't saying God causes sin or desires evil. Instead, it points to His ultimate sovereignty. Even difficult, painful circumstances – the 'bad' – ultimately come to pass because God permits them or ordains them as part of His plan.
Think of it like a wise doctor prescribing a bitter medicine. The medicine is unpleasant, but the doctor, with good intentions, allows it for the patient's ultimate healing. Similarly, God, in His infinite wisdom, allows or directs adversities for purposes far beyond our immediate understanding, often for correction, discipline, or strengthening our faith.
Does God 'cause' bad things? This verse is often misunderstood. Let's clarify the vital difference.
The verse asks if 'evil' comes from God's mouth. It's crucial to understand that 'evil' here primarily refers to 'evils of punishment' or 'afflictive dispensations' – the hardships, judgments, and trials we face. It does not refer to moral evil or sin itself.
God is perfectly good and cannot be tempted, nor is He the author of sin. Sin originates from the free choices of rebellious creatures. However, God, in His sovereign plan, can allow or ordain the consequences of sin, or use difficult circumstances for His purposes.
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So, while God is the ultimate source of all that happens, He doesn't orchestrate sin. He permits it and works within its devastating effects to bring about His good and just purposes, often to correct His people or bring about a greater good.
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.
chay · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
A state of existence in contrast to death; biblically, it emphasizes the opportunity for repentance and the grace afforded to those who are still breathing and able to seek God.
chet’ · Hebrew Noun
The divine disciplinary action or penalty imposed upon individuals or nations due to their disobedience and violation of God’s covenantal law.
This verse grapples with the profound truth that even devastating calamities, the 'evil' or affliction that befell Judah, originate from God's sovereign hand, not from a random or malevolent source. Understanding this context—the utter devastation of Jerusalem and the pain of exile—amplifies the starkness of this theological assertion.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and scattering them throughout the empire. This event marks the end of the northern kingdom and instills fear in the southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, defeats the Egyptian and Assyrian forces at Carchemish. He then marches on Jerusalem, taking Jehoiakim captive along with many elite citizens and treasures, initiating the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This further weakens Judah and signals impending doom.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces capture Jerusalem after a long siege, destroy the city and Solomon's Temple, and deport the remaining population to Babylon. This is the catastrophic event that the prophet Jeremiah mourns in Lamentations.
c. 586-539 BC
Exile in Babylon
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, facing hardship and questioning God's justice and faithfulness. The Book of Lamentations is understood as a collection of laments written during or shortly after this period.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. This marks a turning point, as Cyrus soon issues a decree allowing the exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homelands.
This passage directly echoes the sentiment, stating, 'I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord; I do all these things.' It reinforces the idea that both prosperity and disaster originate from God's sovereign hand.
Job 2:10In the midst of Job's immense suffering, his wife suggests cursing God and dying. Job's response, 'Shall we receive good from God, and not receive evil?', mirrors the profound theological question in Lamentations, affirming God's right to dispense both blessings and hardships.
Amos 3:6This prophetic declaration asks, 'When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?' It clearly attributes calamity to the Lord's decree, aligning with the understanding that God is the ultimate source of all events, both positive and negative.
Romans 8:28This New Testament passage offers a crucial lens through which to understand God's sovereignty over 'evil' and 'good.' It assures believers that 'all things work together for good' for those who love God, indicating that even difficult circumstances are part of God's redemptive plan.
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's question isn't asking if God causes evil in the sense of sin, but rather if He is the ultimate source of all circumstances, including trials and hardships that feel "bad." This challenges us to see even difficult providences as flowing from God's sovereign hand, not as random events.
The prophet Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the devastation of Jerusalem, is reflecting on the source of both prosperity and ruin. In the preceding verses, he's acknowledged God's sovereignty over all events, including the extreme suffering his people are enduring. This verse grapples directly with the difficult truth that even calamities and afflictions, which we perceive as "bad," ultimately originate from God's pronouncement and permissive will, just as blessings do.
The prophet Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the devastation of Jerusalem, is reflecting on the source of both prosperity and ruin. In the preceding verses, he's acknowledged God's sovereignty over all events, including the extreme suffering his people are enduring. This verse grapples directly with the difficult truth that even calamities and afflictions, which we perceive as "bad," ultimately originate from God's pronouncement and permissive will, just as blessings do.
"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?" — The verse's question isn't asking if God causes evil in the sense of sin, but rather if He is the ultimate source of all circumstances, including trials and hardships that feel "bad." This challeng…
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Last reviewed October 2026
