And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
इस पद की टीका
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." (Lamentations 3:22)
Lamentations 3:22 stands at one of the great turning points in Scripture. For twenty-one verses the prophet has poured out the most intense personal anguish — he is the man "that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath" (v. 1). He has been driven into darkness, imprisoned, hunted, filled with bitterness and wormwood. At verse 18 he reaches the lowest point: "My strength and my hope is perished from Jehovah." Then, from utter prostration, hope begins to rise. Verse 21 — "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope" — is the hinge. And verse 22 gives the ground of that hope.
"It is of Jehovah's Mercies That We Are Not Consumed"
William Kelly gives careful exegetical treatment, noting a textual question in the ancient versions. The Targum, the Septuagint, and the Syriac render it as "The mercies of Jehovah are not consumed," but Kelly prefers the Vulgate and the Authorized Version:
William KellyThere is no doubt, I think, that the ground of hope which the prophet lays to heart, as he said in verse 21, is stated in the following verses: "It is of Jehovah's mercies that we are not consumed, because his mercies fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Jehovah is my portion; therefore will I hope in him." The last clause confirms the thought that verse 21 is anticipative, and that here the spring is touched.
For the turn given by the Targum, and the older versions, save the Vulgate, namely, "The mercies of Jehovah are not consumed, for his compassions fail not," I see no sufficient reason, though Calvin considers this sense more suitable. The Latin and our own version seem to me preferable, not only as being clearer but as giving greater prominence to the persons of His people, and yet maintaining in the last clause what the others spread over both clauses.
Kelly emphasizes that this is not abstract theology but an experiential discovery — the prophet, at the end of all human resources, finds his only shelter in what God is in Himself:
It is a goodly portion without doubt, though unbelief thinks it nothing and pines after some one to show any good after a tangible sort, the corn and wine and oil of this creation. But to have Him who has all things and who is Himself infinitely more than all He has is beyond comparison a better portion, as he must own who by grace believes it.
Jeremiah Himself — The Living Proof
An article in The Bible Treasury (1869) draws out a striking point: Jeremiah himself, still alive despite everything inflicted on him, was the living evidence of verse 22:
Great as were the desolation of the city, and the trials of the nation, they were not consumed. Jeremiah himself, one of them, and others too, alive on earth were witnesses of this. How could they account for this? They deserved to be swept off the earth, but God in mercy had come in. "It is of the Lord's mercy we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." His justice demanded the execution of the deserved judgment, but His mercy, of which they were living examples, gave hope for the future.
The writer identifies the crucial shift between chapters 1–2 and chapter 3. In the earlier chapters, Jerusalem is wholly occupied with what God had done to her — the punishment of her sins — and this yields no hope whatsoever. But when she turns to what God is, everything changes:
As long as Jerusalem was occupied with all that God had done to His city and people she was occupied with the punishment of her sins, but when she can think of what the Lord is and how the continual existence of a remnant is a proof of His mercy, hope revives in her heart, and she can look up.
And then this memorable exclamation:
What a ground to stand on, what a refuge to fly to — "his compassions!" "They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness." What a thing it is to find one's only shelter in what He is in Himself. But what can afford more security than this?
"His Compassions Fail Not" — The Cup of Mercies
J. T. Mawson meditates on how Jeremiah had almost forgotten, in his misery, a second cup that had been put to his lips:
J. T. MawsonHe remembered the wormwood and the gall, but another cup had been put to his lips that, in his misery, he had almost forgotten — a cup of mercies. "It is of the Lord's mercies," he says, "that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." "Therefore we have hope." What was it that sustained our souls in the past when they were all but overwhelmed? The Lord's mercies! Therefore we have hope. When other helpers failed and comforts fled, what was it that failed not? His compassions. For "His compassions are new every morning and great is His faithfulness." Aye, the sorrows did not come alone, the mercies followed hard upon their heels.
Mawson then presses the point one step further — suppose there were neither mercies nor compassions?
And suppose there were neither mercies nor compassions, What then? Then, "The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in Him."
Applied to the Lives of the Saints
Hamilton Smith finds this verse reaching into the experience of every believer who must endure prolonged trial. Writing on Joseph's years in prison:
Hamilton SmithJoseph may fail, just as we may and do, but the Lord's "compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul; therefore I hope in Him." The devil may tempt us day by day, and God may test by keeping us waiting from day to day, nevertheless His mercy will be renewed every day.
And on Elijah's flight from Jezebel, where the prophet's faith collapsed after Carmel but God's compassions did not:
Our faith may grow dim; we may be downcast by reason of the apparent failure of all our service, and in our moments of depression and disappointment we may lose heart and think bitter thoughts, pray unadvisedly, and even murmur at our hard lot, yet God's tender care never ceases; His mercies never fail.
Samuel Ridout, commenting on Job, uses Lamentations 3:22 as the measure by which Job's complaints fall short. Jeremiah knew the same anguish — "He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out; He hath made my chain heavy" — but pressed through to what Job at that point could not reach:
Samuel RidoutBut he goes on: — "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not … It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (vers. 22, 26). We fail to find anything like this in Job's words.
F. A. Hughes beautifully connects the daily renewal of compassions (v. 22–23) with the manna gathered fresh each morning in the wilderness:
F. A. HughesThe manna too was to be gathered in the morning, the evidence of God's provision for His people day by day, as we read elsewhere, "His compassions fail not. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23).
J. G. Bellett links the verse to God's covenant faithfulness toward Israel as a nation — even under the severest governmental discipline, His compassion toward them could not ultimately fail:
J. G. BellettIsrael as God's nation could not be consumed, because God's gifts and calling are without repentance (Rom. 11:29), because His compassion towards them could not fail (Lam. 3:22).
Leslie M. Grant draws a practical lesson for worship: just as God's mercies are always fresh, our response to them ought to be equally fresh:
Leslie M. GrantJust as God's mercies are "new every morning" (Lam. 3:22-23), so our occasions of thanksgiving should be always new and fresh.
Synthesis
The force of this verse lies entirely in its position. It comes not at a moment of ease but at the absolute nadir of human experience. Jeremiah has exhausted every complaint; his strength and hope have perished. And from the depths of acknowledged helplessness he discovers a bedrock that does not give way — the character of God Himself. The mercy spoken of here is not a general benevolence; it is the specific, covenant faithfulness of Jehovah toward a people who deserved nothing but destruction. That they still existed at all was the proof. Jeremiah, standing alive among the ruins, was the evidence that God's compassions had not failed. And because those compassions are "new every morning," every fresh day brings not merely the continuation of old mercy but a fresh expression of it — as fresh as the manna that Israel gathered at dawn, as unfailing as the God who sends it.