1. Lamentations 3:1–66 (ESV)
  2. Structure and outline

The outline of Lamentations 3

Lamentations 3:1–66 (ESV)

1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath;

The chapter has been divided by Mackay (2008) into four main parts:

PART 1: The Agony of Suffering (Lamentations 3:1–24)

  1. The Darkness of Affliction (Lamentations 3:1–18)

  2. The Dawning of a New Day (Lamentations 3:19–24)

PART 2: Moving Out Of Darkness (Lamentations 3:25–39)

  1. The Lord's Goodness (Lamentations 3:25–27)

  2. Living with Catastrophe (Lamentations 3:28–30)

  3. The Lord's Compassion (Lamentations 3:31–33)

  4. Divine Disapproval (Lamentations 3:34–36)

  5. The Sovereignty of the Lord (Lamentations 3:37–39)

PART 3: Self-Examination and Complaint (Lamentations 3:40–48)

PART 4: Prayer Based on Past Experience (Lamentations 3:49–66).1

Another workable division (Huey, 1993):

  1. An individual's description of the suffering (Lamentations 3:1–20)

  2. God's past mercies as the basis for future hope (Lamentations 3:21–39)

  3. An appeal for God's mercy (Lamentations 3:40–51)

  4. An appeal for deliverance and a call for vengeance (Lamentations 3:52–66).2