The alienation is further described by the action of God’s hand against them. The hand of God resembles his effective power in the world. Previously it depicted God’s beneficent guidance during the exodus and other periods in Israel’s history (see Exodus 3:19–20). Now, however, God has turned his hand against them. The hand that previously rescued them is punishing them (see Psalm 32:4; Jeremiah 21:5). This punishment is not just a past, once-off incident; it is continuous.1 There was also no relief from the constant awareness of God’s wrath and subsequent alienation. This is expressed by the phrase the whole day long.
The verb used here is in the imperfect tense, indicating incomplete, continuing action. This description echoes earlier statements of God’s hostile hand against Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:14;Lamentations 2:18) from which there is seemingly no relief.2
2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;