Lamentations 3:38 Commentary: Evil and Good from God?

Lamentations 3 is the centerpiece of the book, an acrostic poem where each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 38 belongs to the Mem stanza (vv.34-42). The broader context is the aftermath of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, a theological crisis. How could a covenant-keeping God allow His own city and temple to be destroyed? In previous verses, the poet has described terrible suffering, but now in vv.34-42 he shifts from lament to confession and hope.

Vv.34-36 condemn human oppressors who crush prisoners, pervert justice, and subvert a man’s cause. The Lord does not approve of such evil done by humans. Then v.37 asks a sharp question: “Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn’t command it?” This sets the stage for our verse. Nothing happens outside God’s command, not even the calamity that has befallen Jerusalem. The rhetorical question in v.38 drives the point home: both adversity and prosperity proceed from the mouth of the Most High. The word “mouth” (H6310 peh) here signifies God’s spoken decree, as Calvin notes.

The poet does not stop at asserting sovereignty. In vv.39-42 he turns the implication into an ethical call: since suffering comes from God as a just response to sin, a living man should not complain but rather search his ways and turn back to Yahweh. The cross-references confirm this biblical pattern. Job 2:10 shows Job accepting both good and evil from God’s hand without sin. Isaiah 45:7 has Yahweh declaring, “I make peace and create calamity.” Amos 3:6 asks, “Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it?” This is not a novel idea in the Old Testament. It is the consistent witness that God, as the righteous judge, sends both blessing and judgment, and that human sin is the reason for the latter.

The historical setting of Lamentations, a city in ruins, exiles in despair, makes this truth hard but necessary. The poet is not offering an abstract theodicy. He is preaching to people who have lost everything, calling them to see God’s hand in their disaster and to respond with repentance, not bitterness.

The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Lamentations 3:38. The Hebrew text is stable across the Masoretic tradition. The rhetorical question form is clearly attested in all witnesses.

Since the Reformation, Lamentations 3:38 has been a key text for affirming God’s absolute sovereignty over all events, including calamity. Reformed commentators such as Calvin and Gill used it to argue that nothing happens apart from God’s decree. The verse also appears in discussions of theodicy and the problem of evil. In the broader Christian tradition, it is often cited alongside Isaiah 45:7 and Job 2:10 to establish that God is Lord over both peace and disaster. The careful distinction drawn by commentators between moral evil and the evil of punishment continues to shape pastoral care and preaching on suffering.

Three-point outline

1. God’s sovereign command over all events. Verses 37-38 make the claim that nothing occurs apart from God’s decree. Every happening, whether favorable or painful, comes from His mouth. The rhetorical form demands we affirm that both good and evil proceed from the Most High. This should humble our pride and check our tendency to see events as random or beyond God’s control.
2. The evil in view is divine judgment, not moral sin. As Gill and others stress, God does not author sin. The evil that comes from His mouth is the “evil of affliction”, punishment that fits the sin. This distinction is crucial for pastoral care: suffering people need to know that God is not the source of temptation or evil desire, but He does use adversity to discipline and correct His children.
3. The proper response is repentance, not complaint. Verses 39-42 follow directly. Instead of murmuring against God, the afflicted are called to search their ways, confess their sins, and turn back to Yahweh. The purpose of God’s judgment is restoration, not destruction. This moves the congregation from passive suffering to active faith.

Five-point outline

1. God’s mouth decrees all events (v.37-38, with “mouth” as decree, per Calvin).
2. Both prosperity and adversity come from God’s hand (v.38, confirmed by Job 2:10, Isa 45:7).
3. This includes the calamity of exile and divine punishment (context of Lamentations).
4. But God is not the author of moral evil (Gill’s careful distinction).
5. Therefore, the correct response is humble self-examination and repentance (v.39-42).

Illustration hooks

• A farmer accepts both sun and hail as coming from the same sky; he does not curse the sky for the hail but adjusts his farming practices. So believers accept both good and hard times from God and adjust their lives.
• A parent grounds a child for disobedience; the grounding is real pain but is designed for correction. The child may see the grounding as evil, but the parent sees it as good. God’s perspective on our adversity may be similarly redemptive.
• A surgeon cuts into a patient to remove cancer. The cut hurts, but the patient endures it because healing requires it. God’s hard providences are often surgical.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “If God sends calamity, is He still loving?” How can we answer without denying the reality of His judgment?
• “How do I know if my suffering is punishment for a specific sin or just part of living in a fallen world?” The text points us to self-examination but not to a simplistic equation.
• “Why should I not complain when things are hard? Does the Bible expect me to be passive?” The call is to complaint that leads to repentance, not to stoic silence.

This verse stands at the pivot of Lamentations 3, where lament turns to hope. The poet insists that God rules over both good times and hard times. For a small group, this passage can challenge our assumptions about God’s character and our own responses to suffering. Work through the questions slowly; let the tension of the verse stand before rushing to resolution.

Discussion questions

1. Read Lamentations 3:34-42 aloud. What is the mood of this passage? How does the poet feel about the injustice described in vv.34-36?
2. Verse 38 asks whether evil and good both come from the mouth of the Most High. What is the expected answer? How do you personally respond to that claim?
3. Barnes, Gill, and Calvin all distinguish between moral evil (sin) and the “evil of affliction.” Why is this distinction important? What happens if we blur it?
4. Look at Job 2:10 and Isaiah 45:7. How do these cross-references support or challenge the message of Lamentations 3:38?
5. Verse 39 asks, “Why should a living man complain?” In what ways do we complain about our circumstances? Is all complaint forbidden, or is there a kind of lament that God welcomes?
6. The poet calls for self-examination and repentance (v.40-42). How does this response differ from blaming God, blaming others, or denying our own responsibility?
7. If this verse were read in a congregation that had just lost a loved one or experienced a disaster, what would need to be said alongside it to speak the truth in love?