Lamentations 5:17 Meaning: When the Heart Faints and Eyes Grow Dim
For this our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.
For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim;
For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes have grown dim,
Meaning in one sentence
Discover the meaning of Lamentations 5:17, where deep sorrow makes the heart faint and eyes dim, and how it leads to honest prayer for God's renewal.
Context
The book of Lamentations is a cry of grief after Jerusalem’s fall. Throughout the final chapter, the poet lists the city’s sufferings: children collapse under loads of wood, elders no longer gather at the gate, music has turned to mourning. Verse 17 is the raw summary of it all. The heart has gone faint. The eyes have gone dim. This is not a mild sadness, it is a body and soul worn through by disaster and defeat. Yet even here, the verse is not the end. It leads directly into an appeal to God, who remains forever, and a desperate plea for restoration. The poet lets the sorrow sit fully, but then turns toward the One who might renew.
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind “faint” is daveh, which means sick or weak. It is the same word used for a woman’s monthly weakness in Leviticus. The heart is not just sad; it is unwell, drained of strength. This is grief that lands in the body. And “dim” comes from chashakh, meaning to grow dark, as when the sun sets or sight fails. The eyes are not just teary, they are clouded over, losing their ability to see clearly. Together, these words picture a community so overwhelmed that they can barely stand or see. But note: they name it. They do not pretend. Faint hearts and dark eyes are spoken honestly to God, and that honesty becomes the ground for the prayer that follows.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators agree that the “this” and “these things” point backward to the calamities just listed, but they also point deeper. Calvin reads the verse as the people acknowledging their own sin even in their sorrow: their grief is tied to confession. Barnes focuses on the immediate loss, the crown fallen, the joy gone. Keil and Delitzsch see the sorrow as culminating in the desolation of Mount Zion, the place where God’s house stood. Across these readings, Christians find a shared truth: raw grief, when brought before God, is not rejected. It is the honest language of people who still trust that the One who sits on the eternal throne can hear them.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think this verse is mere poetic exaggeration, that the writer is only saying “we feel very sad.” In fact, the Hebrew words describe actual physical symptoms of collapse and failing sight. The poet is not being dramatic; they are reporting what prolonged suffering does to a person’s body. The faint heart and dim eyes are real, and that realism is why the prayer for renewal in the next lines carries such weight.
Living This Out
Perhaps you know what it is like to feel faint in your heart and dim in your eyes. Grief that lasts months, a disappointment that saps your energy, a situation you cannot fix. This verse gives you permission to name it that plainly. You do not have to dress up your sorrow or explain it away. You can bring the weak heart and the darkened sight to God, just as the poet did. And then, in that same honesty, you can whisper the prayer that follows: “Turn us to yourself, and we will be turned.” That is where hope begins.
Main takeaway: Honest grief that exhausts the body still belongs before the God whose throne remains from generation to generation.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Sometimes we feel so sad that our bodies feel tired and our eyes hurt from crying. We can tell God exactly how we feel, because He loves us and never stops being strong.
For ages 9, 12
Lamentations was written by people who had lost everything they loved. In this verse they describe their grief as a sick heart and dark eyes. They don’t hide from God how awful it feels. But right after saying that, they pray to God who never changes. That’s the pattern: you can bring your deepest sadness to God first, and then ask Him for a new start.
Questions People Ask
What does 'our heart is faint' mean in Lamentations 5:17?
The Hebrew word 'daveh' means sick or weak, the same word used for bodily weakness. It describes a heart that has no strength left, not just emotional sadness. This is grief that affects the whole body.
Why do the eyes grow dim in this verse?
The Hebrew verb 'chashakh' means to become dark, like when the sun sets or when eyes lose their sight. It suggests that the people have wept so much and been so exhausted that their vision is clouded. It is a physical effect of overwhelming sorrow.
What is the 'this' and 'these things' referring to?
The 'this' points back to the tragedies listed earlier in Lamentations 5: the fall of the crown, the joy turned to mourning, the elders gone from the gate. Many commentators also include the sin that caused those calamities. The phrase sums up everything that has gone wrong.
Does this verse mean we should not feel sad as Christians?
No. This verse is part of Scripture’s own prayer book. It models honest grief before God. Lament is not a lack of faith. The poet speaks from deep sorrow and still trusts God enough to ask for restoration in the verses that follow.
How does Lamentations 5:17 connect to the prayer in verses 19-22?
Verse 17 describes the depth of despair. Then verse 19 turns to God: 'You, Yahweh, remain forever.' The poet does not deny the pain, but remembers that God is eternal. That memory becomes the basis for asking God to turn them back and renew their days. The lament leads to hope.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study