sint intermissiones, vel ut nulla sit requies.)
JOHN CALVIN
of my people.
48. Rivi (hoc est, tanquam rivi) aquarum descendit oculus meus super contrione
(vel, afflictione, est idem nomen {)}שברfilii populi mei.
Interpreters give different explanations of the beginning of this verse: some render it thus, ``My eye comes down unto rivers of waters;'' others, ``My eye flows down unto rivers of waters,'' or, ``rivers of waters flow down.'' But as I have explained elsewhere, the Prophet rather means, that his eye came down like rivers; and to come down, or to descend, is a metaphor for flowing down; for water, as it is well known, descends when it flows. And there is a change of number when he says, ``My eye descends;'' there is also raider-stood the particle of comparison, {,}כ caph 558 The meaning is, that his eyes descended or flowed down as rivers. The last: word properly signifies divisions, but; he means that many streams flowed down, as though they were so many rivers.
For the bruising, or the breach, of my people: the Prophet speaks here in his own person, though there is no doubt but that he exhorts all others to join him in his sorrow. For the faithful would not have prayed to God with sufficient ardor, had they not been dreadfully broken and confounded; had not the calamity deeply affected them, as it ought to have done, there would have been no serious attention to prayer.
This is the reason why the Prophet here mentions his own weepings, and groanings, and tears, even that he might rouse himself to prayer, and lead others also. It follows,
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Lamentations 3:49
49. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission.
49. Oculus meus defluxit, et non quievit a non intermissionibus (hoc est, ut non sint intermissiones, vel ut nulla sit requies.)
He repeats the same in other words, --- that his eyes flowed down with tears. He still retains the singular number, but this is common in Hebrew. He then says, that his eye without end flowed down, so that there was no rest But it afterwards follows
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Lamentations 3:50
50. Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven.
50. Donec aspiciat et videat Jehova e coelis.
The Prophet here makes a distinction between his weeping and that blind sorrow by which the unbelieving are affected and violently agitated: they have no regard to God. Then the Prophet says here that he not only wept, but that he also prayed and waited for God to put an end to evils. As I have already said, the unbelieving grieve abundantly in adversities, nay, they abandon themselves to sorrow; but they turn away wholly from God, and are like wild beasts. Then the Prophet points out the right way to mourn: our eyes must flow down to weariness and without rest, but at the same time we must wait until God be propitious to us. Therefore this verse connects well with the former, 559 until Jehovah look down and see from heaven; for
558Let the verb have a causative sense, to cause to descend, to bring down, and there will be no difficulty in the clause; so the Sept. and the Vulg., — Streams of water does mine eyes bring down For the breach of the daughter of my people, — Ed
559The connection of this verse with the preceding will be more evident from the following