The Meaning of Lamentations 3:39 Explained

Lamentations 3:39

KJV: Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

YLT: What -- sigh habitually doth a living man, A man for his sin?

Darby: Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

ASV: Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore doth a living  man  complain,  a man  for the punishment of his sins? 

What does Lamentations 3:39 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Lamentations 3

1  The prophet bewails his own calamities
22  By the mercies of God, he nourishes his hope
37  He acknowledges God's justice
55  He prays for deliverance
64  And vengeance on his enemies

What do the individual words in Lamentations 3:39 mean?

why should complain a man living a man for - the [punishment] of his sins -
מַה־ יִּתְאוֹנֵן֙ אָדָ֣ם חָ֔י גֶּ֖בֶר עַל־ [חטאו] ؟ (חֲטָאָֽיו) ס

מַה־  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יִּתְאוֹנֵן֙  should  complain 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָנַן  
Sense: (Hithpael) complain, murmur.
אָדָ֣ם  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
חָ֔י  living 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
גֶּ֖בֶר  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֶּבֶר  
Sense: man, strong man, warrior (emphasising strength or ability to fight).
[חטאו]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
؟ (חֲטָאָֽיו)  the  [punishment]  of  his  sins 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֵטְא  
Sense: sin.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation