Lamentations 3:22 (KJV) reads, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not," and verse 23 adds, "They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Together they mean God's mercy has not run out, even in the worst of times. Each day brings a fresh supply of His compassion, because He is faithful to His people.
Lamentations 3:22-23 is one of the most loved promises in the Bible, and the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness took its title from it. But many people are surprised to learn where it sits. The book of Lamentations is a collection of five funeral poems written after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. The temple was burned, the city was starving and the people were taken into exile. Jewish and Christian tradition both link the book with the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 3 begins in deep darkness, and only after twenty verses of honest grief does the writer turn and remember God's mercy. That is why these two verses carry such weight: they were written in the ruins, not on a sunny day. Below are the verses around the passage, the passage itself and four related verses, with notes on each. As a new year approaches, many people choose these words as their verse for January. If you want to start one, our free New Year scripture plan is a gentle place to begin. For more on this theme, see Bible verses about the faithfulness of God.
Before the turn: Lamentations 3 in the dark
1. Lamentations 3:1
"I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath."
Chapter 3 opens with a man speaking for his whole nation: I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. The verses that follow describe darkness, walls, chains and broken bones. The writer does not hide his pain or dress it up. That matters, because it shows the hope in verse 22 is not a slogan from someone who never suffered. If you are hurting, you are allowed to say so to God. The Bible gives you words for it, and Lamentations is one place to find them.
2. Lamentations 3:19
"Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall."
Here the writer prays his memories: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. Wormwood and gall were bitter plants, a picture of how sour life had become. Remembering pain can drag us down, and verse 20 admits it: his soul was bowed low. Many people know that feeling at the end of a hard year. It is honest to bring that bitterness to God rather than pretend. The turn is about to come, but it starts here, with the truth.
3. Lamentations 3:21
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope."
This is the hinge of the chapter: This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. The writer chooses what to remember. He cannot change the ruins around him, but he can turn his mind to what he knows about God. Hope in the Bible is often a decision to recall God's character when feelings say otherwise. You might write this verse on a card and read it each morning. What will you call to mind today?
4. Lamentations 3:22
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not."
What he recalls is this: It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Consumed means wiped out. The people had lost almost everything, but they were still alive, and the writer saw that as mercy. The Hebrew word for mercies here is often linked with God's steadfast, covenant love, the kind that holds on. Compassions fail not: God's tender care does not run dry. It has not run dry for you either.
Lamentations 3:23-26: great is thy faithfulness
5. Lamentations 3:23
"They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
The most quoted line comes next: They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. God's compassions are like the manna in the wilderness, given fresh each day. Yesterday's mercy was enough for yesterday, and today there is a new supply. Then the writer stops describing God and speaks to Him: thy faithfulness. In the middle of grief, he turns to worship. This is why the verse fits New Year so well. Each sunrise, and each January, is a reminder that God has not changed.
6. Lamentations 3:24
"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. A portion was a share of the family land. When Israel entered Canaan, the priests received no land, because the LORD Himself was their portion. The exiles had lost their land, but the writer says he still has the best inheritance of all: God. When plans and possessions fall away, the LORD remains your portion. That is solid ground for hope.
7. Lamentations 3:25
"The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. After the turn, the writer explains how to live in the meantime: wait and seek. Waiting is not doing nothing. It is looking to God in prayer and in His Word while He works. The verse says plainly that God is good to those who wait. Even when the answer is slow, His goodness is already at work.
8. Lamentations 3:26
"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. Quietly is an important word. The city was full of noise, panic and blame, but the writer chose a calm, steady trust. Salvation here means rescue and restoration, which God did bring when the exiles returned decades later. Quiet waiting is a gift you can give your heart in a loud season. For more verses on it, see Bible verses about waiting on God.
Mercy that keeps coming back
9. Lamentations 3:31-32
"For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies."
A few verses later the writer adds: For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. Hard seasons are not the end of the story. Verse 33 adds that God does not afflict willingly. Grief is real, but compassion has the final word, and there is a multitude of mercies, more than we can count. That word multitude answers the fear that we have used up God's patience.
10. Lamentations 3:55-56
"I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry."
Near the end of the chapter the writer remembers a prayer: I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice. This may recall Jeremiah being lowered into a muddy pit (Jeremiah 38:6). From the lowest place, the writer called, and God heard. If you feel you are at the bottom, this is a verse to pray. Hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Even a breath, a sigh too weak to be words, reaches God.
11. Lamentations 5:21
"Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."
The book ends with a prayer for a fresh start: Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. The people knew they could not fix themselves, so they asked God to turn them back to Him. Renew our days is a beautiful New Year prayer. It does not ask for a perfect year. It asks God to restore what was lost and to draw us close again.
12. Zephaniah 3:5
"The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame."
The prophet Zephaniah, who lived shortly before Jerusalem fell, used the same morning picture: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not. God is not tired or forgetful. Every morning He is still just, still present, still at work. The just LORD is in the midst thereof. Put this verse beside Lamentations 3:23 and you see the same truth from two angles: God's faithfulness shows up fresh at the start of every day.
A short prayer
LORD, it is of Your mercies that we are not consumed, because Your compassions fail not. Thank You that they are new every morning. When I remember what hurts, help me also to call to mind who You are. You are my portion, and I will hope in You. Teach me to wait quietly for You and to seek You each day. Turn me to You, and renew my days in this new year. Great is Your faithfulness. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Start the year with our free New Year scripture plan · Copy Lamentations 3:22-23 with the free January scripture writing plan · Begin each morning with the 30-Day Prayer Journal
Frequently asked questions
What does Lamentations 3:22-23 mean?
It means God's mercy has not run out. Even after Jerusalem was destroyed, the writer saw that the people were still alive because of the LORD's mercies. His compassions do not fail; they are given fresh every morning, like daily manna. The closing words, "great is thy faithfulness," turn the promise into praise. For more encouragement, see Bible verses about mercy.
Who wrote Lamentations 3:22-23?
The book of Lamentations does not name its author. Jewish tradition and many Christians link it to the prophet Jeremiah, who saw the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and wept over the city. The Greek Old Testament even adds a note naming him. Whoever held the pen, the poems speak for a whole grieving nation, and chapter 3 gives a personal voice to that grief and to the hope inside it.
Is Great Is Thy Faithfulness from Lamentations 3?
Yes. Thomas Chisholm wrote the words of the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness in 1923, and William Runyan set them to music. The title and theme come from Lamentations 3:23, and the refrain's line about morning-by-morning mercies echoes "They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23). Many churches sing it at New Year services and funerals because it holds grief and hope together, just as the chapter does.
Is Lamentations 3:22-23 a good verse for the New Year?
It is one of the most popular choices. "They are new every morning" fits a fresh calendar, and the passage is honest about hard years too. You could write it on the first page of a journal, pray verse 21 each morning in January or memorize verses 22 to 26. Try the free January scripture writing plan or read our New Year prayers.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Faithfulness of God · Mercy · Morning · Hope · New Year · New Beginning · Waiting on God · Grief
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