Old Testament
Lamentations 3:54
The Clear Bible Translation matches the King James Version, written at a 7th-grade reading level in plain English
At a Glance
Lamentations 3:54 is the speaker's own report of the moment he gave himself up for lost: water closed over his head, and he said that he was cut off.
- Author
- Traditionally attributed to Jeremiah
- Written
- Around 586 BC
- Genre
- Poetry and lament
- Original Audience
- Judah after the fall of Jerusalem
Water rose over my head; then I said, I am cut off.
Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
Lamentations 3:54 Meaning and Context
What the verse says, and how the surrounding passage reads
Lamentations 3:54 says: 'Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off' (KJV). The speaker is describing the moment he stopped expecting to survive. Water covers his head, and he concludes — in his own words — that his life is finished.
The verse belongs to a short, connected account in Lamentations 3:52–57. The speaker says his enemies hunted him 'like a bird' without cause (verse 52), put him in a pit and cast a stone on him (verse 53), and then the water rose over his head (verse 54). Believing he was cut off, he did the one thing left to him: 'I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon' (verse 55). The LORD heard his voice (verse 56), came near, and said, 'Fear not' (verse 57). Verse 54 is the hinge of that sequence — the last moment before the prayer that is answered.
The passage does not settle whether the water is literal or poetic. A flooded pit is possible, and it is also common for Hebrew poetry to picture danger near death as deep water — Psalm 69:1–2 and Jonah 2:5 use the same image. Either way the verse means the same thing: the trouble had closed completely over the speaker, and the words 'I am cut off' record what he believed at that moment, not the final outcome.
Lamentations is a set of five poems mourning the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The book does not name its writer; it has traditionally been attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 3 is voiced by a single sufferer who moves from grief toward hope — the same chapter says 'his compassions fail not' and 'they are new every morning' (Lamentations 3:22–23) — and verses 52–57 trace that movement in miniature.
Verse Analysis
Plain-English insight for readers
Lamentations 3:54 is the speaker's own report of the moment he gave himself up for lost: water closed over his head, and he said that he was cut off. The King James Version reads, 'Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.' Two things happen in this short verse. First, the danger reaches its peak — the water is no longer rising around him but covering him. Second, the speaker draws a conclusion: he believes his life is over. The verse states what the speaker believed at that moment, not what was actually true — the next verses show him calling on the LORD and being answered. Read this way, the verse's role in the poem is clear: it marks the lowest point of the account in Lamentations 3:52–57, right before the turn to prayer.
Related Bible verses
How to apply Lamentations 3:54 to your life
This verse gives honest words for moments that feel final. As application, it suggests two things. First, describing trouble plainly — even saying that it feels like the end — is part of honest prayer. Second, the conclusion we reach at the worst moment is not always the last word: the speaker who said he was cut off was heard and answered in the very next verses.
Curated for this public verse page. Lamentations Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick, clear answers about this verse
What does Lamentations 3:54 mean?
In Lamentations 3:54 the speaker describes water closing over his head and says he believed he was cut off — that his life was ending. The verse belongs to Lamentations 3:52–57, where enemies have thrown him into a pit; verse 54 is the moment he gives up hope, and verses 55–57 record his prayer and the LORD's answer.
What does 'I am cut off' mean in Lamentations 3:54?
It is the speaker's conclusion, in the moment, that his life is over — cut off from the living. The text presents this as what he said at his lowest point, not as a statement of fact; the verse itself does not say he was cut off from God, and the following verses show that he was heard.
Is the water in Lamentations 3:54 literal or symbolic?
The text does not say. Verses 52–53 describe a real pit with a stone cast on it, so literal water is possible; at the same time, Hebrew poetry often pictures deadly danger as deep water — Psalm 69:1–2 and Jonah 2:5 use the same image. Either way, the point is that the trouble had completely closed over the speaker.
What happens right after Lamentations 3:54?
The turn of the whole passage. In verse 55 the speaker calls on the name of the LORD 'out of the low dungeon,' verse 56 says the LORD heard his voice, and in verse 57 the LORD comes near and says, 'Fear not.' Lamentations 3:52–57 moves from being hunted and trapped to being heard and answered.
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