Lamentations 3:15He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood.
The setting
Jerusalem, 586 BC. Jeremiah tastes literal ash and bitter herbs, but worse - his soul is saturated with the bitterness of watching God's judgment unfold exactly as he prophesied...
The emotion here: poisoned by grief and unable to taste hope
The original word
la'anah (לַעֲנָה) — wormwood, a bitter desert plant so toxic it represents God's judgment
Why it matters
Wormwood was mixed with water as punishment for adultery in ancient Near East
Read with care
What most readers miss in Lamentations 3:15
Being 'sated' with bitterness means forced to drink until you can't take anymore
Common misconceptionMany think God filled Jeremiah with bitterness as punishment, but this describes the natural result of witnessing national destruction while being powerless to stop it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Lamentations 3:15
Bible Genome reading
Lamentations 3:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Lamentations 3:15 comes from the book of Lamentations, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include bitter experience, divine discipline. Notable phrases: filled me with bitterness; sated me with wormwood. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Lamentations 3:15 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "grieving"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.