Lamentations 3:38Doesn't evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?
The setting
Jerusalem, 586 BC. The city lies in ruins, corpses in the streets. Jeremiah sits among the rubble, questioning God's sovereignty over disaster. Modern Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: devastated but grasping for theological anchor
The original word
ra' (רָע) — calamity, disaster, the breaking of shalom, not moral evil
Why it matters
Jeremiah witnessed cannibalism during the siege when mothers ate their own children
Read with care
What most readers miss in Lamentations 3:38
This isn't about God causing sin, but about God's sovereignty over natural disasters and national calamities
Common misconceptionPeople think this means God causes sin and evil acts. But the Hebrew 'ra' means calamity or disaster, not moral evil. God doesn't tempt anyone to sin, but He does allow natural disasters and consequences.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Lamentations 3:38
Bible Genome reading
Lamentations 3:38 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Lamentations 3:38 comes from the book of Lamentations, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine sovereignty, theodicy. Notable phrases: evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same worship
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:”
— Deuteronomy 6:4
“and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
— Deuteronomy 6:5
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
— John 14:6
“Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."”
— John 8:58
Your reflection
What does Lamentations 3:38 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 "worship"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.