Verses 25, 26, and 27 each begin with the Hebrew tob “good.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him: good applies to the quality of the relationship the LORD has with those who wait for him. See also Psalm 34.8; 86.5. The expression The LORD is good to those must sometimes be expressed in such a form as “The LORD does good things to those…” or “The LORD gives good things to those….” Wait for translates a verb whose meaning is most probably “trust in, have confidence in, depend on.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant say “who count on him” as an expression of trust. In some languages “trust in him” may be translated idiomatically; for example, “who put their heart on God” or “who have a quiet innermost toward God.”

The soul that seeks him is parallel in meaning to those who wait for him in the previous half-line. Soul is the Hebrew nefesh, meaning here “the person, anyone, everyone, all.” Seeks literally means to search, look for. The same verb is used in this way in many passages in the Psalms; for example, Psalm 9.10 “… for thou, O LORD, hast not forsaken those who seek thee.” See also Psalm 22.26; 34.4, 10; 69.32. With God as object the word may mean “to pray to, worship, or serve.” It is sometimes translated “turn to,” as in Bible en français courant, which says in verse 25 “for those who turn to him.” It is necessary in translating this term to avoid giving the impression that God is a lost object to be found. Accordingly we may sometimes translate “to everyone who comes to you,” “to all who worship you,” or “to everyone who wants to serve you.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .