The call to repentance in verses 40-41 now becomes a prayer of confession addressed to God. Verse 42 shows the comparison between what Israel has done and what God has done or failed to do in response to his people’s deeds.

We have transgressed and rebelled: for transgressed see the discussion of “transgressions” in 1.5. For rebelled see the discussion at 1.18.

Forgiven translates a Hebrew word for which God is always the actor, the one who forgives his people. The central element in the meaning is the removal of the wrong behavior (disobedience) and the subsequent establishment of a right relationship between God and the people.

Transgressed and rebelled may be rendered in some languages, for example, as “We have sinned and made our hearts hard toward God” or “We have done evil things and said ‘No’ to God.” Forgiven is expressed in idiomatic forms in some languages; for example, “healed the neck,” “caused the heart to soften,” “handed back someone’s sins to him,” or “thrown away someone’s evil.”

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 .