What does Lamentations 3:23 mean?

Lamentations 3:22-23 together read, "It is because of Yahweh's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions don't fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness." Verse 23 on its own is completing a thought: the "they" refers back to God's loving kindnesses and compassions mentioned just before. The plain meaning is straightforward — God's mercy toward his people does not run dry or grow stale. It is renewed daily, and his faithfulness to his covenant promises is vast and dependable, not sporadic or conditional on circumstances.

The book of Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, written in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The city lay in ruins, the temple was destroyed, and many of God's people were killed, starving, or carried into exile. The book is composed of five poems of grief, and chapter 3 is the most personal, written from the perspective of a man who has experienced suffering, affliction, and darkness at God's hand (see verses 1-20, which describe bitterness, broken bones, and a soul "bowed down" within him). It is precisely in the middle of this raw description of suffering that the tone shifts dramatically. Verse 21 says, "This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope." What follows in verses 22-23 is the reason for that hope — not that the suffering has ended, but that God's character has not changed even though the city has fallen.

Theologically, this verse is remarkable because it