Introduction: Hope Through Syntax in the Poetry of Lament
Lamentations 5:21 stands near the close of one of the most theologically and emotionally charged books in the Hebrew Bible. After chapters of devastation, confession, and silence, this verse issues a cry not only for divine attention but for spiritual return and covenantal restoration. The verse reads:
הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהוָ֤ה אֵלֶ֨יךָ֙ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃
Return us to You, O LORD, and we shall return; renew our days as of old.
At first glance, this verse appears as a simple plea. But its verbal forms are rich with theological and grammatical significance. The syntax of imperative and cohortative forms constructs a theology of dependence, in which human return is predicated upon divine initiative. The verse also reveals literary artistry: it is structured chiastically and contains key themes of repentance, renewal, and memory of covenantal blessing.
Grammatical Feature Analysis: Imperatives and Cohortatives
The first verb הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ is a hiphil imperative masculine singular 2ms of the root שׁ־ו־ב (“to return”), with a 1cp pronominal suffix (“us”). It is vocative in nature, addressed directly to YHWH: “Cause us to return” or more dynamically, “Bring us back.” The causative stem (hiphil) is key—Israel cannot return on its own. The grammar expresses dependence on divine agency for repentance or restoration.
The second verb וְנָשׁוּבָה is a qal cohortative 1cp of the same root. The cohortative, which expresses volition, desire, or resolve, here likely means: “so that we may return” or “then we shall return.” The use of the cohortative after the imperative sets up a cause-and-effect relationship: divine initiative leads to human response. The waw prefix is consecutive, linking the two actions logically and theologically.
The third clause חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם uses another hiphil imperative, חַדֵּשׁ (“renew”), from the root ח־ד־שׁ. It governs the object יָמֵינוּ (“our days”), and the temporal phrase כְּקֶדֶם (“as of old”) implies a longing for a past state of covenantal wholeness—whether that refers to the days of the monarchy, the wilderness, or original intimacy with YHWH. The appeal to memory is both literary and theological: the past is not idealized for nostalgia, but as a benchmark of divine favor and presence.
Exegetical Implications of Volitional Structure
This verse expresses a classic motif of biblical theology: repentance (שׁוּב) is possible only by divine grace. The parallel between הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ and וְנָשׁוּבָה embodies the dialectic of divine initiative and human response. Theologically, this reflects Deuteronomy 30:2–6, where YHWH is said to “circumcise the heart” of the people so they can love Him and live.
Moreover, the hiphil of שׁוּב carries covenantal weight. This is not simply “turning around” in a moral sense, but being restored to a former state of relationship. The second half of the verse links this return to a renewal: חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ is a plea not only for geographical or political restoration, but for time itself to be reset, transformed.
Rabbinic commentators such as Rashi and Ibn Ezra interpret this verse as eschatological: it is a call for messianic redemption, not merely post-exilic recovery. The prayer is left open-ended in the text, with verse 22 forming either an appended question or an unresolved tension, depending on manuscript tradition.
Cross-Linguistic and Literary Parallels
The structure of imperative + cohortative is common in both biblical Hebrew and other Semitic languages for expressing desired causation. In Akkadian, similar prayer forms appear where a deity is asked to act first, so that the worshiper may respond (e.g., “Turn your face to me, and I will serve you”). In Ugaritic laments, the causative stem is used in divine address to request relational restoration.
The Septuagint renders הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ with ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς and וְנָשׁוּבָה with καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομεν, maintaining the cause-effect relationship through Greek aorist and future forms. This preserves the theology that divine agency precedes human repentance.
Theological and Literary Significance of Syntax in Lament
Lamentations 5:21 is a model of biblical poetics where grammar is theology. The progression from divine action (cause us to return) to human response (and we shall return) followed by renewal (renew our days) is both logical and eschatological. The people do not merely want forgiveness—they want transformation and restoration of covenantal time.
The use of the verb חָדַשׁ (“renew”) is also significant. It evokes the promise of newness in prophetic literature: new covenant (Jeremiah 31), new spirit (Ezekiel 36), new creation (Isaiah 65). This single word links the lament of exile with the hope of recreation.
Syntax of Return: Volition, Grace, and Time in Lamentations 5:21
Through the combined use of imperative and cohortative forms, Lamentations 5:21 articulates a theology of grace-dependent repentance and covenant renewal. The grammatical structure reflects a heart that knows it cannot return to God without divine help—and that longs not only to return, but to be renewed. Syntax, in this verse, becomes liturgy: a grammar of grief transformed into hope.
