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Lamentations 1:13,22
From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolateand faint all the day…

Leviticus 26:36
And upon them that are leftalive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

Isaiah 1:5
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

our eyes

Lamentations 2:11
Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

Deuteronomy 28:65
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:

Job 17:7
Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my membersare as a shadow.

because of these, our eyes grow dim—
The phrase "because of these" points to the visible signs of devastation and suffering, such as the destruction of the temple, the loss of their homeland, and the suffering of the people. The dimming of eyes is a metaphor for losing hope and vision, both physically and spiritually. In ancient Near Eastern culture, bright eyes were a sign of vitality and life, while dim eyes indicated sorrow and decline. This imagery is echoed inJob 17:7, where Job describes his eyes growing dim from grief. The dimming of eyes can also symbolize the loss of spiritual insight and understanding, emphasizing the need for divine intervention and the hope of future redemption through God's promises.

Jeremiah is pointing back to the ruins, famine, and humiliation described inLamentations 5:1–16.

• The “this” covers burned gates (5:10), ravaged women (5:11), disgraced elders (5:12), and orphaned children (5:3).

• God had warned that covenant disobedience would bring exactly these curses (Deuteronomy 28:15–68), and now every warning has come true.

• Seeing prophecy fulfilled in judgment reminds us that the Lord’s word stands unchanged, just asIsaiah 40:8 andMatthew 24:35 affirm.

• “Faint” pictures inner collapse—courage drained, resolve gone (Psalm 61:2;Ezekiel 21:7).

• Sin has emotional consequences; when fellowship with the Lord is broken, spiritual vitality withers (Psalm 32:3–4).

• Yet even here there is a hint of hope: God notices crushed hearts (Psalm 34:18) and revives the contrite (Isaiah 57:15).

• The plural shifts attention from one specific loss to a pileup of sorrows—ruined land, enemy scorn, and God-withdrawn glory (Lamentations 2:15; 4:1).

• Repetition underscores accountability: Judah cannot blame chance or fate; “these” are covenant outcomes (Leviticus 26:27–39).

• The phrase invites honest inventory of personal sins that produce corporate pain, echoingDaniel 9:5–13.

• Dim eyes portray grief so deep it clouds sight (Psalm 6:7;Job 17:7).

• Tears mingle with shock at the temple’s desolation (Lamentations 2:11, 18; 5:18), and eyesight weakens from hunger and sorrow (1 Samuel 14:29).

• In Scripture, darkened vision can also signal spiritual dullness (Isaiah 6:10), yet God promises renewed sight when repentance comes (Isaiah 35:5).

Lamentations 5:17 captures the cause-and-effect rhythm of covenant life: disobedience ushers in devastation, and devastation drains both heart and sight. The verse traces a straight line from sin-produced calamity (“because of this/these”) to personal collapse (“our hearts are faint…our eyes grow dim”). Even so, the God who fulfilled His warnings invites the faint-hearted and dim-eyed back to Himself, ready to restore those who return in humble repentance.