Verses 37, 38, and 39 are all rhetorical questions in the Hebrew. That is to say, they are questions which do not require an answer in English, and which can be expressed as statements, as in Good News Translation‘s translation of verses 37 and 38. Because Revised Standard Version follows the order of the words in Hebrew, verse 37 is awkward English.

As a question we may reformulate verse 37 to say, for example, “Who has said something and made it happen without first the Lord ordering it to happen?” If a reply is required, as in some languages, the answer will be “Nobody!” Many languages find it more natural to translate as a limiting statement; for example, “Only if the Lord is willing can anyone cause something to happen” or “Only if the Lord wants something to happen can anyone make it happen.”

Good News Translation gives an alternative translation for verse 37. In the text of Good News Translation the emphasis is upon the positive fulfillment of the “the will of the Lord,” and in the footnote it is on the negative aspect of man’s ability to achieve anything except with God’s help. Most translations agree with the meaning given in the footnote of Good News Translation. Verse 37 is a reference to Psalm 33.9; but the wording of the two verses is more alike in Hebrew than in most modern translations. AB is an exception: “Who was it who ‘spoke and it was done’? It was the Lord who gave the command.” This fits in with the emphasis in verses 34-36 on God’s activity today; but here the reference is to God’s activity in creation.

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 .