Matthew Poole and continuators on Lamentations 3:51

51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart, because of all the daughters of my city .

The eye and the ear, are those organs of the body, by which the soul exerciseth its senses to bring in all objects whether pleasant or sad to the understanding to judge of them, according to the judgment of which upon them it is affected, with joy or sorrow, desire or aversation, &c. and the eye is the chiefest of these because its evidence is more certain, and less subject to deceit. The Prophet, and most of the Iews were eye-witnesses to the Evils which had befallen the Iewes, and which at present were upon them. So as their hearts were the more affected. The word translated affect, is by some noted to signifie to waste and consume, which are the effects of a deep affecting the heart with sad and miserable objects.

Our Margent tells us, that it may be also read more than all the daughters of my City; according to which the sense is, that he was more affected with the state of Ierusalem, then the tenderest woman that had lived in it; but it is as well, if not better in this place rendred causally; shewing the reason of his deep affliction, viz. all those miseries he had seen fall upon all the Iewish Nation, or upon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem.

Marginal references: Heb. my [illegible: 1 word]; Or, more [illegible: 1 word] all.