Unit 1 (v. 22a): “Yes, for your sake are we killed all day long.”
The speakers claim that their suffering is connected to God (“for your sake”), not merely to bad luck or personal wrongdoing. The phrase “all day long” presents the danger as ongoing and repetitive, suggesting a life lived under constant threat. The line is not only about pain but about an identity: they see themselves as people targeted because of their association with God.
Unit 2 (v. 22b): “We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.”
They describe how they are treated or counted by others: like sheep destined to be butchered. The picture emphasizes vulnerability and inevitability—sheep do not fight back and are moved toward killing by someone else’s will. This image also implies social devaluing: they are “regarded” as disposable lives.
Unit 3 (v. 22 as a whole): Constant danger plus public dehumanizing
Together, the two lines combine lived experience (repeated killing) with interpretation (being seen as slaughter-animals). The verse pushes the lament’s logic forward: if this is happening “for your sake,” then God’s honor and relationship with the people are implicated, strengthening the case for divine attention and action.
