Isaiah 49:14

KJV

But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

KJV (with Strong's)

But Zion {H6726} said {H559}, The LORD {H3068} hath forsaken {H5800} me, and my Lord {H136} hath forgotten {H7911} me.

Complete Jewish Bible

"But Tziyon says, 'ADONAI has abandoned me, Adonai has forgotten me.'

Berean Standard Bible

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

American Standard Version

But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Isaiah 49:14 captures the profound lament of Zion, personifying the people of Israel, who, in the crucible of exile and perceived abandonment, voice a desperate cry to God. This verse articulates a deep-seated human experience of doubt and despair, expressing the fear that the LORD has utterly forsaken and forgotten His covenant people, setting the stage for God's tender and powerful response of unwavering faithfulness.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within the "Servant Songs" of Isaiah, specifically in the second major section of the book (chapters 40-55), often referred to as "Second Isaiah." This section primarily addresses the Jewish exiles in Babylon, offering messages of comfort, hope, and restoration after the preceding prophecies of judgment. Chapter 49 itself begins with a renewed call to the Servant of the LORD, outlining His global mission. The lament of Zion in [Isaiah 49:14](/isaiah/49-14 "Isaiah 49:14 - Zion's Lament") serves as a dramatic and poignant interjection, directly preceding God's immediate and emphatic reassurance in [Isaiah 49:15-16](/isaiah/49-15 "Isaiah 49:15-16 - God's Unwavering Love"), where He likens His remembrance to a mother's love and declares that Zion is inscribed on His palms. This literary placement highlights the stark contrast between human despair and divine unwavering commitment.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The historical backdrop for Isaiah 49 is the Babylonian exile, a period of immense suffering, displacement, and spiritual crisis for the people of Judah. Jerusalem (Zion) had been destroyed, the Temple lay in ruins, and the people were living in a foreign land, seemingly forgotten by their God. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the destruction of a nation's capital and temple often signified the defeat of its gods. Thus, Zion's cry reflects not only personal anguish but also a national theological crisis, questioning the very nature of Yahweh's power and covenant faithfulness in the face of overwhelming adversity. The lament echoes the collective trauma and the deep longing for return and restoration, characteristic of the exilic period as seen in texts like [Psalm 137](/psalm/137 "Psalm 137 - By the Rivers of Babylon").
* **Key Themes:** Isaiah 49:14 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Isaiah and the broader prophetic literature. It underscores the theme of **Human Despair and Doubt**, acknowledging the raw, honest expressions of a people struggling to reconcile God's promises with their dire circumstances. This lament also emphasizes the **Personification of Zion**, representing not just a physical location but the entire covenant community of Israel, experiencing collective anguish and a crisis of faith. Crucially, this verse serves as a dramatic **Setup for Divine Comfort and Assurance**, as God's immediate and profoundly tender response in [Isaiah 49:15-16](/isaiah/49-15 "Isaiah 49:15-16 - God's Unwavering Love") directly addresses and refutes Zion's perceived abandonment, thereby reinforcing the theme of God's **Unwavering Covenant Faithfulness** despite His people's feelings or failures.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Zion (Hebrew, _Tsîyôwn'_):** This term, H6726, refers to the fortified hill in Jerusalem, often used poetically to represent the city itself, its inhabitants, or the spiritual dwelling place of God. In this context, Zion is personified, giving voice to the collective anguish and perceived abandonment of the Jewish people during the Babylonian captivity. Its lament is the cry of the entire covenant community.
* **forsaken (Hebrew, _ʻâzab'_):** H5800 signifies to loosen, relinquish, or abandon. When Zion states "The LORD hath forsaken me," it implies a complete withdrawal of God's presence, support, and covenant protection. This word conveys a sense of being utterly left alone, exposed, and vulnerable, intensifying the feeling of divine neglect.
* **forgotten (Hebrew, _shâkach'_):** H7911 means to mislay, or to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention. For Zion, being "forgotten" by the Lord implied a breaking of the covenant relationship and a profound spiritual distress, suggesting that God had ceased to be mindful of His people or His promises to them. This term highlights the deep emotional pain of perceived divine neglect.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"But Zion said,"**: This opening clause immediately introduces the speaker: Zion, personifying the distressed community of Israel. The conjunction "But" signals a contrast or a shift, often implying a human reaction to divine action or inaction, setting the stage for a lament that challenges or questions God's ways.
* **"The LORD hath forsaken me,"**: This is the first half of Zion's complaint. "The LORD" (Yᵉhôvâh, H3068) refers to the covenant God of Israel. The accusation of being "forsaken" (ʻâzab, H5800) expresses a feeling of complete abandonment, a withdrawal of divine presence and care, particularly painful given God's covenant promises to never leave His people.
* **"and my Lord hath forgotten me."**: This second half of the complaint parallels and intensifies the first. "My Lord" (ʼĂdônây, H136), an emphatic form of Lord, underscores the personal relationship and the depth of the perceived betrayal. To be "forgotten" (shâkach, H7911) by God implies a complete lapse in divine memory or attention, suggesting that God no longer remembers His people or His covenant obligations, leading to profound spiritual distress and a crisis of faith.

#### Literary Devices
Isaiah 49:14 is rich in literary devices that amplify its emotional impact and theological significance. The most prominent is **Personification**, where "Zion," a geographical location representing the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, is given the human capacity to speak and express deep emotional anguish. This allows the collective suffering and despair of the exiles to be articulated in a vivid, relatable manner. The verse also employs **Parallelism**, specifically synonymous parallelism, in the phrases "The LORD hath forsaken me" and "my Lord hath forgotten me." The second clause echoes and reinforces the first, intensifying the sense of abandonment and neglect through slightly different but related verbs and divine titles. This repetition underscores the depth of Zion's conviction that God has indeed withdrawn His presence and memory. Furthermore, the statement contains an element of **Hyperbole**, as Zion's declaration of being "forsaken" and "forgotten" is an emotional exaggeration of their current circumstances, though deeply felt. This hyperbole serves to highlight the extreme distress and perceived finality of their situation, setting up the dramatic contrast with God's immediate and tender reassurance that follows.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 49:14 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of human lament and divine faithfulness. It validates the human experience of profound doubt and despair in the face of prolonged suffering, demonstrating that even God's chosen people can feel utterly abandoned. Yet, this lament is not the final word; rather, it is a crucial pivot point that elicits one of the most tender and emphatic declarations of God's unwavering love and remembrance in all of Scripture. The verse highlights the tension between human perception, which is often limited by present circumstances, and divine reality, which is grounded in eternal covenant promises. It underscores that God's faithfulness is not contingent upon His people's feelings, but upon His own unchanging character and commitment, a truth that transcends even the deepest valleys of despair.

* [Deuteronomy 31:6](/deuteronomy/31-6 "Deuteronomy 31:6 - God Will Not Forsake You")
* [Psalm 13:1](/psalm/13-1 "Psalm 13:1 - A Psalm of Lament")
* [Hebrews 13:5](/hebrews/13-5 "Hebrews 13:5 - God Will Never Leave You")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 49:14 offers profound solace and challenge to the contemporary believer. It reminds us that moments of deep spiritual desolation, where God feels distant, silent, or even absent, are not unique to ancient Israel but are a common part of the human spiritual journey. The Bible, far from presenting a sanitized faith, openly records the raw cries of doubt and despair, validating our own struggles. This verse encourages us to bring our honest laments before God, even when they express profound questioning of His presence or care. The immediate divine response in the subsequent verses demonstrates that God hears and responds to such cries, often with an overwhelming outpouring of grace and reassurance. Therefore, while our feelings of abandonment may be real, they do not define God's unchanging character or His enduring commitment to us. Our faith is not in our feelings, but in the faithful God who, though we may feel forgotten, never forgets His covenant people.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life have you felt, like Zion, that the LORD has "forsaken" or "forgotten" you?**
* **How does knowing that the Bible records such honest laments from God's people impact your own willingness to express doubt or despair to God?**
* **What specific promises of God can you cling to when your feelings suggest that He is distant or unconcerned?**
* **How does the immediate context of God's response (Isaiah 49:15-16) reframe Zion's lament for you personally?**

### FAQ
**Why would Zion, representing God's chosen people, express such a profound sense of abandonment?**

Answer: Zion's lament in [Isaiah 49:14](/isaiah/49-14 "Isaiah 49:14 - Zion's Lament") stems from the devastating historical reality of the Babylonian exile. The destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the forced displacement of the people led to a profound crisis of faith. In their cultural context, such national catastrophe could be interpreted as a sign that their God had either been defeated or had abandoned them. Despite God's covenant promises, the prolonged suffering and apparent divine silence caused the people to question His presence and faithfulness. This expression is a raw, honest reflection of human despair when circumstances seem to contradict divine assurances, a common theme found throughout the Psalms and prophetic literature (e.g., [Psalm 44](/psalm/44 "Psalm 44 - A Lament for National Defeat")).

**What is the significance of the two different divine titles, "The LORD" (Yahweh) and "my Lord" (Adonai), in this single verse?**

Answer: The use of "The LORD" (Yᵉhôvâh, H3068) and "my Lord" (ʼĂdônây, H136) in [Isaiah 49:14](/isaiah/49-14 "Isaiah 49:14 - Zion's Lament") is significant. "The LORD" (Yahweh) is God's covenant name, emphasizing His unchanging, self-existent nature and His specific relationship with Israel as their covenant-keeping God. When Zion says "The LORD hath forsaken me," it's a profound accusation against the very core of His covenant faithfulness. "My Lord" (Adonai) is a title emphasizing God's sovereignty and mastership, often used in a more personal, reverential context. The pairing of these titles underscores the comprehensive nature of Zion's perceived abandonment: both the covenant-keeping God and the sovereign master have, in their view, forgotten them. This parallelism intensifies the lament, highlighting that every aspect of their relationship with God feels broken.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 49:14, with Zion's cry of being forsaken and forgotten, finds its ultimate and most poignant Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Zion's lament was a perceived abandonment, Jesus, on the cross, experienced actual divine forsaking for the sake of humanity's sin, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as recorded in [Matthew 27:46](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction"). This cry from the Son of God, who perfectly embodied Israel, reveals the depth of the Father's turning away from sin, making atonement for the very "forgetfulness" and "forsaking" that Zion lamented. Through Christ's ultimate sacrifice, God demonstrates that He has not forgotten His people, but rather, in His infinite love, provided the means for their eternal remembrance and restoration. The New Covenant, established through Christ's blood, guarantees that God will "remember their sins no more" ([Hebrews 8:12](/hebrews/8-12 "Hebrews 8:12 - The New Covenant Promise")), signifying not His forgetfulness of His people, but His active choice to forgive and cleanse. Thus, Zion's lament, and God's subsequent reassurance in Isaiah, ultimately point forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, ensuring that those who are "in Christ" are eternally remembered and never forsaken by their Heavenly Father ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"); [Romans 8:38-39](/romans/8-38 "Romans 8:38-39 - God's Unbreakable Love")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Romans 11:1

¶ I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin.

Romans 11:5

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Isaiah 40:27

¶ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Psalms 22:1

¶ To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?

Psalms 77:6

I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

Psalms 77:9

Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

Psalms 89:38

¶ But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.