Lamentations 5:20

KJV

Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, [and] forsake us so long time?

KJV (with Strong's)

Wherefore dost thou forget {H7911} us for ever {H5331}, and forsake {H5800} us so long {H753} time {H3117}?

Complete Jewish Bible

Why do you never remember us? Why abandon us for so long a time?

Berean Standard Bible

Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?

American Standard Version

Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, Andforsake us so long time?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Lamentations 5:20 is a profound and heart-wrenching cry from a people devastated by national catastrophe, expressing their raw anguish and desperate plea to God. It articulates the deep human struggle with perceived divine abandonment, questioning why God seems to have forgotten and forsaken them for an agonizingly long period. This verse encapsulates the communal suffering and the yearning for God's remembrance and intervention in a time of overwhelming despair and desolation.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Lamentations 5:20 concludes the fourth section of the final chapter, which functions as a communal prayer or liturgy of lament. Unlike the preceding four chapters, which are acrostic poems, Chapter 5 is a twenty-two-verse communal prayer, matching the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, though not following an acrostic pattern. This shift from individual laments to a collective plea underscores the shared trauma and desperation of the survivors of Jerusalem's destruction. The verses immediately preceding this one detail the profound physical, social, and spiritual degradation experienced by the people, setting the stage for this direct, anguished question to God, a climax of their suffering and a desperate appeal for divine attention and restoration.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The book of Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah and serves as a poetic response to the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. This event marked the end of the Davidic monarchy, the desolation of the holy city, and the exile of its people, shattering their national identity and their understanding of God's covenant promises. Culturally, the people understood their suffering as a consequence of their sin and God's judgment, yet the prolonged nature of their distress led to a profound crisis of faith. The lament reflects the cultural practice of mourning and expressing grief openly, but also the theological tension of reconciling God's justice with His covenant faithfulness, especially when His presence felt so utterly withdrawn.
* **Key Themes:** Lamentations 5:20 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the book and broader biblical narrative. Foremost is the theme of **divine abandonment and perceived forgetfulness**, a stark contrast to God's covenant promises of perpetual presence and care, as seen in passages like [Deuteronomy 31:6](/deuteronomy/31-6 "Deuteronomy 31:6 - God Will Not Forsake"). The verse also highlights the **permissibility and necessity of lament** in the face of overwhelming suffering, demonstrating that honest, even challenging, prayer is a valid expression of faith, echoing the psalmist's cries in [Psalm 13:1](/psalm/13-1 "Psalm 13:1 - How Long, O Lord?"). Furthermore, it underscores the **longing for restoration and divine remembrance**, implying that despite the despair, there remains a flicker of hope that God will recall His covenant and intervene, a hope that finds its ultimate expression in the book's concluding plea for renewal in [Lamentations 5:21](/lamentations/5-21 "Lamentations 5:21 - Restore Us, O Lord").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **forget (Hebrew, _shâkach'_):** From H7911, meaning "to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention." In this context, it speaks to the profound feeling of being overlooked and neglected by God, as if their suffering has slipped from His divine consciousness. It's not an accusation of God's literal forgetfulness, but an expression of the human experience of feeling utterly abandoned and unremembered in their deepest pain.
* **for ever (Hebrew, _netsach'_):** From H5331, properly meaning "a goal," or "the bright object at a distance travelled towards." Figuratively, it denotes "splendor," "truthfulness," or "confidence," but most commonly used adverbially to mean "continually" or "to the most distant point of view," hence "always" or "perpetual." Here, it emphasizes the perceived unending nature of their suffering and God's absence, highlighting the deep weariness and hopelessness that comes with prolonged distress.
* **forsake (Hebrew, _ʻâzab'_):** From H5800, a primitive root meaning "to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc." It conveys the sense of being left destitute, abandoned, or given up. The people feel that God has actively withdrawn His presence and protection, leaving them vulnerable and without divine support, a stark contrast to the covenant promise that God would never forsake His people.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,"**: This opening clause is a rhetorical question, not seeking information but expressing profound anguish and bewilderment. The "wherefore" (Hebrew: *lamah*) conveys a desperate "why?" or "for what purpose?" The people perceive God's action (or inaction) as an active forgetting, an intentional turning away from their plight. The addition of "for ever" intensifies this feeling, suggesting an eternal, unending state of divine neglect, a hyperbole born of deep suffering.
* **"and forsake us so long time?"**: This second clause parallels and amplifies the first, reinforcing the sense of abandonment. "Forsake" (Hebrew: *ʻâzab*) highlights the feeling of being left alone, without divine help or intervention. The phrase "so long time" (Hebrew: *le'orekh yamim*, literally "for length of days") underscores the prolonged nature of their suffering and God's perceived absence, emphasizing the weariness and exhaustion that accompanies extended periods of hardship. Both clauses together paint a vivid picture of a people feeling utterly desolate and cut off from their God.

#### Literary Devices
Lamentations 5:20 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound emotional weight. The most prominent is the **Rhetorical Question**, "Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?" This is not a query for information but an impassioned expression of pain, frustration, and desperate longing for divine intervention. It allows the community to voice their deepest fears and accusations without necessarily implying a loss of faith, but rather a wrestling within it. **Parallelism** is evident in the two clauses, where "forget us for ever" is mirrored and intensified by "forsake us so long time," creating a rhythmic and emphatic lament. The use of **Hyperbole** in "for ever" and "so long time" amplifies the perceived duration and intensity of their suffering and God's perceived absence, reflecting the subjective experience of interminable distress. Finally, there is an implicit **Personification** of God, as if He possesses human faculties of memory and attention that He has willfully withheld, allowing the people to articulate their feelings of personal slight and neglect by the Divine.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Lamentations 5:20 resonates deeply with the biblical theology of suffering, divine sovereignty, and the enduring nature of God's covenant. While the people feel forgotten and forsaken, the very act of lamenting to God demonstrates a foundational belief in His existence, His power, and His ultimate ability to hear and respond. This verse highlights the tension between God's justice in allowing such devastation due to sin and His promised faithfulness to His people. It implicitly appeals to God's character as one who does not ultimately forget His covenant (Psalm 105:8) or forsake His own (Deuteronomy 31:6). The raw honesty of this lament, mirrored throughout the Psalms, teaches that true faith can encompass profound questioning and expressions of despair, ultimately leading back to reliance on God's character even when His actions are incomprehensible.

* [Psalm 13:1](/psalm/13-1 "Psalm 13:1 - How Long, O Lord?")
* [Isaiah 49:15](/isaiah/49-15 "Isaiah 49:15 - Can a mother forget her child?")
* [Deuteronomy 31:6](/deuteronomy/31-6 "Deuteronomy 31:6 - God will not fail or forsake you")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Lamentations 5:20 offers profound comfort and validation to those who find themselves in seasons of prolonged suffering, feeling abandoned or forgotten by God. It teaches us that authentic faith does not demand stoicism or the suppression of pain, but rather invites us to bring our rawest emotions, our deepest questions, and our most agonizing doubts directly before God. The very act of crying out, even in accusation, is an act of faith, acknowledging God's existence and His ultimate power to intervene. This verse encourages perseverance in prayer, reminding us that even when God feels distant, He is still the one to whom we turn. It affirms that our lament is heard, and that in the space between our desperate cry and God's ultimate answer, hope can be sustained by the knowledge that He is good, even when His ways are mysterious. We are invited to trust that God's perceived silence is not His absence, and His timing, though often inscrutable, is perfect.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life do you feel forgotten or forsaken by God?**
* **How does the honesty of Lamentations 5:20 encourage you to be more authentic in your prayers?**
* **What is the difference between questioning God out of despair and questioning God out of a desire to understand and draw closer?**
* **How can you maintain hope and trust in God's faithfulness when His presence feels distant or His intervention delayed?**

### FAQ

**Is it really okay to question God's actions, as this verse does?**

Answer: Yes, the Bible, particularly the Psalms and books like Lamentations and Job, provides ample precedent for honest, even challenging, questioning of God. This is not a sign of weak faith, but often a profound expression of deep faith wrestling with difficult realities. The lament tradition, exemplified in [Psalm 22:1](/psalm/22-1 "Psalm 22:1 - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"), demonstrates that bringing our pain, confusion, and even accusations directly to God is a legitimate and spiritually healthy practice. It acknowledges God's sovereignty and His capacity to hear and handle our rawest emotions, ultimately strengthening our relationship with Him by fostering authenticity.

**Does God actually "forget" or "forsake" His people?**

Answer: From a theological perspective, God does not literally forget or forsake His people in the sense of a human lapse of memory or a permanent withdrawal of His presence. The Bible consistently affirms God's unfailing remembrance of His covenant and His steadfast love, as seen in [Isaiah 49:15-16](/isaiah/49-15 "Isaiah 49:15-16 - God will not forget Zion") and [Hebrews 13:5](/hebrews/13-5 "Hebrews 13:5 - I will never leave you nor forsake you"). However, from the human perspective of profound suffering, God's actions or perceived inaction can *feel* like forgetfulness or abandonment. Lamentations 5:20 expresses this deeply human experience of desolation, not necessarily a theological statement about God's nature, but a raw cry from the depths of despair. It reflects the tension between divine truth and human experience, a tension that is resolved through faith and perseverance.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Lamentations 5:20, with its agonizing cry of feeling forgotten and forsaken, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus Himself echoed this very lament, crying out, "[My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction")" (Matthew 27:46). In that moment, Jesus, the perfect Son, experienced the ultimate divine abandonment, bearing the full weight of humanity's sin and the Father's wrath, so that we, who were truly forgotten and forsaken in our sin, might never be. His suffering on the cross, detailed in [Isaiah 53](/isaiah/53 "Isaiah 53 - The Suffering Servant"), was the complete embodiment of the lament of a people cut off from God. Through His atoning sacrifice, Christ bridged the chasm of sin and restored humanity's relationship with God, ensuring that those who believe in Him are eternally remembered and never forsaken. The hope for remembrance and restoration expressed in Lamentations is fully realized in Christ's resurrection, which guarantees our future with God and the promise of a new heaven and new earth where there will be no more sorrow or crying, and God will dwell with His people forever, as described in [Revelation 21:3-4](/revelation/21-3 "Revelation 21:3-4 - God's Dwelling with Humanity"). Thus, the deepest human cry of abandonment is met and overcome by the deepest divine love revealed in Christ.

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

Psalms 44:24

Wherefore hidest thou thy face, [and] forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

Psalms 13:1

¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Jeremiah 14:19

Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and [there is] no healing for us? we looked for peace, and [there is] no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!

Jeremiah 14:21

Do not abhor [us], for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

Psalms 89:46

How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

Psalms 79:5

How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

Psalms 74:1

¶ Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? [why] doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?