Bible Strands
Lamentations 5:20
Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The speaker, representing Judah, addresses the LORD directly amid national ruin, positioned between a declaration of His eternal throne and a plea for restoration.
The words — The Hebrew lā-māh (why) and tishkāḥēnū (do you forget us) frame a direct accusation of divine absence, paired with ta‘azvēnū (do you abandon us) and lē-’ōreḵ yāmîm (for a length of days).
The thread — This exact pattern of questioning prolonged divine silence appears in Psalms 13:1, Psalms 44:24, and Jeremiah 14:19.
Why it lands — The text first records the community’s raw declaration of perceived abandonment before demanding a reader confront the tension between God’s eternal reign and His apparent silence, forcing a choice between despair and the petition for renewal.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?
Cross-references
- Psalms 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
- Psalms 44:24 Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?
- Jeremiah 14:19 Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of healing, but there was only terror.
- Psalms 74:1 A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?
- Psalms 77:7 “Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again?
- Psalms 79:5 How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
- Psalms 85:5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
- Psalms 89:46 How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?
- Psalms 94:3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?
- Isaiah 64:9 Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray; we are all Your people!