Lamentations 5:20 kjv
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?
Lamentations 5:20 nkjv
Why do You forget us forever, And forsake us for so long a time?
Lamentations 5:20 niv
Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?
Lamentations 5:20 esv
Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?
Lamentations 5:20 nlt
Why do you continue to forget us?
Why have you abandoned us for so long?
Lamentations 5 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lamentations 5:20 | Why dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? | God's perceived silence |
| Psalm 13:1 | How long, LORD? will you utterly forget me? | Plea against forgetfulness |
| Psalm 42:3 | My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" | Questioning God's presence |
| Psalm 77:9 | Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. | God's mercy questioned |
| Isaiah 49:14-16 | But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." ... Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the fruit of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. | God's remembrance affirmed |
| Jeremiah 3:12 | Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, O faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not keep anger forever. | Call to repentance, God's mercy |
| Hosea 11:7-9 | My people are bent on turning from me... I will not execute my fierce anger... for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst. | God's restrained anger |
| Acts 10:34 | So Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, | God's impartiality |
| Romans 8:38-39 | For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, | God's enduring love |
| Hebrews 13:5 | For he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." | God's promise of never forsaking |
| 1 Peter 1:24-25 | For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the field... | Transitory nature of earthly things |
| Revelation 21:3-4 | And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man." | God dwelling with man |
| Lamentations 3:31-33 | For the Lord will not cast off forever, though he causes sorrow, yet he will compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. | God's compassion in sorrow |
| Psalm 44:23-26 | Awake, O Lord! Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? ... Rise up for us, and redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! | Plea for God to awaken |
| Isaiah 54:7-8 | For a small moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercy I will gather you. In a little burst of wrath I hid my face from you, but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you. | God hiding His face temporarily |
| Jeremiah 15:1 | Then the LORD said to me, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go! | God's turning away from unfaithfulness |
| Ezekiel 33:11 | Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, that the wicked turn from his way and live. | God's desire for repentance |
| Zephaniah 3:17 | The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you, he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud songs. | God's presence and rejoicing |
| Matthew 6:25-33 | And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his life? ... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, | Trust and seeking God |
| Romans 8:31 | What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? | God's presence is security |
| Philippians 4:6-7 | do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. | Prayer and supplication |
| Lamentations 5:1 | Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us. Look, and see ourdisgrace! | Recall past suffering |
Lamentations 5 verses
Lamentations 5 20 Meaning
This verse expresses a desperate plea to God for remembrance and restoration amidst suffering. It acknowledges God's unchanging nature and implores Him to turn back towards His people in their time of distress. The request is for God's favor and intervention to bring about renewal and hope.
Lamentations 5 20 Context
Lamentations 5 is a lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people following the Babylonian conquest. The entire chapter is an acrostic prayer, reflecting the depth of the community's anguish and their turning to God in their desperation. This particular verse expresses the feeling of abandonment and the deep pain of being forgotten by God in their dire circumstances. The historical context is one of exile, loss, and severe hardship, where the visible signs of God's favor and presence were gone, leading to questions about God's remembrance and commitment.
Lamentations 5 20 Word analysis
- "Why": An interrogative particle expressing inquiry, questioning, or a reason for something. It seeks a cause for God's perceived action or inaction.
- "dost thou": Archaic second-person singular form of "do you," addressing God directly. This is a formal and intimate way of speaking to the divine.
- "forget": Hebrew: nashah (נָשָׁה). Means to forget, to neglect, to leave out of remembrance. In this context, it signifies God being inattentive or indifferent to their plight.
- "us": The first-person plural pronoun, referring to the speaker and their community, the remnant of Israel suffering in exile.
- "for ever": Hebrew: 'ad (עַד) followed by 'olam (עוֹלָם). Indicates an indefinite duration, perpetual time, or eternity. Here, it expresses the sense that their suffering is unending and God's silence is permanent.
- "and": A conjunction connecting two clauses, indicating continuation or addition.
- "forsake": Hebrew: 'azav (עָזַב). Means to leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, or permit to remain. It implies a deliberate withdrawal of support or presence.
- "us": Again, referring to the suffering community.
- "so long time?": Expresses the duration of their suffering and God's extended silence, conveying weariness and exasperation. It emphasizes the protracted nature of their distress.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Why dost thou forget us for ever": This phrase articulates a core lament of the exilic community: the agonizing feeling that God, whose faithfulness is eternal, has eternally overlooked or abandoned them. It questions God's immutable character in light of their enduring hardship.
- "and forsake us so long time?": This part amplifies the lament, highlighting the prolonged period of God's absence. It expresses the deep emotional pain of experiencing a persistent, protracted desertion by the very God who is supposed to be their refuge and deliverer.
Lamentations 5 20 Bonus section
The cry "Why dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?" resonates with a consistent theme throughout Scripture: the human tendency to doubt God's faithfulness during periods of intense trial. However, God's consistent portrayal in the Bible is as a God who remembers His covenant, who is slow to anger, and who ultimately does not forsake His own. This verse, while expressing profound despair, also serves as a precursor to potential hope, implicitly believing that God can remember and can return. The language used mirrors earlier lamentations and prophetic appeals to God to act on behalf of His people, underscoring the covenantal relationship.
Lamentations 5 20 Commentary
The verse captures the agonizing cry of a people who feel utterly abandoned by God. They interpret their catastrophic circumstances – the destruction of their city, their temple, and their exile – as evidence of God's forgetfulness and dereliction. This is not a statement of theological fact about God's nature, but an expression of their deeply felt emotional and spiritual state. The lament calls into question God's covenant faithfulness, as His people perceived His actions or His non-actions as contradictory to His promises. It’s a desperate plea born from a state of extreme suffering and spiritual desolation, begging God to remember and intervene, recalling His historical promises and His true character as one who does not permanently forsake His people.