Lamentations 5:20
New International Version
Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?

New Living Translation
Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you abandoned us for so long?

English Standard Version
Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?

Berean Standard Bible
Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?

King James Bible
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

New King James Version
Why do You forget us forever, And forsake us for so long a time?

New American Standard Bible
Why will You forget us forever? Why do You abandon us for so long?

NASB 1995
Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

NASB 1977
Why dost Thou forget us forever; Why dost Thou forsake us so long?

Legacy Standard Bible
Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

Amplified Bible
Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

Christian Standard Bible
Why do you continually forget us, abandon us for our entire lives?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why have You forgotten us forever, abandoned us for our entire lives?

American Standard Version
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time?

Contemporary English Version
Why have you forgotten us for so long?

English Revised Version
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why have you completely forgotten us? Why have you abandoned us for such a long time?

Good News Translation
Why have you abandoned us so long? Will you ever remember us again?

International Standard Version
So why have you completely forgotten us, forsaking us for so long?

Majority Standard Bible
Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?

NET Bible
Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?

New Heart English Bible
Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?

Webster's Bible Translation
Why dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

World English Bible
Why do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Why do You forget us forever? You forsake us for [the] length of [our] days!

Young's Literal Translation
Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

Smith's Literal Translation
Wherefore wilt thou forget us forever? wilt thou forsake us to length of days?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why wilt thou forget us for ever? why wilt thou forsake us for a long time?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Why would you forget us forever? Why would you forsake us for a long time?

New American Bible
Why have you utterly forgotten us, forsaken us for so long?

New Revised Standard Version
Why have you forgotten us completely? Why have you forsaken us these many days?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore do not forget us for ever, nor forsake us for so long a time.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You shall not leave us for eternity, nor forget us for the length of days!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Wherefore dost Thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wherefore wilt thou utterly forget us, and abandon us a long time?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for Restoration
19You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation. 20Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long? 21Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,…

Cross References
Psalm 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?

Psalm 44:24
Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?

Isaiah 49:14-15
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!” / “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

Psalm 77:7-9
“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? / Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? / Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah

Psalm 89:46
How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?

Deuteronomy 31:17-18
On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’ / And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

Job 13:24
Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?

Isaiah 54:7-8
“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. / In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

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.

Habakkuk 1:2
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Mark 15:34
At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Romans 11:1-2
I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. / God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel:

2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”


Treasury of Scripture

Why do you forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

dost

Psalm 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?

Psalm 44:24
Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

Psalm 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?

so long time.

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Always Forever Forget Forsake Length Memory Time Turned Wherefore
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Always Forever Forget Forsake Length Memory Time Turned Wherefore
Lamentations 5
1. A complaint of Zion in prayer unto God.














Why have You forgotten us forever?
This phrase reflects the deep anguish and despair of the Israelites during the Babylonian exile. The feeling of being forgotten by God is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, especially in times of national crisis. The Israelites believed they were God's chosen people, and their exile felt like a divine abandonment. This sentiment echoes Psalm 13:1, where David laments, "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?" Theologically, this reflects the human experience of feeling distant from God, often due to sin or disobedience. The exile was a consequence of Israel's persistent idolatry and failure to uphold the covenant, as warned by prophets like Jeremiah. The use of "forever" is hyperbolic, expressing the intensity of their suffering and the seeming endlessness of their plight. However, God's promises to Israel, such as those found in Isaiah 49:15-16, assure that He does not truly forget His people.

Why have You forsaken us for so long?
The term "forsaken" suggests a more active withdrawal of God's presence, which the Israelites interpreted as a result of their covenantal unfaithfulness. This phrase can be connected to Deuteronomy 31:17, where God warns that He will hide His face from Israel if they turn to other gods. The historical context of Lamentations is the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, a catastrophic event that left the city in ruins and the people in despair. The lament is a communal cry, reflecting the collective suffering and longing for restoration. Theologically, this phrase points to the tension between divine justice and mercy. While God allows consequences for sin, His ultimate desire is for repentance and reconciliation. This cry of forsakenness also foreshadows Christ's words on the cross in Matthew 27:46, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" This connection highlights the typology of Christ as the ultimate sufferer who bears the weight of humanity's sin, offering hope of redemption and restoration.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
- Traditionally attributed as the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet." He lamented the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of his people.

2. Jerusalem
- The city that faced destruction by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., which is the backdrop for the book of Lamentations.

3. Babylonian Exile
- The period when the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon, leading to the lament and questioning of God's presence and faithfulness.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Lament
Lamentations 5:20 teaches us that it is okay to bring our deepest fears and questions to God. Lament is a biblical way to process pain and seek understanding.

God's Faithfulness Amidst Silence
Even when God seems silent or distant, His faithfulness remains. The feeling of being forgotten does not equate to being abandoned.

The Importance of Remembering God's Promises
In times of distress, recalling God's promises can provide comfort and hope. Scripture is filled with reminders of God's enduring presence and love.

Community in Suffering
The communal nature of the lament in Lamentations reminds us of the importance of supporting one another in times of trial and seeking God together.

Hope in Restoration
The cry in Lamentations 5:20 ultimately points towards a hope for restoration and renewal, encouraging believers to trust in God's redemptive plan.(20) Wherefore dost thou forget . . .--This was the problem of the mystery of suffering then, as it has been at all times. Jehovah had seemed forgetful of His people, indifferent to their miseries.

Verse 20. - Wherefore dost thou forget us, etc.? The poet does not say," Wherefore hast thou forgotten us?" One of the psalmists, indeed, does go so far (Psalm 74:1); but the poet of this lamentation, with a more tender and trustful reserve, adopts the tense of feeling (the imperfect) in preference to that of fact (the perfect), and asks, "Wherefore dost thou [to my feeling] forget us? Wherefore, if Jehovah's power is still unbroken, does he allow Israel to feel herself forsaken?" The fact is certain, viz. that the land of Israel is desolate, and (the poet seems to imply) desolate for some time already. The interpretation is hypothetical, and, as the last verse will show, the poet cannot bring himself to believe that it can be accurate.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָ֤מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have You forgotten us
תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֔נוּ (tiš·kā·ḥê·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 7911: To mislay, to be oblivious of, from want of memory, attention

forever?
לָנֶ֙צַח֙ (lā·ne·ṣaḥ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5331: Eminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuity

Why have You forsaken us
תַּֽעַזְבֵ֖נוּ (ta·‘az·ḇê·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

for so long?
לְאֹ֥רֶךְ (lə·’ō·reḵ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 753: Length


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 5:20 Why do you forget us forever (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 5:19
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