Lamentations 5:20 (KJV)

What does Lamentations 5:20 mean?

Lamentations 5:20 voices a deep sense of abandonment, asking God why He seems to have forgotten and forsaken His people for such a long time. The verse expresses the pain and confusion of feeling cut off from God’s care and presence.

The speaker is the community of Jerusalem, devastated after the Babylonian conquest. They are crying out to God in prayer, wrestling with the length and depth of their suffering. The question is not just about time but about the fear that God’s absence might be permanent, showing the raw honesty of their grief and longing for restoration.

The Hebrew behind Lamentations 5:20

• "forget" (שָׁכַח, shakach): This word often means to lose sight of or neglect, not just a lapse in memory. The people feel as if God has actively stopped caring for them.
• "ever" (נֶצַח, netsach): This word can mean "forever" or "perpetually," highlighting the fear that their suffering and God’s silence might never end.
• "forsake" (עָזַב, azav): This word means to abandon or leave behind, suggesting a deep sense of being deserted by someone who was once close.
• "long" (אֹרֶךְ, orekh) and "time" (יֹום, yom): Together, these words emphasize the duration of their hardship, not just its intensity.

Why Lamentations 5:20 matters

• Lamentations 5:20 shows that it is honest and acceptable to bring feelings of abandonment and confusion to God, even in prayer.
• The verse highlights the depth of the people’s suffering after Jerusalem’s destruction, making their hope for God’s return even more poignant in the next verses.
• The language used connects this moment to other biblical laments, helping readers see a pattern of wrestling with God in times of crisis rather than silent resignation.