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?

PSALMS 13:1KJV
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Psalms 13:1 (KJV)

What does Psalms 13:1 mean?

Psalms 13:1 expresses David’s deep feeling that God has forgotten him and is hiding from him, leaving him alone in his trouble. David cries out to the LORD, asking how long this sense of abandonment will last, and wonders if it will be forever.

David is speaking directly to God, using honest and desperate language. The verse shows a moment of spiritual struggle, where David feels distant from God and wonders why God seems silent or absent. This is the beginning of a psalm where David pours out his heart, showing that even faithful people can feel abandoned and question how long their suffering will continue.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 13:1

  • "forget" (שָׁכַח, shakach): This word means to lose memory of or ignore. David’s use of it highlights how personal and painful it feels when he senses God’s attention is missing from his life.
  • "hide" (סָתַר, satar): This word means to conceal or cover. In the context of God “hiding his face,” it often suggests a withdrawal of favor or presence, making David feel cut off from God’s help.
  • "face" (פָּנִים, panim): In Hebrew thought, God’s “face” represents his presence and attention. When David says God is hiding his face, he is describing a sense of lost connection and blessing.

Why Psalms 13:1 matters

  • Psalms 13:1 clears up the idea that faithful people never struggle with doubt or feel abandoned by God; even David, called “a man after God’s own heart,” voices these feelings.
  • The verse emphasizes the honesty allowed in prayer, showing that God welcomes real questions and emotions, not just polite or formal words.
  • This verse sets the tone for the rest of the psalm, which moves from despair to renewed trust, helping readers see that expressing pain can be part of a journey toward hope.

Where else these words appear

“ever” Hebrew H5331 · used in 42 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
  • Psalms 44:23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
  • Isaiah 13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

“Psalm” Hebrew H4210 · used in 57 verses

  • Psalms 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
  • Psalms 39:1 To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
  • Psalms 79:1 A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

“Musician” Hebrew H5329 · used in 65 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 15:21 And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to excel.
  • Psalms 31:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
  • Psalms 61:1 To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

“hide” Hebrew H5641 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
  • Psalms 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
  • Proverbs 28:28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.