Psalms 44:17 (KJV)

What does Psalms 44:17 mean?

Psalms 44:17 gives the people’s answer to the suffering they have described to God. They say that their troubles have come even though they have not abandoned him or been unfaithful to their agreement with him.

The speakers address God as “thee” and speak together as “we.” After the shame described in verse 16, “all this” gathers their losses and disgrace into a single appeal. Their words present their suffering alongside their claim of loyalty.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 44:17

• “forgotten” — שָׁכַח (shakach): This word often means to forget or cease to remember. Here, forgetting God carries the sense of leaving him out of mind, rather than merely failing to recall a fact.

• “dealt falsely” — שָׁקַר (shaq ar): This word can mean to act falsely or break faith. The people use it to describe unfaithfulness toward their agreement with God.

• “covenant” — בְּרִית (berit): This word means a binding agreement. “Thy covenant” refers to the established bond between God and his people, not a private promise made by one speaker.

Why Psalms 44:17 matters

• The people’s statement challenges the idea that suffering always proves disloyalty to God. “Yet” sets their claim of faithfulness against the troubles they have just described.

• Their appeal asks God to consider what he knows about them. In verses 20–21, they say that God would know if they had turned to another god, because he knows the secrets of the heart.