Lamentations 5:20 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Lamentations 5:18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk on it.

Lamentations 5:19 You, Yahweh, remain forever. Your throne is from generation to generation.

Lamentations 5:20 Why do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?

Lamentations 5:21 Turn us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.

Lamentations 5:22 But you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forget", "forever", "forsake", "long", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forget" and "forever", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "You Yahweh remain forever Your throne is..." into verse 21's "Turn us to yourself Yahweh and we...", so "forget" and "forever" belong inside that flow. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "forget" and "forever" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.