Psalms 13:1 Meaning and Explanation
“How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The psalmist cries out to God, wondering how long he will remain forgotten in his suffering.
The Context of Psalms 13:1
The opening cry of a lament psalm, establishing the immediate pain that frames the entire prayer.
What Does Psalms 13:1 Mean?
The psalmist opens with repeated questions expressing desperation. The parallelism—forgetting and hiding the face—emphasizes the same experience of divine absence from different angles. This is the language of lament, the honest cry of someone who feels abandoned.
These rhetorical questions expect no answer; they name the anguish of unanswered prayer. The psalmist speaks not as though faith is absent, but as though God is absent, and that absence demands to be voiced. This courage to question is itself an act of faith.
Psalms 13:1 in the Original Language
shakach (שָׁכַח), 'forget' — to neglect or pay no attention to; the root suggests a purposeful overlooking rather than mere forgetfulness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psalms 13:1
What does Psalms 13:1 mean?
The psalmist cries out to God, wondering how long he will remain forgotten in his suffering.
What is the context of Psalms 13:1?
The opening cry of a lament psalm, establishing the immediate pain that frames the entire prayer.