What Does Psalm 44:17 Mean in the King James?
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
What comes upon you does not, by itself, prove that you have forgotten God or betrayed the covenant.
THE MEANING
Hardship and fidelity can stand together: what comes upon you does not itself prove you have forgotten God or become false within the covenant. Your circumstances can be severe while your relation to God remains intact.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie this undoes is: “If pain has come upon me, I must have forgotten God or broken faith with him.”
THE ROOT
שְׁכַחֲנוּךָ
shakhachnukha
GROWS FROM
שׁכח
Forget, neglect, or cease to keep in mind.
“forgotten” in this verse is shakhachnukha. The Hebrew verb reaches beyond a momentary lapse of memory: it can carry the sense of neglecting or turning away. The speakers say that even in distress, they have not turned away from God.
ALSO GROWS
shikhchah: Forgetfulness.
שִׁכְחָה
It names the state associated with the root, showing that the claim is about more than a passing thought.
nishkach: Forgotten; left out of mind.
נִשְׁכָּח
This form makes visible the root’s sense of something neglected or no longer held in mind.
שִׁקַּרְנוּ
shiqarnu
GROWS FROM
שׁקר
Lie or act falsely.
“dealt falsely” in this verse is shiqarnu. The Hebrew verb names false dealing, not merely a private feeling of doubt. Set beside “not forgotten,” it presents fidelity as both continued regard for God and truthfulness within the covenant.
ALSO GROWS
sheqer: Falsehood or a lie.
שֶׁקֶר
The related noun makes clear that the speakers deny falsehood in their covenant relationship.
shaqar: To lie or act falsely.
שָׁקַר
This verb form shares the root’s sense of deceptive conduct named in the verse.
THE PATTERN
Affliction does not, by itself, sever the bond between the sufferer and God.
The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;THE THREAD
The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.Psalm 119:61 uses the same Hebrew root שׁכח (shakhach, “forget”) in the phrase “I have not forgotten.” Its echo makes the connection plain: affliction and continued remembrance can occupy the same line.
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