Psalms 89:46
How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
Original Language Analysis
עַד
H5704
עַד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
1 of 9
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
מָ֣ה
H4100
מָ֣ה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
2 of 9
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
יְ֭הוָה
How long LORD
H3068
יְ֭הוָה
How long LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
3 of 9
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
תִּסָּתֵ֣ר
wilt thou hide
H5641
תִּסָּתֵ֣ר
wilt thou hide
Strong's:
H5641
Word #:
4 of 9
to hide (by covering), literally or figuratively
Historical Context
The exile lasted 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12)—more than a lifetime. For exiles wondering "How long?", God's answer came through Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. But the deeper "hiding" ended only at the incarnation, when "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). God who seemed hidden revealed Himself fully in Christ. The ultimate answer to divine hiddenness is Immanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
Questions for Reflection
- When have you cried "How long?" to God? Is it spiritually legitimate to demand answers from God?
- How does Christ's cry of dereliction (Matthew 27:46) validate your experience of feeling God has hidden Himself?
- What does it mean that God's wrath burned fully against Christ so it need never consume believers (Romans 8:1)?
Analysis & Commentary
How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? (עַד־מָה יְהוָה תִּסָּתֵר לָנֶצַח ad-mah YHWH tissater lanetzach)—the cry "How long?" (ad-mah) appears over a dozen times in Psalms, the quintessential lament question. Satar (hide, conceal) expresses God's terrifying absence. Lanetzach (forever, perpetually) voices the sufferer's fear: Will this abandonment ever end? Shall thy wrath burn like fire? (תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ־אֵשׁ חֲמָתֶךָ tiv'ar kemo-esh chamatekha)—ba'ar means to burn, consume; chemah denotes hot fury.
This raw protest is covenant faith at its most honest. The psalmist doesn't piously accept suffering—he demands answers, holding God to His promises. "How long?" assumes God should respond; it's not atheistic despair but theological wrestling. Christ Himself cried from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)—echoing Psalm 22:1 and experiencing the ultimate divine hiding. The answer to "How long?" is: until the third day. God's wrath burned against sin in Christ so it need never burn eternally against believers (Romans 8:1).