1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
The repeated "how long" is an example of anaphora, and in its use here, it gives a sense of duration. Things have been going on in this same way for some time, and the Psalmist wonders when there will be a change.