The Hebrew verb azab (עָזַב) means to leave, forsake, or abandon. It appears over 215 times and occupies a central role in covenant theology. When Israel forsakes God, or when the psalmist cries that God has forsaken him, azab carries the weight of that rupture.
The deepest use of azab is Psalm 22:1 — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" — the cry Jesus quoted from the cross. The word marks the most agonizing dimension of the atonement. Yet God's promise to His people is that He will not azab them (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).