🎵WEB · Psalms 71:15
What does Psalms 71:15 mean?
"My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure."
— Psalms 71:15 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
God, don’t be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.
Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.
My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.
God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
Explanation
Psalm 71:15 captures a psalmist in the midst of prayer, declaring a resolve to speak continually about God's righteous character and saving acts. In plain language, the verse says: "I will keep talking about your righteousness and your salvation all day long, even though I cannot fully grasp or count all the ways you have saved and acted rightly." It is both a statement of praise and an admission of human limitation—the psalmist knows that God's righteousness and saving works are too vast, too numerous, and too deep to ever fully articulate or comprehend.
This psalm does not carry a specific superscription naming its author, though its content strongly suggests an older person reflecting on a lifetime of God's faithfulness. Verses earlier in the psalm speak of being upheld "from birth" and pleading with God not to forsake him "when I am old and gray-headed" (verses 6, 9, 18). This context matters: the speaker is not a young believer making a naive promise but someone who has walked with God through decades, likely through trials, enemies, and uncertainties (the psalm mentions adversaries and troubles throughout). His declaration to speak of God's righteousness "all day" comes not from untested optimism but from accumulated experience of God's faithfulness over a long life.
Theologically, this verse holds together two truths that might seem to be in tension: bold proclamation and humble acknowledgment of limited understanding. The psalmist commits to speaking of God's salvation constantly and publicly, yet in the same breath confesses he cannot know its "full measure." This reflects
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