Psalm 71:15 means that the psalm’s writer intends to keep speaking about God’s righteousness and salvation continually, and admits that the full extent of those things is more than he can measure. The verse is a personal vow spoken by an aging believer who has relied on God since youth and who asks God not to abandon him in old age. It is written in the first person, so the speaker is the psalmist himself, addressing God in prayer.
My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
Psalm 71:15 (WEB)
What Psalm 71:15 Means
The verse begins with a decision of the mouth: “My mouth will tell.” The psalmist is not describing a feeling or a private thought but a habit of speech. He commits to talking about who God is, what God does, and how God rescues. The word translated righteousness points to God’s faithful, right dealing, the way God keeps covenant and acts justly. The word salvation refers to deliverance from danger, enemies, and distress, the rescue the psalmist has already experienced many times.
The phrase “all day” tells us this is meant to be constant rather than occasional, a steady undercurrent of testimony in ordinary life. The final clause, “though I don’t know its full measure,” is a note of humility. The psalmist does not claim to have counted or grasped every act of God’s faithfulness. He is saying that God’s goodness is larger than any one person can total, so his praise will keep going without ever reaching a complete account.
The verse does not promise that every day will feel joyful or that speaking about God will remove hardship. It describes what the speaker chooses to do with his mouth, and it trusts that God’s deeds are worth naming even when their full scope remains beyond understanding.
The Context of Psalm 71:15
Psalm 71 belongs to the Psalter, the collection of Hebrew songs and prayers in the Old Testament. The psalm is a prayer for help from someone who feels pressed by enemies and who has been faithful to God for a long time. The author is not named in the text, and traditional headings sometimes connect psalms like this to David, though scholars often read it as a later prayer in the voice of an elderly worshiper. The original audience would have been Israelites who sang and prayed these songs in worship, and anyone who later prayed them as their own.
The verses just before and after show why verse 15 reads as it does. In verses 12 and 13 the psalmist asks God to come near and to act quickly, and he calls on God to deal with those who want to harm him. Verse 14 turns to hope and promises more praise. Verse 16 returns to the mighty acts of the Lord, and verses 17 and 18 look back over a lifetime of teaching and forward to passing God’s strength to the next generation. Read in that setting, verse 15 is a vow of testimony that grows out of a long history of trust and that looks ahead to passing that testimony on.
Key Phrases in Psalm 71:15
Psalm 145:4
One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts.
(WEB)
This verse says one generation will commend God’s works to another, which echoes the psalmist’s commitment to keep speaking of God’s acts. Both passages treat testimony as something passed on, not kept private.
Psalm 103:2
Praise the LORD, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits…
(WEB)
Here the psalmist tells himself not to forget God’s benefits. It pairs well with Psalm 71:15 because remembering and speaking are closely linked, and naming God’s kindness guards the heart against forgetfulness.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 71:15
Lord, you have been faithful to me for as long as I can remember, and I want my words to show it. Help me speak of your righteousness and your rescue each day, at home, at work, and in the quiet moments when no one else is listening. Where I am tempted to focus only on what is hard, turn my attention to what you have already done. Teach me to hold my praise with humility, knowing that I will never fully measure your goodness, and let my life be a steady witness for those who come after me. Amen.
