Psalm 78:6 teaches that God’s people are meant to pass the knowledge of God’s deeds and faithfulness to their children, so that each new generation knows Him and can pass that knowledge on in turn. The verse is part of a longer call in Psalm 78 to remember what God has done and not repeat the failures of earlier generations. It is traditionally attributed to Asaph, a Levitical singer and worship leader, and it speaks to the whole community of Israel and especially to parents and teachers who carry the faith forward.
That the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children…
Psalm 78:6 (WEB)
What Psalm 78:6 Means
The phrase “that the generation to come might know” describes the goal. The point is not simply that children hear facts about God but that they come to know Him personally, the way a child comes to know a parent through years of living together. Knowing God in this sense involves trust and relationship as well as information.
The words “even the children who should be born” stretch the circle of concern beyond the present community. The verse imagines people who do not yet exist, and it assumes that the work of faith is always done with the future in view. Notice that the verse does not promise that every child will believe. It describes a responsibility and a hope. The passing on of faith is something God invites His people to take part in, and it is not guaranteed by family ties alone.
The final phrase, “who should arise and tell their children,” shows the pattern repeating. Each generation is handed the story and then becomes the one that tells it. The verse does not claim that this chain will never break, and the psalm itself goes on to warn about generations that forget. What it offers is a clear instruction and a clear expectation that God’s works are worth remembering and retelling.
The Context of Psalm 78:6
Psalm 78 is a long historical psalm, a wisdom poem that retells Israel’s story from the exodus through the time of David. It belongs to the Psalter, the collection of songs used in worship, and it is written as a teaching poem meant to be recited and remembered. Its audience is the people of Israel, and its setting is a community that has received its history as a sacred trust.
Just before verse 6, the psalmist says that the people “will not hide them from their children” (verse 4) and that God “appointed a teaching in Israel” which the fathers were commanded to make known (verse 5). Verse 6 explains why: so that the next generation will set its hope in God and not forget His deeds (verse 7). Verse 8 then contrasts this with the stubborn, disloyal generations of the past. Read this way, verse 6 is the hinge of the passage. It turns memory into a practice of faithfulness and gives the reader a reason to take the teaching seriously.
Key Phrases in Psalm 78:6
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
6 These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
(WEB)
These verses give a detailed picture of how the words of God are to be taught at home, while sitting, walking, lying down and rising. They are one of the clearest Old Testament descriptions of the same duty Psalm 78:6 names, showing that faith is passed on through daily conversation and not only through formal instruction.
Psalm 145:4
One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts.
(WEB)
This verse expresses the same chain of retelling in a different key. One generation praises God’s works to the next, and the psalm pictures this as a steady, shared celebration. It helps show that passing on God’s deeds is an act of worship as well as instruction.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 78:6
Lord, you have given us a story to tell, and you have trusted us to tell it. Help me remember what you have done, in my own life and in the lives of those who went before me. Give me words for the children and friends you have placed around me, and let my life say what my words sometimes cannot. Where I feel I have little to offer, remind me that you are faithful and that you can work through even my hesitant witness. May the people who come after me come to know you and set their hope in you. Amen.
