Psalms 71:15 Meaning: Praise When You Don't Know the Numbers
My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
My mouth shall tell of thy righteousness, Andof thy salvation all the day; For I know not the numbers thereof.
My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers.
My mouth shall declare thy righteousness, [and] thy salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers [thereof].
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 71:15 meaning, The psalmist resolves to tell of God's righteousness and salvation all day, even though he cannot count them all.
Context
The psalmist is old and surrounded by enemies who say God has left him. In verse 14 he makes a turn: instead of despair, he chooses hope and praise. Verse 15 is his promise. He will speak of God's righteousness and salvation every single day, even though he cannot count how many times God has shown those gifts. The whole psalm shows a man who has walked with God long enough to know that God's help outruns his ability to list it.
Key Words
Two key Hebrew words come from the same root. The verb "tell" (yesapper) and the noun "numbers" (sephorot) both come from the word for counting. The psalmist is making a deliberate play: I will count out your righteousness, even though I cannot count up your mercies.
The word for "righteousness" (tsedaqah) here means God's saving justice, his faithful action to rescue his people. "Salvation" (teshuah) is the deliverance that comes from that righteousness. Together they name God's character and his acts.
The phrase "all the day" (kol hayom) means continuously, not just once. So the psalmist is promising a lifetime of grateful speech, not a single moment of thanks. He admits he does not "know" (yada) the full number. Yada here means more than head knowledge; it means he cannot grasp or fully experience the extent. His praise is honest about its limits and still full of intention.
How Christians Read This Verse
Reformed commentators like Calvin read this as David's response to suffering, a determined turn from lament to praise. Matthew Henry sees it as a "holy transport of joy" that grows from hope. Keil and Delitzsch highlight the wordplay in the Hebrew, noting that the psalmist's speech is an attempt to "count" what cannot finally be counted. Baptist commentator Gill draws out the meaning of righteousness as Christ's righteousness, which the believer declares by faith. Across traditions, the verse is read as a humble and bold commitment to praise God even when human understanding falls short.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think the phrase "I don't know its full measure" expresses doubt or uncertainty about God's goodness. In fact, it is the opposite. The psalmist is not saying, "I'm not sure if God will save me." He is saying that God's saving acts are so many that he cannot count them. The admission is an overflow of wonder, not a lack of faith. He praises because God is greater than his ability to describe.
Living This Out
This week you may face a situation where gratitude feels awkward because you do not have all the answers. Maybe a prayer went unanswered or a hard season has no clear purpose. The psalmist does not wait until he understands everything. He speaks what he knows. You can do the same. Name one concrete way God has shown faithfulness to you today. It does not have to cover the whole story. Just tell that one thing. Let your mouth start, even if your mind cannot finish.
Main takeaway: God's goodness is too vast to count, yet we can spend our whole days telling what we know of it.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God does so many good things for us that we could never count them all. But we can still tell people about some of them every day. Even if we forget some, God doesn't.
For ages 9, 12
The writer of this psalm was old and had been through hard times. He still decided to spend his days talking about God's goodness, even though he knew he couldn't list everything God had done. That's a good plan for us too: we don't have to know everything about God to tell others what we do know. Just start with one thing.
Questions People Ask
What does 'numbers' mean in Psalm 71:15?
The Hebrew word is sephorot, meaning a count or tally. The psalmist uses it to say God's righteous acts and salvation are so many that he cannot count them all. It echoes Psalm 40:5, where God's wonders are 'more than can be counted'.
Why does the psalmist admit he doesn't know the numbers?
The admission is not doubt but wonder. He knows God's goodness is inexhaustible. He confesses his own limits as a reason to keep praising, not to stop. A finite mind cannot fully grasp an infinite God, but it can still speak what it sees.
Is there a wordplay in this verse?
Yes. The Hebrew verb for 'tell' (yesapper) and the noun for 'numbers' (sephorot) come from the same root. The psalmist is playing with words: I will count out (recount) your righteousness, even though I cannot count up (number) your mercies.
How does this verse relate to the rest of Psalm 71?
The psalm moves from desperate cries for help (verses 1, 13) to a firm resolve to hope and praise (verses 14, 24). Verse 15 is the hinge where the psalmist turns from asking for deliverance to promising thanksgiving, even without knowing the full scope of God's help.
Does this verse apply to Christians today?
Yes. Christians across traditions have seen in it a pattern for honest praise. We do not need to understand everything God is doing to thank him for what we do see. The verse invites believers to speak of God's saving work in Christ all day long, trusting that his mercies are greater than we can number.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study