Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 71:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 71:17: The petition “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” belongs to the prayer “Lifelong trust through aging and threat,” not to an isolated command.
Trust that began in the womb now asks not to be thrown away in old age
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 71:1–24. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 71:1–24
Read Psalms 71:17 with 71:1–24. Read alone, “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 71:1–24, the individual voice carries the movement “Lifelong trust through aging and threat” as part of “Lifelong trust through aging and threat.” Its lament-confidence form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 71:1–24 opens Psalm 71 with “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion” and establishes the individual voice and “Lifelong trust through aging and threat” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 71:17 directs a petition or address toward God in “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” rather than turning the line into a command against another person.
What Remains True
Book II gives Psalm 71:17 a larger home, while “Lifelong trust through aging and threat” supplies its immediate one. Psalm 71:17 directs a petition or address toward God in “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” rather than turning the line into a command against another person. Therefore, Trust can be voiced within danger and delay without becoming a guarantee of immunity or a reason to reject practical care. The local movement is “Lifelong trust through aging and threat.” The unit's reviewed limit is: Aging language honors dependence and testimony; it must not stigmatize disability, promise painless old age, or substitute prayer for care.
How It Can Shape Life
- Psalm 71:17 contributes to “Lifelong trust through aging and threat” in a specific way: Psalm 71:17 directs a petition or address toward God in “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” rather than turning the line into a command against another person. Respond by doing this: Hold “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth” as prayerful hope rather than a prediction; take the next safe and truthful action while the outcome remains uncertain.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 71:1–24 — Lifelong trust through aging and threatSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 71:1–24, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 71:1–24
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 71:1–24.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 71 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 71:1–24
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗