Psalms 71:18
Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
Study Note
Study Note
The elderly psalmist's petition — 'so even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come' — frames old age not as retirement from witness but as the season of intergenerational testimony. The prayer grounds the request for divine presence in the specific purpose of proclamation: the aging believer needs continued life not for personal comfort but to transmit the story of divine faithfulness to the next generation. The psalm (71) has no superscription but is widely associated with David's aged perspective, and its movement from lament to praise models the pattern of faithful response to the vulnerability of old age. The verse has been central to Christian reflection on the vocation of the elderly and the theological importance of living memory within a worshiping community.
Other Translations
Yea, even when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not, Until I have declared thy strength unto the next generation, Thy might to every one that is to come.
And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might.
Now when I am old and grey-headed, O God, give me not up; till I have made clear your strength to this generation, and your power to all those to come.
Cross References
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way …
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt …
And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did …
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the …
Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of …
And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have …
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid …
And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not …