For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

PSALMS 71:5KJV
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Psalms 71:5 (KJV)

What does Psalms 71:5 mean?

Psalms 71:5 expresses the psalmist’s deep reliance on God, calling Him both his hope and his trust since his earliest days. The verse is a personal declaration that God has been a constant source of security and expectation throughout the psalmist’s life.

The speaker is traditionally understood to be David, addressing God directly in prayer. The context is one of seeking help and reassurance in old age, looking back on a lifetime of depending on God. The verse highlights a lifelong relationship, where trust in God is not new or occasional, but something that has shaped the psalmist’s entire experience from youth onward.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 71:5

  • The word “hope” is תִּקְוָה (tiqvah), which often means an expectation or something looked forward to with confidence. Here, it shows that the psalmist’s sense of what the future holds is grounded in God.
  • The word “trust” is מִבְטָח (mivtah), meaning a place or feeling of safety and security. This emphasizes that God is not just someone to wish upon, but a reliable foundation for the psalmist’s life.
  • The phrase “Lord GOD” uses two different titles: אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) for “Lord,” which conveys God’s authority, and יְהוִה (YHWH) for “GOD,” the personal name of Israel’s God, highlighting both reverence and intimacy.
  • The word “youth” is נְעוּרִים (ne’urim), which refers to the earliest part of life, underlining that this trust in God is not recent but has been present since childhood.

Why Psalms 71:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that faith in God is not just for moments of crisis, but can be a lifelong anchor, shaping a person’s outlook from their earliest memories.
  • The use of both “hope” and “trust” shows a full picture: God is both the one the psalmist looks to for the future and the one who has been a steady refuge in the past.
  • In the context of the psalm, this verse sets up a contrast between the vulnerability of old age and the enduring faithfulness of God, reinforcing the idea that God’s support is not limited by time or circumstance.

Where else these words appear

“trust” Hebrew H4009 · used in 15 verses

  • Job 8:14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.
  • Psalms 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
  • Isaiah 32:18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

“hope” Hebrew H8615 · used in 33 verses

  • Joshua 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
  • Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
  • Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

“youth” Hebrew H5271 · used in 46 verses

  • Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
  • Psalms 129:1 A Song of degrees. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
  • Jeremiah 48:11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.