Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Psalm 71 Bible study: Even when I am old
The Hebrew word ziqnah, old age, is in the Psalms only twice, and both are here (71:9, 71:18). In 71:18 it stands beside gray-haired, the same pair God uses in "Even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs I will carry you" (Isaiah 46:4). And a psalm that opens "Never let me be disappointed" (71:1) ends "they are disappointed" (71:24), one Hebrew verb.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Psalm 71 ends by saying that those who want to harm the psalmist are disappointed.”
Is that in Psalm 71, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
From the womb to gray hair
Psalm 71 has no title, and it names no one. But it speaks of a whole life. It goes back before birth: "I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb" (71:6) (tap took). It speaks of youth twice: "my confidence from my youth" (71:5), and "God, you have taught me from my youth" (71:17) (tap youth). And it speaks of old age twice: "Don’t reject me in my old age. Don’t forsake me when my strength fails" (71:9), and "Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me" (71:18) (tap old, gray-haired). Here is what almost everyone misses: the Hebrew word for old age, ziqnah, is in the Psalms only twice, and both are in this psalm (71:9, 71:18). The psalm doesn't say how old the one praying is. It asks God to stay with him through all of it.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 71
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 71 is waiting in Favor
- "God has forsaken him"
- Always, and all day
- Psalm 31's opening, and one letter
- From the womb to gray hairs, in Isaiah
- Telling the next generation
- Old, and telling of him
- 9 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 71 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
זִקְנָהziqnahsay zik-NAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "old age". Strong's: "old age". "Don’t reject me in my old age" (71:9), and "Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me" (71:18). The Hebrew Bible has it six times, and the Psalms only twice, both in this psalm. It is Sarah's in "Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old" (Genesis 24:36). And it is God's word in "Even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs I will carry you" (Isaiah 46:4), beside seivah, as in 71:18 (tap gray-haired).
For your group
Psalm 71 Bible study questions
- 1"God, you have taught me from my youth" (71:17). What did you learn about God early in your life that you still carry, and what have you had to learn later?
- 2"Don’t forsake me when my strength fails" (71:9). What do you find yourself wanting to say to God about getting older, or about your strength running out?
- 3The psalmist wants to live "until I have declared your strength to the next generation" (71:18). Who told you about God, and who in a younger generation could you tell?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 71 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 71 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 71 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Psalm 71
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home