What Does Psalm 116:15 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Psalm 116:16 O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
A conversation built on it
Grief is made worse by the sense that the world has not noticed. The psalm uses one word for what happened, and it is not routine or inevitable — it is precious. Jesus stood at a tomb knowing exactly how the day would end, and wept first. Nothing about your loss was passed over.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 116:15 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” The King James rendering most people know is: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
What is the context of Psalm 116:15?
The verses immediately around it read: (Psalm 116:13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:14) I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. (Psalm 116:15) Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:16) O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. (Psalm 116:17) I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
How is Psalm 116:15 used in a conversation about this?
Grief is made worse by the sense that the world has not noticed. The psalm uses one word for what happened, and it is not routine or inevitable — it is precious. Jesus stood at a tomb knowing exactly how the day would end, and wept first. Nothing about your loss was passed over.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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