Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.”
World English Bible, updated 66-book edition (engwebp). Text provenance and public-domain notice.
Read the full chapter: Psalms 46
1 For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
3 though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High.
5 God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn.
6 The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and the earth melted.
7 The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, see the LORD’s works, what desolations he has made on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.”
11 The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Context for study
The call to be still occurs amid raging nations, shaken kingdoms, and God bringing wars to an end. The rest of verse 10 speaks of God being exalted among the nations and throughout the earth. That setting gives the words a wider scope than a private moment of quiet. The final refrain returns to God’s presence as refuge, joining stillness with recognition of his rule amid upheaval.
A question to explore
How do the broken weapons in verse 9 and the nations in verse 10 shape the call to be still?