Psalm 46:1 in Context
Psalm 46:1 read in its full chapter context. See the verses before and after, plus historical setting and flow of thought.
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
— Psalm 46:1 (KJV)
Where This Verse Sits
Psalm 46:1 appears in Psalms chapter 46, verse 1. This psalm was likely written after God's miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian siege around 701 BC. Martin Luther's famous hymn 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' was inspired by this psalm. The threefold structure (vv. 1-3, 4-7, 8-11) moves from confidence to comfort to command ('be still').
The Verse Itself
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
— Psalm 46:1 (KJV)
Flow of the Passage
To grasp Psalm 46:1 fully, read it inside the surrounding paragraph. The verses before set up the argument, and the verses after show its outworking. Psalms 46 as a whole carries forward the theme of help, and this single verse is one beat in that larger movement.
The psalmist declares that God is not a distant deity but an immediately available refuge and source of strength. He is 'very present'—thoroughly accessible in times of crisis.
Cross-References
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