Psalm 46:10 in Context
Psalm 46:10 read in its full chapter context. See the verses before and after, plus historical setting and flow of thought.
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
— Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
Where This Verse Sits
Psalm 46:10 appears in Psalms chapter 46, verse 10. This psalm was likely composed after God miraculously delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrian army under Sennacherib in 701 BC (2 Kings 19). The city had been surrounded, and destruction seemed certain. The command to 'be still' came after God demonstrated His sovereign power by destroying 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight.
The Verse Itself
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
— Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
Flow of the Passage
To grasp Psalm 46:10 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 peace, and this single verse is one beat in that larger movement.
In the midst of chaos and turmoil (described earlier in the psalm), God calls His people to stop striving and recognize His sovereignty. Ultimate victory belongs to Him.
Cross-References
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