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Psalm 46

Psalm 46 grounds its confidence amid upheaval in God’s presence with his people and his rule over the earth.

A worshiping community declares its confidence in God while mountains shake and nations rage. The heading attributes the song to the sons of Korah, though the particular crisis behind it is unknown. Against the roaring sea stands a river that gladdens God’s city, where his presence keeps it secure. The singers call their hearers to behold God’s works in ending war. Then God speaks, commanding stillness and declaring that he will be exalted throughout the earth.

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1For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
3though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah.
4There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High.
5God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn.
6The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and the earth melted.
7The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8Come, see the LORD’s works, what desolations he has made on the earth.
9He 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.”
11The LORD of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
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Key verses
Psalm 46:1The opening names God as refuge, strength, and present help before describing a world that seems to come apart.
Psalm 46:7This refrain joins God’s command of armies with his presence among the people who know him as Jacob’s God.
Psalm 46:11The repeated refrain closes the song with confidence in God’s presence after his declaration of rule over the nations.
Where this chapter reaches

Isaiah shares the vision of God ending warfare and bringing weapons out of use, placing peace under his rule over the nations. Ezekiel and Zechariah share the imagery of life-giving waters flowing from God’s dwelling or Jerusalem, linking water with his sustaining presence.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which image of upheaval in this psalm comes closest to something you fear, and why?

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How does God’s destruction of weapons shape your understanding of his command to be still?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 46

Who wrote Psalm 46?

The heading attributes Psalm 46 to the sons of Korah and addresses the Chief Musician. It does not identify an individual author or date the song. Its language fits a crisis involving Jerusalem and hostile nations, but the text does not name a particular siege or battle.

What does “Be still” mean in Psalm 46:10?

God speaks this command after the description of shattered weapons and wars brought to an end. In that setting, stillness carries the force of ceasing resistance and acknowledging his rule. The audience is not named, but the surrounding references to nations and the whole earth give the command a public scope.

What is the river in Psalm 46?

The river’s streams bring gladness to the city where God dwells, understood as Jerusalem. The psalm gives no river name, and Jerusalem has no great river running through it. The image contrasts with the threatening sea: these waters sustain the city whose security rests in God’s presence.

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What the Bible says about anxiety →What the Bible says about fear →What the Bible says about worship →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).