Bible verse wall art
Psalm 46: be still, and know that I am God
Mountains falling into the sea, nations in uproar, and in the middle of it a city with a river. Psalm 46 contains two of the most loved verses in Scripture, and both read differently in context.
Psalm 46 prints
- God Is Within Her She Shall Not Be MovedPsalm 46:5from $29
- Be Still and Know That I Am GodPsalm 46:10from $29
- Family by LamplightPsalm 46:1from $29
- Garden of RosesPsalm 46:5from $29
- Walking the PathPsalm 46:5from $29
- Reading by the WindowPsalm 46:5from $29
- Almond Blossom PathPsalm 46:5from $29
- Garden WallPsalm 46:5from $29
- By the Still LakePsalm 46:5from $29
- Bible and WildflowersPsalm 46:5from $29
- Woman Reading Her BiblePsalm 46:5from $29
- Woman Under the ArchPsalm 46:5from $29
- Hilltop GardenPsalm 46:5from $29
Psalm 46 · King James Version
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
10 Be still, and know that I am God.
A song of the sons of Korah
The heading dedicates it “to the chief Musician for the sons of Korah”, a family of Temple singers. It opens with a line Martin Luther turned into the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (46:1).
The psalm has three movements, two of them closing with the same refrain: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (46:7 and 11). First the earth shakes, then the nations rage, and finally God himself brings the war to an end.
What does Psalm 46:5 mean?
Verse 4 introduces a river whose streams “make glad the city of God”. Verse 5 then says: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” In the psalm, “her” is the city, Jerusalem, where God dwells among his people. The phrase “right early” means at the turn of the morning, the moment the night's danger is over.
Today many women read this verse as a personal promise, and it is often given on birthdays, graduations and during illness. That reading is a fair application: what God does for the city where he dwells, he can do for a person in whom he dwells. Modern versions put it more simply: God is within her, and she will not fall.
What does “be still” mean?
Psalm 46:10 in full reads: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” The verse just before describes God breaking the bow and cutting the spear in two. “Be still” is spoken first to the warring nations: stop, drop your weapons, recognize who is God.
The Hebrew verb means to let go or let drop. For the anxious believer that is still good news. Stillness here is not only quiet time. It is the release of what we were gripping, the end of fighting what we cannot control.
Where these verses are hung
Verse 10 is a favorite over beds, in offices and in hospital chapels. Verse 5 is often chosen for a daughter, a sister or a friend going through a hard year. Both can hang side by side.