1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
God is declared a refuge and strength even if the earth is transformed and the mountains are shaken into the sea; a river brings joy to the city of God, and the psalm ends with the famous invitation: 'be still, and know that I am God'.
Explanation
This psalm, attributed to the sons of Korah, celebrates security in God even amid the most extreme cosmic chaos imaginable — the earth moving, mountains falling into the sea. The closing line, 'be still, and know that I am God,' has become one of the most quoted verses in the Bible for moments of anxiety, calling for confident stillness rather than panic in the face of crises. It was the direct inspiration for Martin Luther's famous Protestant hymn 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,' composed during a period of great turmoil in the Reformation. Today's application: even amid personal, social, or global crises, there is an invitation to stop, breathe, and trust.
Fun facts
- This psalm directly inspired the hymn 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' ('Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'), composed by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, one of the most influential hymns in Christian history.
- The 'river' mentioned in verse 4 is likely a symbolic image, since Jerusalem had no great river (only the small Gihon spring) — representing God's presence as a constant source of life and joy for the city.