Psalm 46 · KJV
Psalm 46
God Is Our Refuge and Strength
Psalm 46 declares that God is a refuge and "a very present help in trouble," so His people need not fear even if the earth itself gives way. Its most quoted line, "Be still, and know that I am God," calls the anxious to stop and trust.
Psalm 46 (KJV)
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.
What Psalm 46 means
The psalm imagines the worst — mountains carried into the sea, waters roaring, kingdoms shaking — and answers every catastrophe with the same steadiness: "therefore will not we fear." At the centre is a river whose streams "make glad the city of God"; peace flows even while the world convulses.
Its climax is a command to stop striving: "Be still, and know that I am God." The stillness is not passivity but trust — releasing the need to control and resting in the One who is "exalted among the heathen." It inspired the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."
Key verses
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1 · KJV — God as refuge and present help.
“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 — "Be still, and know that I am God" — one of Scripture's most searched lines.
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A prayer from Psalm 46
God, my refuge and strength, be my very present help in trouble. When everything shakes, teach me to be still and know that You are God. Amen.
Themes in this passage
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Frequently asked
What does Psalm 46 mean?
Psalm 46 declares that God is a refuge and "a very present help in trouble," so His people need not fear even if the earth itself gives way. Its most quoted line, "Be still, and know that I am God," calls the anxious to stop and trust.
What is Psalm 46 about?
The psalm imagines the worst — mountains carried into the sea, waters roaring, kingdoms shaking — and answers every catastrophe with the same steadiness: "therefore will not we fear." At the centre is a river whose streams "make glad the city of God"; peace flows even while the world convulses.
What is the key verse in Psalm 46?
Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Is Psalm 46 in the King James Version?
Yes. The full text of Psalm 46 on this page is the King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain.