Psalm 46: Our refuge amid upheaval
God's presence secures His people when creation shakes and nations rage; He will be exalted over all the earth.
Where Psalm 46 sits
- In the story
- Act IV, Israel: Exodus–Malachi · The Kingdom, c. 1050–930 BC
- In the Bible
- Old Testament · Wisdom & Poetry · chapter 46 of 150 in Psalms
- In Psalms
- Book II: longing, deliverance and righteous rule, 42–72
- Before
- Psalm 45: The righteous King and His bride
- After
- Psalm 47: King over all the earth
Psalm 46 summary
God's ready help gives courage amid overwhelming upheaval (1–3). His presence sustains His city while kingdoms collapse (4–7). God breaks weapons and commands recognition of His universal supremacy (8–11).
Psalm 46 in context
- Speaking
- A singer from the sons of Korah, as named in the superscription.
- Written for
- The LORD and the worshiping congregation, with instruction for all who receive this song as Scripture.
- Around it
- Repeated assurance in verses 7 and 11 grounds the song. The command in verse 10 belongs to God's defeat of raging powers, though believers also learn quiet trust from it.
The sections of Psalm 46
Read Psalm 46
God Is Our Refuge and Strength
For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth is transformed
and the mountains are toppled
into the depths of the seas,
3though their waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake in the surge.
Selah
4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5God is within her; she will not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns.
6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;
the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8Come, see the works of the LORD,
who brings devastation upon the earth.
9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields in the fire.
10“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth.”
11The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Berean Standard Bible, 11 verses. The BSB is in the public domain.
Around Psalm 46
Near it in Book II: longing, deliverance and righteous rule
- Psalm 42
- Psalm 43
- Psalm 44
- Psalm 45
- Psalm 47
- Psalm 48
- Psalm 49
- Psalm 50
- Psalm 51
- Psalm 52
- Psalm 53
- Psalm 54
Read alongside
- Hebrews 12
Chapters that point here
- Numbers 2
Questions on Psalm 46
What makes God a refuge when earth and nations are shaken?
The answers are in TheoMaps Challenges.
Plus What TheoMaps holds for Psalm 46
- How Psalm 46 points to Christ
- What each of its 3 sections says, and how one leads into the next
- How it is shaped: The LORD with His people
- Why that chapter belongs beside it
- The answers to its questions, in Challenges
TheoMaps Plus opens every book the way Genesis is open, on the map, with Challenges to help you remember it.