Psalm 46:10 contains one of the most familiar phrases in Scripture:
"Be still, and know that I am God." (NIV)
Many of us return to these words for comfort and reassurance in our hectic days. But when we slow down to study the verse more closely, its meaning becomes even clearer—and life-changing.
Here's how the NIV Application Commentary, available with Bible Gateway Plus, helps us understand what the psalmist is saying:
"…does not mean to be quiet or calm as much as it means to stop what you have been doing and be still. Only when we cease our own frantic activity can we begin to experience God's acting for us. Only then, says the psalmist, can we know that he is God."
This perspective reshapes how we hear Psalm 46:10.
The verse is not only an invitation to inner calm—it is a call to stop striving, to release control, and to recognize God's sovereignty in the midst of upheaval.
Bible Gateway Plus helps bring insights like this right alongside Scripture, so you can move beyond familiarity and into understanding—one verse at a time.
