How many times have you wanted to raise your voice and tell the world about the wonders God has done and is doing for us? Surely many, especially in times of injustice or desolation, when people’s eyes turn away from the Lord.
You may not have done so out of fear or rather not knowing what to say, but if you did, Psalm 46 would be a perfect speech for these cases of injustice.
Psalm 46 complete kjv
Psalm 46 of the Bible in English and large print
After listening to the psalm you have probably already begun to feel the power of its words.
Now you can read the full text in large print and feel more and more deeply the power it has. This is the version found in the King James Version Bible, as well as the rest of the psalms that we comment on in our articles.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
Our prompt help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed,
And the mountains are transferred to the heart of the sea;
3 Though they roar and their waters be troubled,
And let the mountains tremble because of their bravery. Selah
4 From the river its streams make glad the city of God,
The sanctuary of the dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.
God will help her as the morning dawns.
6 The nations roared, the kingdoms trembled;
He gave his voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
Our refuge is the God of Jacob. Selah
8 Come, see the works of Jehovah,
Who has laid desolations on the earth.
9 Who causes wars to cease to the ends of the earth.
That breaks the bow, cuts the spear,
And he burns the wagons in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
Our refuge is the God of Jacob. Selah
Meaning of Psalm 46 explained verse by verse
Do you already feel within you the infinite energy that Psalm 46 gives off? There is nothing better for Christians than reading texts like this one. It is no wonder that Psalm 46 is one of the best known psalms in the Catholic Bible and in Christianity.
You can find the text in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, along with all the other psalms in the bible. Like most of them, it was written by King David, one of the most important prophets and biblical characters of our religion. In addition to being texts with great significance, they are literary works of very high artistic value and unique in their time.
According to experts, Psalm 46 was written by David after defeating the enemies of the people of Israel, being almost a song of celebration. Unlike many other psalms in which the author begins by needing the Lord’s help, in this one David begins by praising him and feeling his assurance.
And this is the purpose of Psalm 46: to teach the faithful that they need not fear for anything because the Lord protects us, since He has created everything. God is good and His love for us is infinite.
We will now analyze the verses of the psalm in detail, grouping them into thematic blocks.
- Verses 1-3
In these first three verses of Psalm 46, David reminds us that God is always watching over us with his infinite love. Nothing should be feared when we have faith and, as Christians, faith should be one of the main values of our lives.
The first verse defines perfectly what we mean:
“God is our refuge and strength,
Our speedy help in trouble.”
It is the Lord who will save us in the worst moments and protect us from the worst evils of the world.
At the end of this block we find a Hebrew resource that is used in some psalms and that does not have a literal translation in our language. According to experts, the word “selah” means something like: stop and listen.
- Verses 4-7
This block of verses is dedicated to praising the city of Jerusalem and highlighting God’s presence in this city. We can think of a metaphor with the city and faith: God will protect the city from its enemies just as he will protect our faith from those who want to undermine it.
As explained in the last verse of this block, the Lord is our refuge and it is to Him that we must turn at all times. In their hands we will be safe:
“Jehovah of hosts is with us;
Our refuge is the God of Jacob. Selah”
- Verses 8-11
Here David changes the tone of the psalm, he stops speaking of God as a refuge for the faithful and begins to glorify all his works. The Lord has created everything and the conflicts that we humans can generate are nothing compared to his infinite power.
Thus, the block ends with a strong sentence that is different from the rest of the psalm. David uses the first person and conveys a message directly from God. Humanity must pause from time to time to remember that the Lord has given us everything and that thanks to Him we will be saved.
We leave here the verse for you to marvel at the depth of its message:
Be still, and know that I am God
I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
Finally, the psalm ends by repeating verse 7, thus becoming a kind of refrain typical of musical compositions.
More information on Psalm 46
This psalm is a song of adoration and gratitude towards God, one of the most powerful you will find in the Bible. From the first verse you will be imbued with the power of its words and you will want to teach it to all your loved ones.
No one remains indifferent after knowing Psalm 46 ntv nvi of the Catholic Bible and that is why today in Tu Biblia Online, we bring it to you along with everything you need to understand it in its entirety.
We will begin by listening to an oral version of the psalm with a very relaxing video, ideal to start a prayer session. Then you will find the complete text of Psalm 46 so that you can read it as many times as you need and begin with your first reflections, which, in the following section, we will complement with our own in a detailed analysis of the text. Finally, we will leave you with some additional information about the psalm with some curiosities and musical adaptations.
In our Bible commentary articles, we always recommend finding a relaxed place to read them and take the opportunity to dedicate some prayers to the Lord. We also believe that it is very good to comment on the verses with other people in order to understand the message of the text perfectly.
As you have seen, Psalm 46 ntv nvi can be interpreted in a political way, since human conflict is a recurring theme throughout the text. So much so that the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, referred to this psalm in some of his speeches.
Moreover, this psalm is very important in Protestantism, since Martin Luther wrote a hymn paraphrasing it. This hymn in turn inspired the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach who composed a church cantata. In the following link you will find an excellent representation of the piece that we hope you will enjoy very much.
If you like contemporary music you will surely enjoy this psalm music composition by the group Shane and Shane entitled “Psalm 46 (Lord of Hosts)”. We leave it here for you to listen to it as many times as you want!
Now that you know Psalm 46 of the Bible in greater depth, we close this article of Your Bible Online. Follow your reading with Psalm 7 or Psalm 1 of the King James Version.
We hope that you have felt the power of the beautiful words of this psalm and that you have learned a lot.
See you next time!