Be Still and Know That I Am God!

Psalm 46:10:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (NKJV)

“Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” (NASB)

“Stop your fighting – and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” (HCSB)

The command to BE STILL is from the term raphah, which means in the original language, “to release” or “let go.” God commands the forces of chaos, in reference to the previous verses 2-3,  and the nations, in reference to verse 6, to stop their raging and recognize Him and Him alone as God, the ultimate Ruler and Sovereign over all the earth.

As you can see in the New American Standard Bible, and the Holman Christian Standard Bible, they render the term raphah into it’s more contextual sense. STILL yourself or REST yourself from striving or still, rest yourself from fighting, which gives more sense to the context when you consider the references that the Lord is making in relation to natural upheavals as well as national upheavals.