Digging deeper

Digging Deeper into This Verse – What Do the Commentaries Say?

Picturesource

Some commentaries differ on whether to interpret verse 10 as God speaking directly to the enemies of the people of God, God speaking to his people, or God speaking to both his enemies and the people of God in different ways. Let’s take a look at a few.

The ESV Study Bible comments:

“Since the address in v. 10, be still, and know, is plural, readers should imagine God speaking these words to the nations, among whom he will eventually be exalted. This is the meaning of the LORD of hosts being with his people (v. 11; cf. Matt. 28:20): he will indeed see to it that the mission of Gen. 12:1–3 is accomplished.”

There is certainly a shift from third-person to first-person, and the ESV points out the grammar of the phrase “be still, and know.” They interpret the phrase as being spoken to the nations.

Zondervan’s Expositor’s Bible Commentary explains verse 10,

“The psalmist goes on to encourage the godly to ‘know’ that the Lord is God. Though it was tempting to ally themselves with foreign powers, to rely on military strength, or to give themselves over to idolatry and pagan ways, the godly must learn to persevere to the end. The exhortation ‘be still’ calls on them to stop doing one thing in favor of something else. What their temptation was may be implied from v. 2: ‘Therefore we will not fear.’ Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, severe national distress brought the temptation to abandon true religion for the ephemeral security of political alliances, military strength, and worldly paganism. Instead of choosing a negative option, the people of God distinguish themselves by the pursuit of godliness: ‘Know that I am God.’ The knowledge of God includes factual knowledge about him, his past acts, and his promises. But in this context, the psalmist calls on them to commit themselves to the Lord and to seek his ‘refuge,’ ‘strength,’ and ‘fortress’ (vv. 1, 7, 11). The life of faith is lived continually in commitment to God’s sovereignty, rule, and ultimate exaltation over all the nations (cf. Hab 2:13–14).” (Bold emphasis added).

Knowing God in this context means acknowledging and committing to the fact that God is the only refuge worth running toward—the only refuge that will stand strong through every circumstance.