Be still, and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10
NLT“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Reading 'be still' as 'stop fighting' is no modern correction. Augustine (died 430), expounding this psalm, glossed it: 'restrain your souls from contradiction. Do not argue, and, as it were, arm against God.'
Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 46 section 13, trans. J. E. Tweed (NPNF, 1888)
God's command in Psalm 46 (verse 11 in Hebrew): desist, or 'be still', and know that I am God.
More context
Psalm 46 celebrates God as refuge while nations rage; the verse before this one has him make wars cease, break the bow and burn the chariots. The Hebrew verb harpu means let go, desist or relax. Rashi took it as God's word to the nations to stop marching on Jerusalem; Augustine as a call to stop arguing and arming against God. English 'Be still' comes from the older translations; the Jewish Publication Society renders 'Desist!'.
Light
Encourages deep peace, meditation, and trust in a power greater than oneself.
Shadow
May be misinterpreted as a call to passivity or inaction in situations that require moral effort.