Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
- BSB Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas,
- NKJV Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
- NASB Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes And the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
- NLT So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
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.
Quick answer
Therefore God's people will not fear, even if the earth gives way and mountains topple into the sea. It matters because faith in God removes fear of even cosmic upheaval.
Overview
Building on God as refuge, the psalmist declares fearlessness amid the most catastrophic imaginable disasters. The shaking earth and collapsing mountains symbolize total instability. Because God is unshakable, His people stand secure, a confidence ultimately grounded in Christ, the rock that cannot be moved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 23:4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- Heb 13:6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
- Ps 27:3Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
- Luke 21:9–11But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
- Matt 21:21Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
- Luke 21:33Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
- Ps 18:7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
- 2 Pet 3:10–14But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- Ps 82:5They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
- Luke 21:25–28And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
- Gen 7:11–12In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
- Matt 8:24–26And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 46:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.