a battle (i.e. the engagement) · noun, common feminine plural absolute
cease
מַשְׁבִּ֥יתmash.Bit
H7673
to repose · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine singular absolute
end
קְצֵ֪הke.Tzeh
H7097
an extremity · noun, common masculine singular construct
earth
הָ֫אָ֥רֶץha.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
breaketh
יְ֭שַׁבֵּרYe.sha.ber
H7665
to burst (literally or figuratively) · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
bow
קֶ֣שֶׁתKe.shet
H7198
a bow · noun, common feminine singular absolute
cutteth
וְקִצֵּ֣ץve.ki.Tzetz
H7112
to chop off (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
spear
חֲנִ֑יתcha.Nit
H2595
a lance (for thrusting · noun, common feminine singular absolute
sunder
קָצַץqâtsats
H7112
to chop off (literally or figuratively)
burneth
יִשְׂרֹ֥ףyis.Rof
H8313
to be (causatively · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
chariot
עֲ֝גָל֗וֹתa.ga.Lot
H5699
something revolving · noun, common feminine plural absolute
fire
בָּאֵֽשׁba.'Esh
H784
fire (literally or figuratively) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Isaiah 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into…
Micah 4:3-4 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears…
Micah 5:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chari…
Joshua 11:9 And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy ga…
1 Samuel 2:4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
Psalms 76:3-6 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the s…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 46:6–end
These verses give glory to God both as King of nations and as King of saints.
I. As King of nations, ruling the world by his power and providence, and overruling all the affairs of the children of men to his own glory; he does according to his will among the inhabitants of the earth, and none may say, What doest thou? 1. He checks the rage and breaks the power of the nations that oppose him and his interests in the world (Psa 46:6): The heathen raged at David's coming to the throne, and at the setting up of the kingdom of the Son of David; compare Psa 2:1, Psa 2:2. The kingdoms were moved with indignation, and rose in a tumultuous furious manner to oppose it; but God uttered his voice, spoke…
The usual weapons of war (Psa 7:12), as well as those using them, are brought to an end.
John Gill on Psalms 46:9
He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth,.... As at the birth of Christ, the Prince of peace, in the times of Augustus Caesar, when there was a general peace in the world, though it did not last long; and in the times of Constantine, signified by silence in heaven for half an hour, Revelation 8:1; when for a while there was a cessation from wars and persecution; and as will be in the latter day, and which is here chiefly designed; when nations shall learn war no more, and Christ's kingdom will take place; of which and its peace there shall be no end, Isaiah 2:4. The consideration of which may serve to relieve distressed minds under terrible apprehensions of present troubles and pub…
Psalm 46:6-11
6. The peoples raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice [178] the earth melted. 7. Jehovah of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. 8. Come ye, consider the works of Jehovah, what desolations [179] he hath made in the earth. 9. He maketh battles to cease even to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, he cutteth in pieces the spear; he burneth the chariots with fire. [180] 10. Be still [181] and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth [182] 11. Jehovah of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.
6 The peoples raged Since the Church of God is never without enemies, and these…
The Church Fathers
In this place the writer understands the worst habits and wicked thoughts in the words of bow, weapons and bucklers.
He it is who routs all the enemy when he wishes and brings peace to the earth to the degree he wants.… He is the God who does away with the enemy with their own weapons when he wishes.
"He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth" [Psalm 46:9]. This not yet see we fulfilled: yet are there wars, wars among nations for sovereignty; among sects, among Jews, Pagans, Christians, heretics, are wars, frequent wars, some for the truth, some for falsehood contending. Not yet then is this fulfilled, "He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth;" but haply it shall be fulfilled. Or is it now also fulfilled? In some it is fulfilled; in the wheat it is fulfilled, in the tares it is not yet fulfilled. What is this then, "He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth"? Wars He calls whereby it is warred against God. But who wars against God? Ungodliness. And what to God can ungodliness do? Nothing. What does an earthen vessel dashed against the rock, however vehemently dashed? With so much greater harm to itself it comes, with how much the greater force it comes. These wars were great, frequent were they. Against God fought ungodliness, and earthen vessels were dashed in pieces, even men by presuming on themselves, by too much prevailing by their own strength. This is that, the shield whereof Job also named concerning one ungodly. "He runs against God, upon the stiff neck of his shield." [Job 15:26] What is, "upon the stiff neck of his shield"? Presuming too much upon his own protection. Were they such who said, "God is our refuge and strength, a Helper in tribulations which have found us out too much"? Or in another Psalm, "For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me." When one learns that in himself he is nothing, and help in himself has none, arms in him are broken in pieces, wars are made to cease. Such wars then destroyed that Voice of the Most High out of His holy clouds, whereby the earth was moved, and the kingdoms were bowed. These wars has He made to cease unto the end of the earth. "He shall break the bow, and dash in pieces the arms, and burn the shield with fire." Bow, arms, shield, fire. The bow is plots; arms, public warfare; shields, vain presuming of self-protection: the fire wherewith they are burned, is that whereof the Lord said, "I have come to send fire on the earth;" [Luke 12:49] of which fire says the Psalm, "There is nothing hid from the heat thereof." This fire burning, no arms of ungodliness shall remain in us, needs must all be broken, dashed in pieces, burned. Remain thou unharmed, not having…
Dictionary and topics
Alamoth — Virgins, a musical term (1 Chr. 15:20), denoting that the psalm which bears this inscription (Ps. 46) was to be sung by soprano or female voices.
Cart — A vehicle moving on wheels, and usually drawn by oxen (2 Sam. 6:3). The Hebrew word thus rendered, ’agalah (1 Sam. 6:7, 8), is also rendered “wagon” (Gen. 45:19). It is used also to denote a…
Chariot · For war — For war
Fire · Characterised as: Consuming — Characterised as: Consuming
Nation · Promises of peace to — Promises of peace to
War · God: Causes to cease — God: Causes to cease
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
(Heb.: 46:9-12) The mighty deeds of Jahve still lie visibly before them in their results, and those who are without the pale of the church are to see for themselves and be convinced. In a passage founded upon this, Psa 66:5, stands מפעלות אלהים; here, according to Targum and Masora (vid., Psalter, ii. 472), מפעלות יהוה.
(Note: Nevertheless מפעלות אלהים is also found here as a various reading that goes back to the time of the Talmud. The oldest Hebrew Psalter of 1477 reads thus, vide Repertorium fr Bibl. und Morgenlnd. Liter. v. (1779), 148. Norzi decides in favour of it, and Biesenthal has also adopted it in his edition of the Psalter (1837), which in other respects is a reproduction of Heid…
This invitation to trust in the Lord offers a perspective on God’s interactions with human powers.
46:8 Israel saw the Lord’s glorious works in the wilderness (107:24; 111:2), but the wicked, who have no concern for them (28:5), are left desolate (73:19).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 46:9
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. His voice quiets the tumult of war, and calls for the silence of peace. However remote and barbarous the tribe, he awes the people into rest. He crushes the great powers till they cannot provoke strife again; he gives his people profound repose. He breaketh the bow, the sender of swift winged death he renders useless. And cutteth the spear in sunder —the lance of the mighty man he shivers. He burneth the chariot in the fire —the proud war chariot with its death dealing scythes he commits to the flames.…
