📖 Biblical Definition
Silence, in Scripture, is the disposition of restraint in speech and inward stillness before God. It is commanded as the proper posture before His throne: "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD" (Zephaniah 1:7); "But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him" (Habakkuk 2:20); "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD" (Zechariah 2:13). It is prized in His servants: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business" (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Yet Scripture distinguishes godly silence (waiting on the LORD) from cowardly silence (the watchman who will not blow the trumpet, Ezekiel 33:6). Know which yours is.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SI'LENCE, n.
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1. Stillness; the state of being still. 2. Forbearance of speech in man, or noise in other animals. 3. Habitual taciturnity; opposed to loquacity. 4. Secrecy. 5. In scripture, silence is sometimes commanded as a token of reverence and submission to the will of God.
📖 Key Scripture
Habakkuk 2:20 — "The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him."
Zechariah 2:13 — "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation."
Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God."
Ecclesiastes 3:7 — "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
The internet rewards constant speech; God rewards seasoned silence.
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The Bible knows two silences. The first is the silence of reverence: the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. The mouth shut, the soul still, the word incoming and not outgoing. This silence is not weakness; it is the only adequate posture before holiness.
The second is the cowardly silence Ezekiel forbade — the watchman who saw the sword and did not blow the trumpet. Modern Christianity confuses the two regularly. We are loud where we should be silent (online, in argument, in opinion-mongering) and silent where we should be loud (about sin, about Christ, about the gospel to a perishing neighbor). Recover the right silences. Recover the right voice. Ecclesiastes 3:7 is a discipline, not a quiz.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew damam (H1826); Greek hesuchia (G2271).
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H1826 — damam — to be silent, still
H2814 — chashah — to be silent, hold peace
G4601 — sigao — to be silent, hold tongue
Usage
"The internet rewards constant speech; God rewards seasoned silence."
"There is a silence that is reverence and a silence that is cowardice; learn the difference."
"Be still, and know — the order is the only one that produces real knowing."