'Silent' in the Bible

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord handed over the Amorites to the sons of Israel, and Joshua said in the sight of Israel,“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,And moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

Hannah prayed and said,“My heart rejoices and triumphs in the Lord;My horn (strength) is lifted up in the Lord,My mouth has opened wide [to speak boldly] against my enemies,Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Then they said one to another, “We are not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, yet we are keeping silent. If we wait until the morning light, some punishment [for not reporting this now] will come on us. So now come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”

But the people kept silent and did not answer him, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed (purchased back) our Jewish brothers who were sold to the [Gentile] nations; now would you even sell your brothers, that they might be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a [single] word to say.

For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?”

“Should your boasts and babble silence men?And shall you scoff and no one put you to shame?

“If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my pain is not relieved;And if I refrain [from speaking], what [pain or anguish] leaves me?

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin;Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah.

O my God, I call out by day, but You do not answer;And by night, but I find no rest nor quiet.

To you I call, O Lord,My rock, do not be deaf to me,For if You are silent to me,I will become like those who go down to the pit (grave).

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on You;Let the wicked (godless) be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

“These things you have done and I kept silent;You thought that I was just like you.Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.

He who despises his neighbor lacks sense,But a man of understanding keeps silent.

“About whom were you worried and fearfulThat you lied and did not remember Me,Nor give Me a thought?Was I not silent even for a long timeAnd [as a result] you do not fear Me?

Considering these [tragedies], will You restrain Yourself, O Lord [and not help us]?Will You keep silent and humiliate and oppress us beyond measure?

My soul, my soul! I writhe in anguish and pain! Oh, the walls of my heart!My heart is pounding and throbbing within me;I cannot be silent,For you have heard, O my soul,The sound of the trumpet,The alarm of war.

Why are we sitting still [the people wonder]?Assemble yourselves, and let us enter the fortified citiesAnd let us die there,For the Lord our God has decreed our ruinAnd given us bitter and poisonous water to drink,Because we have sinned against the Lord.

The elders of the Daughter of ZionSit on the ground keeping silent;They have thrown dust on their heads,They have covered themselves with sackcloth.The virgins of JerusalemHave bowed their heads to the ground.

Let him sit alone [in hope] and keep quiet,Because God has laid it on him [for his benefit].

Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the River Chebar at Tel Abib. I sat there for seven days [in the place] where they were living, overwhelmed with astonishment [by my vision and the work before me].

Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold (listen carefully), I am going to break the staff of bread [that supports life] in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread [rationed] by weight and [eat it] with anxiety and fear, and drink water by measure and [drink it] in horror [of the impending starvation],

Sigh and groan in silence; do not mourn for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your sandals on your feet, and do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of [mourners furnished by other] men.”

Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,And You cannot look favorably on wickedness.Why then do You look favorablyOn those who act treacherously?Why are you silent when the wicked (Chaldean oppressors) destroyThose more righteous than they?

[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]!For the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near,For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice (Judah),He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon].

“Wail [in anguish], you inhabitants of the Mortar (Valley of Siloam),For all the merchants of Canaan will be silenced and destroyed;All who weigh out silver will be cut off.

“The Lord your God is in your midst,A Warrior who saves.He will rejoice over you with joy;He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.