Fear

Holman Bible Dictionary

Terminology The English word “fear” is used to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. In the Old Testament, the most common word used to express fear is yir' ah , which means “fear, “terror” ( Isaiah 7:25;  Jonah 1:10,16 ). In the New Testament, the word used most often to express fear is phobos which means “fear,” “dread,” “terror” (  Matthew 28:4;  Luke 21:26 ).

Secular Fear rises in the normal activities and relationships of life.

Human Fear Animals fear humans ( Genesis 9:2 ), and humans fear the animals ( Amos 3:8 ); individuals fear individuals ( Genesis 26:7 ), and nations fear nations ( 2 Samuel 10:19 ). People are afraid of wars ( Exodus 14:10 ), of their enemies ( Deuteronomy 2:4 ), and of subjugation ( Deuteronomy 7:18;  Deuteronomy 28:10 ). People are afraid of death ( Genesis 32:11 ), of disaster ( Zephaniah 3:15-16 ), of sudden panic ( Proverbs 3:25 ), of being overtaken by adversity ( Job 6:21 ), and of the unknown ( Genesis 19:30 ). Fear can reflect the limitations of life ( Ecclesiastes 12:5 ) as well as the unforeseen consequences of actions ( 1 Samuel 3:15 ).

Fear can be the regard the young owes to the aged ( Job 32:6 ), the honor a child demonstrates toward parents ( Leviticus 19:3 ), the reverential respect of individuals toward their masters ( 1 Peter 2:18 ), and to persons in positions of responsibilities ( Romans 13:7 ). Fear also can be the sense of concern for individuals ( 2 Corinthians 11:3 ) as well as the respect for one's husband ( 1 Peter 3:2 ).

Fear as consequence of sin Fear may come from a strong realization of sin and disobedience. Man and woman were afraid after their act of disobedience ( Genesis 3:10 ). Abimelech was afraid when he realized that he had committed an offensive act by taking the wife of Abraham to be his wife ( Genesis 20:8-9 ). This sense of estrangement and guilt that comes as consequence of sin produces in the heart of individuals the fear of the day of the Lord because they will appear before the judgment of God ( Joel 2:1 ).

Freedom from fear Freedom from fear comes as individuals trust in the God who protects ( Psalm 23:4 ) and helps them ( Isaiah 54:14 ). The New Testament teaches that perfect love casts out fear ( 1 John 4:18 ). Christians are no longer slaves of fear, for Christ has given them not a spirit of

timidity or cowardice, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-control ( 2 Timothy 1:7 ).

Religious Fear is the human response to the presence of God.

Fear of God A prominent element in Old Testament religion is the concept of the fear of God. Most often the sense of fear comes as individuals encounter the divine in the context of revelation. When God appears to a person, the person experiences the reality of God's holiness. This self-disclosure of God points to the vast distinction between humans and God, to the mysterious characteristic of God that at the same time attracts and repels. There is a mystery in divine holiness that causes individuals to become overwhelmed with a sense of awe and fear. They respond by falling down or kneeling in reverence and worship, confessing sin, and seeking God's will ( Isaiah 6:1 ).

God as a fearful God The God of Israel is an awe-producing God because of His majesty, His power, His works, His transcendence, and His holiness. Yahweh is a “great and terrible God” ( Nehemiah 1:15 ); He is “fearful in praises, doing wonders” ( Exodus 15:11 ); His name is “fearful” ( Deuteronomy 28:58 ) and “terrible” ( Psalm 99:3 ). The fear of God comes as people experience God in a visible manifestation ( Exodus 20:18 ), in dreams ( Genesis 28:17 ), invisible form ( Exodus 3:6 ), and in His work of salvation ( Isaiah 41:5 ). God's work, His power, majesty, and holiness evoke fear and demand acknowledgment. The fear of God is not to be understood as the dread that comes out of fear of punishment, but as the reverential regard and the awe that comes out of recognition and submission to the divine. It is the revelation of God's will to which the believer submits in obedience.

The basis for God's relationship with Israel was the covenant. The personal relationship that came out of the covenant transformed the relationship from a sense of terror to one of respect and reverence in which trust predominated. This fear which produces awe can be seen in the worship of Israel. The Israelites were exhorted to “serve the Lord with fear” ( Psalm 2:11 ). Fear protected Israel from taking God for granted or from presuming on His grace. Fear called to covenant obedience.

Fear as obedience Deuteronomy sets out a relationship between the fear of God and the observance of the demands of the covenant. To fear the Lord is one of the ways by which Israel expresses its obedience and loyalty to Yahweh and to His divine requirements: “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” ( Deuteronomy 10:12-13; compare  Deuteronomy 6:24-25;  Deuteronomy 10:20;  Deuteronomy 13:4 ). Fear becomes a demand that can be learned ( Deuteronomy 17:19 ). Fear of God was part of the religious life of every Israelite, where the acknowledgment of it required a specific behavior from each individual. Fear of God was a requirement demanded from every judge ( Exodus 18:21 ). The kings of Israel should rule in the fear of the Lord ( 2 Samuel 23:3 ); even the messianic King would live in the fear of the Lord ( Isaiah 11:2 ). To fear God was the beginning of wisdom and thus of the pathway to true life ( Proverbs 1:7;  Proverbs 9:10;  Proverbs 15:33 ).

“Fear not” The expression “fear not” (also translated “do not fear” or “do not be afraid”) is an invitation to confidence and trust. When used without religious connotation (15 times), “fear not” is an expression of comfort. These words come from an individual to another providing reassurance and encouragement ( Genesis 50:21;  Ruth 3:11;  Psalm 49:16 ). When “fear not” is used in a religious context (60 times), the words are an invitation to trust in God. These words appear in the context of the fear and terror that follows divine revelation. God invites His people not to be afraid of Him ( Genesis 15:1;  Genesis 26:24 ); the angel of the Lord seeks to calm an individual before a divine message is communicated ( Daniel 10:12 ,Daniel 10:12, 10:19;  Luke 1:13 ,Luke 1:13, 1:30 ); a person acting as a mediator of God invites the people to trust in God (Moses,  Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua,  Joshua 10:25 ).

The “God-fearers” The “God-fearers” were those who were faithful to God and obeyed His commandments ( Job 1:1;  Psalm 25:14;  Psalm 33:18 ). Those who fear God are blessed ( Psalm 112:1 ); they enjoy God's goodness ( Psalm 34:9 ) and God's provision ( Psalm 111:5 ). In the New Testament “God-fearers” became a technical term for uncircumcised Gentiles who worshiped in the Jewish synagogue.

Fear in the New Testament Some Christians tend to de-emphasize the fear of God in the New Testament by placing the love of God above the fear of God. There is indeed a greater emphasis on the love of God in the New Testament. However, the element of fear was part of the proclamation of the early church.

Paul admonished believers to work out their salvation “with fear and trembling” ( Philippians 2:12 ). The early church grew in number as they lived “in the fear of the Lord” ( Acts 9:31 ). The fear of God is related to the love of God. The revelation of God to people in the New Testament contains the element of God's mysterious otherness calling for reverent obedience. The New Testament church stands in awe and fear in the presence of a holy God, for fear is “the whole duty of man” ( Ecclesiastes 12:13 ).

Claude F. Mariottini

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

(φόβος, φοβεῖσθαι, φοβερός; ἀφόβως, ‘without fear’; ἔκφοβος, ‘exceedingly afraid’)

While there is a natural fear in the presence of danger- e.g. in a hurricane at sea ( Acts 27:17)-which is not specifically human, spiritual fear is distinctive of man, whose motives and actions lack their finest quality unless they are influenced by it. The last count in the indictment which St. Paul draws up against both Jew and Gentile-comprehensive and explanatory of all the rest-is that there is no fear of God before their eyes ( Romans 3:18). This is the stupid, unthinking fearlessness of men who are blind to the realities of the spiritual world to which they belong. If they but know God, they could not but fear Him, supposing they are guilty of even a fraction of the sins which are here laid to their charge. So soon as their eyes are opened, and their consciences quickened, they discover that it is a fearful thing (φοβερόν) to fall into the hands of the living God ( Hebrews 10:31). But if, conscious of demerit, they cry to Him for mercy, their sins are forgiven, and’ henceforth they live as in His sight, recognizing that to fear God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man.

This was the religion of the devout Jew, and when the Gentile, dissatisfied alike with the old gods of Olympus and the cold abstractions of philosophy, came to the synagogues of the ‘dispersion’ in search of a higher faith and a purer morality, he was taught to ‘fear God.’ He became a φοβούμενος (or σεβόμενος) τὸν θεόν, though he might never completely judaize himself by accepting the mark of the covenant. The God-fearer is very frequently referred to in the Apostolic Age ( Acts 10:2;  Acts 10:22;  Acts 10:35;  Acts 13:16;  Acts 13:26 etc.), and many of the earliest Gentile converts to Christianity were men and women whose fear of God had prepared them for the reception of the gospel. The Torah was thus a tutor to bring them to Christ. The religion of law, in which God was a Sovereign to be obeyed and a Judge to be dreaded, was consummated by the religion of love, in which God is a Father and Christ a Saviour-Brother, It is the distinctive message of Christianity that God wills men to serve Him without fear (ἀφόβως,  Luke 1:74), with a love which casts out fear ( 1 John 4:18), with a boldness which seeks His immediate presence ( Hebrews 10:19), with a freedom and familiarity which prompt the cry ‘Abba, Father’ ( Romans 8:15). ‘Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of sonship,’ Ἐλευθερία, παῤῥησία, and ἀγάπη-dominant notes in the gospel of St. Paul, the writer of Hebrews, and St. John-are all antipodal to fear. The atmosphere of the household of God is filial trust, not servile suspicion and dread.

In the Christian life, nevertheless, there is a new place for the old instinct of fear. Wearing a fresh livery, it is transformed into a guardian of the believer’s dear-bought possessions. Godly repentance has wrought-what fear! ( 2 Corinthians 7:11). Thus there is an ethical fear which accompanies a great responsibility, a passionate love, and a noble heroism. There is a fear which is the opposite of high-mindedness ( Romans 11:20), and without which no man can work out his salvation ( Philippians 2:12) or perfect his holiness ( 2 Corinthians 7:1). There is a fear of personally coming short and permitting others to come short (ὑστερηκέναι,  Hebrews 4:1). There is the paranymph’s jealous fear lest the Bridegroom should lose His bride ( 2 Corinthians 11:3), the Apostle’s anxious fear lest his converts should be found unworthy ( 2 Corinthians 12:20). There is the scrupulous fear of Bunyan’s Mr. Fearing, who ‘was, above many, tender of sin; he was so afraid of doing injuries to others, that he often would deny himself of that which was lawful, because he would not offend’ (cf.  1 Corinthians 8:13). There is a fear, like that of the angels in Sodom, animating those who snatch erring ones as brands from the burning, while they hate even the garment spotted by the flesh ( Judges 1:23).

From the natural fear which listens either to the whispers of inward weakness or the threats of outward despotism, Christianity suffices to deliver men. For the sensitive human spirit, which often pathetically confesses its ‘weakness and fear and much trembling’ ( 1 Corinthians 2:3; cf.  2 Corinthians 7:5), Christ indeed shows the utmost tenderness, and again and again St. Paul received night-visions in which his Lord hade him ‘Be not afraid’ (μὴ φοβοῦ,  Acts 18:9;  Acts 27:24). But for the timidity which sacrifices principles and shirks duties Christianity has no mercy. To this fear it gives a special name, calling it not φόβος but δειλία ( 2 Timothy 1:7), a fearfulness which is synonymous with cowardice, and the fearful (δειλοί,  Revelation 21:8), who prove apostates in the hour of danger, denying Christ and worshipping Caesar, stand first in the black list of those who go down to the second death.

The NT shrinks from attributing φόβος to Christ, yet something would have been lacking in His matchless character if He had not given the best illustration of the presence of fear in even the most filial life. In the hour of His agony, when His Father’s will was the one certainty which nothing could obscure. His godly fear of swerving an inch from the line of duty gave Him the supreme moral victory. He was heard for His εὐλάβεια, that perfect reverence which dictated a perfect submission: ‘exauditus pro sua reverentia’ (Vulgate).

James Strahan.

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Of some ten Hebrew nouns and eight verbs that are regularly translated "fear, " "to fear, " "to be afraid, " and the like, only one of each is commonly used in the Old Testament and they both spring from the root yr (the noun being yira [יָרֵא] or mora [מֹורָא מֹורָה] and the verb yare [יָרֵא יָרֵא]). The New Testament employs phobos and phobeo almost exclusively as noun and verb, respectively, and these are the terms consistently used by the Septuagint to translate Hebrew yira [יָרֵא] or mora [מֹורָא מֹורָה] and yare [יָרֵא יָרֵא].

The fundamental and original idea expressed by these terms covers a semantic range from mild easiness to stark terror, depending on the object of the fear and the circumstances surrounding the experience. There is no separate Hebrew of Greek lexeme describing fear of God so presumably such fear was from earliest times, the same kind of reaction as could be elicited from any encounter with a surprising, unusual, or threatening entity. In time, however, fear of God or of manifestations of the divine became a subcategory of fear in general and thus developed a theological signification pervasively attested throughout the Bible. While the normal meaning of fear as dread or terror is retained in the theological use of the terms, a special nuance of reverential awe or worshipful respect becomes the dominant notion.

Fear of God or of his manifestations appears in the Bible either in the abstract, in which just the idea of God alone generates this response, or in particular situations such as theophany or miracle, the occurrence or performance of which produces fear. Examples of the latter are Israel's fear of the Lord following the exodus deliverance ( Exodus 14:31 ) and the fear of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, when he saw the angel of the Lord ( Luke 1:12 ). More common by far are the reactions of fear by God's people as they contemplate who he is and what he has done.

Fear as a response to God and his deeds is so important an aspect of biblical faith and life that Fear actually occurs as an epithet of God himself. Jacob describes the Lord as the "Fear of Isaac" his father ( Genesis 31:42; cf. v. 53 ), suggesting that Isaac had such reverential submission to the Lord that the Lord, to him, was the embodiment of fear. Usually, however, the fear of the Lord is an inducement to obedience and service: to fear God is to do his will. This equation appears most prominently in covenant contexts, especially in Deuteronomy, where the appeal is to serve the Lord as evidence of proper recognition of his sovereignty. The Lord as King demands and deserves the awesome respect of his people, a respect that issues in obedient service.

Fear of God also lies at the heart of successful living in the world. Wisdom literature makes it clear that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a fear equated with the "knowledge of the Holy One" ( Proverbs 9:10;  1:7;  Psalm 111:10 ). To fear God is to know him and to know him is to fear him. Such healthy fear enables one to praise God ( Psalm 22:23;  Revelation 14:7 ); to enjoy benefits and blessings at his hand ( Psalm 34:9;  103:11,13 ,  17 ); to rest in peace and security ( Psalm 112:7-8 ); and to experience length of days ( Proverbs 10:27;  19:23 ). But fear of God also produces fear of wrath and judgment in those who do not know him or who refuse to serve him. There are, thus, two sides of the fear of the Lord—that which produces awe, reverence, and obedience, and that which causes one to cower in dread and terror in anticipation of his displeasure.

Eugene H. Merrill

See also Awesome Awe

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

FEAR . In the OT ‘the fear of the Lord’ is frequently a definition of piety. The purpose of the giving of the Law is the implanting of this fear in the hearts of men (  Deuteronomy 4:10 ); it is the sum of religious duty (  Deuteronomy 6:13 ) and prompts to obedient and loving service (  Deuteronomy 10:12 ). ‘Fear cannot be appraised without reference to the worth of the objects feared’ (Martinean, Types of Ethical Theory , ii. 184); hence it is on the revelation of the Divine nature as ‘holy and to be feared’ (  Psalms 111:9 ) that this fundamental principle of religion rests: those who know His name have learnt that to fear Him is true wisdom (  Psalms 111:10 ) and true blessedness (  Psalms 112:1 ). In the NT mention is made of a fear which has high moral quality and religious value. ‘The fear of the Lord’ was the rule by which the early Christians walked (  Acts 9:31 ), and when an uncircumcised foreigner became a devout worshipper of the God of Israel he was known as ‘one that feareth God’ (  Acts 10:2; cf.   2 Corinthians 7:1 ,   Philippians 2:12 , 1Pe 1:17;   1 Peter 2:17 ,   Revelation 14:7;   Revelation 15:4;   Revelation 19:5 ). Although the usual Gr. word for ‘fear’ is not used in   Hebrews 5:7 , the reference to the ‘godly fear’ of the perfect Son emphasizes the contrast between reverent awe and slavish terror.

The fear which ‘hath punishment’ ( 1 John 4:18 ) is the result of sin (  Genesis 3:10 ). The sinner, under condemnation of the Law, is in ‘bondage unto fear’ (  Romans 8:15 ), and inasmuch as ‘the sting of death is sin’ (  1 Corinthians 15:56 ), he is also through fear of death … subject to bondage’ (  Hebrews 2:15 ). Transgression may so completely deceive him that he has ‘no terror of God’ (  Psalms 36:1 ); the climax of human wickedness is the loss of any dread of God’s judgments, though the Gr. and Eng. translations of the Heb. word for ‘terror’ ( pachadh , cf.   Isaiah 2:10;   Isaiah 2:19;   Isaiah 2:21 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ) fail to bring out this thought in St. Paul’s quotation of this verse (  Romans 3:18 ). To rouse men from this callous indifference to God’s threatenings is the purpose of the appeal to fear, which is a primary and self-regarding emotion and a powerful spring of human action. This appeal is warranted by our Lord’s words (  Matthew 10:28 ) as well as by Apostolic example (  Hebrews 4:1; Heb 10:31 ,   1 Timothy 5:20 ,   Judges 1:23 ). The spirit in which this appeal should be made is that which inspired St. Paul, when he declares that, ‘knowing the fear of the Lord,’ before whose judgment-seat all must be made manifest, he is constrained by the love of Christ to persuade men to be ‘reconciled to God’ (  2 Corinthians 5:11 ff.).

J. G. Tasker.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

People naturally fears those people, influences, objects and events that they see as threatening, as being able to control, overpower or destroy them ( Numbers 14:9;  Psalms 2:11;  Luke 21:26;  Hebrews 2:15;  Hebrews 10:27). In some cases this may be a cowardly fear ( Proverbs 29:25;  Galatians 2:12), but in others a very healthy fear, amounting to respect or reverence ( Genesis 20:11;  Leviticus 26:2;  Romans 3:18;  1 Peter 2:18). In this latter sense people are to fear those who have authority over them ( Leviticus 19:3;  Proverbs 24:21;  Romans 13:3;  Romans 13:7;  Ephesians 6:5), and particularly to fear God ( Psalms 34:11;  Isaiah 8:13-15;  Acts 9:31;  1 Peter 2:17).

Sinners have good reason to fear God; because God’s punishment will one day fall upon them ( Micah 7:16-17;  Matthew 10:28). Believers also fear God, but theirs is a different sort of fear. Their fear of God is mixed with love for him ( Deuteronomy 6:2;  Deuteronomy 6:5;  1 Peter 1:8;  1 Peter 3:15). If believers obey God solely because they fear his punishment, such obedience displays an immature love. They should obey God because they love him ( Deuteronomy 10:12;  Romans 8:15;  1 John 4:17-18;  1 John 5:3).

Nevertheless, believers’ love for God is not a substitute for reverence, nor does it excuse them from judgment. God still requires obedience and holiness. He is the almighty judge as well as the loving Father. Therefore, believers must have a healthy fear of him as well as a warm love for him ( 2 Corinthians 7:1;  1 Peter 1:16-17).

Such an attitude guarantees God’s help in living a life that pleases him and benefits the believer personally ( Psalms 147:11;  Proverbs 1:7;  Proverbs 8:13;  Proverbs 9:10;  Proverbs 10:27;  Proverbs 14:26;  Philippians 2:12-13). It also gives confidence not to fear the dangers and uncertainties of life ( Psalms 46:2;  Psalms 112:1;  Psalms 112:7;  Luke 12:4-5;  1 Peter 3:14-15).

Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

A. Verb.

Yârê' ( יָרֵא , Strong'S #3372), “to be afraid, stand in awe, fear.” This verb occurs in Ugaritic and Hebrew (both biblical and post-biblical). The Bible attests it approximately 330 times and in all periods.

Basically, this verb connotes the psychological reaction of “fear.” Yârê' may indicate being afraid of something or someone. Jacob prayed: “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children” (Gen. 32:11).

Used of a person in an exalted position, yârê' connotes “standing in awe.” This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect. In this sense, the word may imply submission to a proper ethical relationship to God; the angel of the Lord told Abraham: “… I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12). The verb can be used absolutely to refer to the heavenly and holy attributes of something or someone. So Jacob said of Bethel: “How [awesome] is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17). The people who were delivered from Egypt saw God’s great power, “feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses” (Exod. 14:31). There is more involved here than mere psychological fear. The people also showed proper “honor” (“reverence”) for God and “stood in awe of” Him and of His servant, as their song demonstrates (Exod. 15). After experiencing the thunder, lightning Flashes, sound of the trumpet, and smoking mountain, they were “afraid” and drew back; but Moses told them not to be afraid, “for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not” (Exod. 20:20). In this passage, the word represents “fear” or “dread” of the Lord. This sense is also found when God says, “fear not” (Gen. 15:1).

Yârê' can be used absolutely (with no direct object), meaning “to be afraid.” Adam told God: “… I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10—the first occurrence). One may be “afraid” to do something, as when Lot “feared to dwell in Zoar” (Gen. 19:30).

B. Nouns.

Môrâ' ( מֹרָא , Strong'S #4172), “fear.” The noun môrâ' , which appears 12 times, is used exclusively of the fear of being before a superior kind of being. Usually it is used to describe the reaction evoked in men by God’s mighty works of destruction and sovereignty (Deut. 4:24). Hence, the word represents a very strong “fear” or “terror.” In the singular, this word emphasizes the divine acts themselves. Môrâ' may suggest the reaction of animals to men (Gen. 9:2) and of the nations to conquering Israel (Deut. 11:25).

Yir'âh ( יִרְאָה , Strong'S #3374), “fear; reverence.” The noun yir'âh appears 45 times in the Old Testament. It may mean “fear” of men (Deut. 2:25), of things (Isa. 7:25), of situations (Jonah 1:10), and of God (Jonah 1:12); it may also mean “reverence” of God (Gen. 20:11).

King James Dictionary

FEAR, n. See the Verb.

1. A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.

Fear is the passion of our nature which excites us to provide for our security, on the approach of evil.

2. Anxiety solicitude.

The principal fear was for the holy temple.

3. The cause of fear.

Thy angel becomes a fear.

4. The object of fear.

Except the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me.  Genesis 31 .

5. Something set or hung up to terrify wild animals, by its color or noise.  Isaiah 24 .  Jeremiah 48 . 6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear.

I will put my fear in their hearts.  Jeremiah 32 .

Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment.  Romans 8 .

The love of God casteth out fear.  1 John 4 .

7. The worship of God.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Psalms 34 .

8. The law and word of God.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever.  Psalms 19 .

9. Reverence respect due regard.

Render to all their dues fear to whom fear.  Romans 13 .

Fear, L vereor.

1. To feel a painful apprehension of some impending evil to be afraid of to consider or expect with emotions of alarm or solicitude. We fear the approach of an enemy or of a storm. We have reason to fear the punishment of our sins.

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.  Psalms 23 .

2. To reverence to have a reverential awe to venerate.

This do, and live: for I fear God.  Genesis 42 .

3. To affright to terrify to drive away or prevent approach by fear, or by a scarecrow. This seems to be the primary meaning, but now obsolete.

We must not make a scarecrow of the law, setting it up to fear the birds of prey.

FEAR, To be in apprehension of evil to be afraid to feel anxiety on account of some expected evil.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  2 Corinthians 11 .

Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Gen.  15.

FEAR, n. A companion. Not in use. See Peer.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

There are several ideas intended to be conveyed to the mind, by that passion which is called in Scripture fear. There is but one creature in the creation of God, that is said to be wholly void of fear, namely, the leviathan. ( Job 41:33) The fear for the most part spoken of by the word of God, is what relates to our nature, of which there is a threefold description, natural fear, sinful fear and holy fear. Since the fall of man, the whole race of Adam have known the effects both of natural and sinful fear; none but the regenerated are acquainted with what is known in Scripture by a religious, or holy fear.

Natural and slavish fear, arising from a conscious sense of sin, manifested itself immediately upon the fall, when Adam sought to hide himself from the presence of the Lord amidst the trees of the garden. (See  Genesis 3:8) But when a poor sinner is awakened from the sleep and death of sin, and brought forth to a new and spiritual life, "perfect love casteth out fear." Hence the apostle saith, "Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." ( Romans 8:15) It is very blessed when freed from slavish fear. And it is very blessed to have that child-like fear which marks the Lord's people. And it is very blessed to discover how the slavish fear which bringeth bondage is removed, and from whence the holy child-like fear is derived. The sweet promise of God by the prophet explains the whole. ( Jeremiah 32:40) "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."

I will only add, for the comfort and encouragement of the Lord's timid and tried ones, who, in the midst of strong faith, feel at times much natural fear, that it is sweetly accommodating to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, in the days of his flesh, was graciously pleased in this, as in all other points of grace, to be our example. Of Jesus it is said, that "though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience, by the things which he suffered. And in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." ( Hebrews 5:7-8) Sweet and precious thought! Jesus who knew no sin, yet coming to us in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, knew what it was to be sore amazed, to be sorrowful even unto death, to fear, and to be very heavy. Reader, think how Jesus sympathizes with his people under their fears, and heaviness, and sorrow of heart.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

a painful apprehension of danger. It is sometimes used for the object of fear; as, "the fear of Isaac," that is, the God whom Isaac feared,  Genesis 31:42 . God says that he will send his fear before his people, to terrify and destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. Job speaks of the terrors of God, as set in array against him,  Job 6:4; the Psalmist, that he had suffered the terrors of the Lord with a troubled mind,  Psalms 88:15 . Fear is used, also, for reverence: "God is greatly to be feared" in the assembly of his saints. This kind of fear, being compatible with confidence and love, is sometimes called filial fear; while "the fear which hath torment," being the result of conscious guilt, and the anticipation of punishment, is removed by that "love" to God which results from a consciousness of our reconciliation to him.

The filial fear of God is a holy affection, or gracious habit, wrought in the soul by God,  Jeremiah 32:40 , whereby it is inclined and enabled to obey all God's commandments, even the most difficult,  Genesis 22:12;  Ecclesiastes 12:13; and to hate and avoid evil,  Nehemiah 5:15;  Proverbs 8:13;  Proverbs 15:6 . Slavish fear is the consequence of guilt; it is a judicial impression from the sad thoughts of the provoked majesty of the heaven; it is an alarm within that disturbs the rest of a sinner. Fear is put for the whole worship of God: "I will teach you the fear of the Lord,"

 Psalms 34:11; I will teach you the true way of worshipping and serving God. It is likewise put for the law and word of God: "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever,"  Psalms 19:9 . The law is so called, because it is the object, the cause, and the rule of the grace of holy fear.

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

Is that uneasiness of mind which arises from an apprehension of danger, attended with a desire of avoiding it. "Fear, " says Dr. Watts, "shows itself by paleness of the cheeks, sinking of the spirits, trembling of the limbs, thoughts, agonies of nature, and fainting. Many a person has died with fear. Sometimes it rouses all nature to exert itself in speedy flight, or other methods to avoid the approaching evil: sudden terror has performed some almost incredibles of this kind." Fear is of different kinds:

1. There is an idolatrous and superstitious fear, which is called a fear of daemons, which the city of Athens was greatly addicted to. "I perceive, " says the apostle Paul, "that in all things ye are too superstitious, " or given to the fear and worship of false deities.

2. There is an external fear of God, an outward show and profession of it, which is taught by the precepts of men: as in the men of Samaria, who pretended to fear the Lord, as the priest instructed them, and yet served their own gods; and such an external fear of God, Job's friends supposed was all that he had, and that even he had cast that off.

3. There is an hypocritical fear, when men make a profession of religion; but only serve him for some sinister end and selfish view, which Satan insinuated was Job's case. "Doth Job fear God for nought?"  Job 1:9 .

4. There is a servile fear, which they possess who serve God from fear of punishment, and not from love to him.

5. There is a filial fear, such as that of a son to his father. Fear is sinful when

1. It proceeds from unbelief or distrust of God. 2. When it ascribes more to the creature than is due; or when we fear our enemies without considering they are under God. 3. When we fear that in God that is not in him, or that he will break his promise, &c. 4. When our fear is immoderate, so as to distract us in duty.

See next article.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) To feel a painful apprehension of; to be afraid of; to consider or expect with emotion of alarm or solicitude.

(2): ( n.) Apprehension of incurring, or solicitude to avoid, God's wrath; the trembling and awful reverence felt toward the Supreme Belng.

(3): ( n.) To be anxious or solicitous for.

(4): ( n.) To suspect; to doubt.

(5): ( n.) To affright; to terrify; to drive away or prevent approach of by fear.

(6): ( v. i.) To be in apprehension of evil; to be afraid; to feel anxiety on account of some expected evil.

(7): ( n.) Respectful reverence for men of authority or worth.

(8): ( n.) A variant of Fere, a mate, a companion.

(9): ( n.) That which causes, or which is the object of, apprehension or alarm; source or occasion of terror; danger; dreadfulness.

(10): ( n.) A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread.

(11): ( n.) To have a reverential awe of; to solicitous to avoid the displeasure of.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fēr ( יראה , yir'āh , ירא , yārē'  ; φόβος , phóbos , φοβέω , phobéō ):

Terms, Etc

"Fear" is the translation of many words in the Old Testament; the chief are: yir'āh , "fear," "terror," "reverence," "awe," most often "the fear of God," "fear of Yahweh" ( Genesis 20:11;  2 Chronicles 19:9 , etc.); also of "fear" generally ( Job 22:4;  Isaiah 7:25;  Ezekiel 30:13 , etc.); yārē' , "to be afraid," "to fear," "to reverence" ( Genesis 15:1;  Leviticus 19:3 ,  Leviticus 19:14;  Deuteronomy 6:2 , etc.); paḥadh , "fear," "terror," "dread" ( Genesis 31:42 ,  Genesis 31:53;  Deuteronomy 11:25;  1 Samuel 11:7 the King James Version;   Job 4:14;  Isaiah 2:10 the King James Version, etc.).

"Fearful" (timid) is the translation of yārē' ( Deuteronomy 20:8;  Judges 7:3 ); "to be feared," yārē' ( Exodus 15:11;  Deuteronomy 28:58; compare  Psalm 130:4 ); in  Isaiah 35:4 , it is the translation of māhar , "hasty," "them that are of a fearful heart," margin "Hebrew hasty"; perhaps, ready to flee (for fear).

"Fearfully" (  Psalm 139:14 ): yārē' , "I am fearfully (and) wonderfully made," so the Revised Version (British and American); "and" is not in the text, so that "fearfully" may be equivalent to "extremely," to an awesome degree; compare  Psalm 65:5 , "by terrible things ... in righteousness";  Psalm 66:3 , "How terrible are thy works ( yārē' "fearful"); the Septuagint, Peshitta, Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible , 390-405 ad) have "Thou art fearfully wonderful."

"Fearfulness" occurs In   Psalm 55:5 ( yir'āh );  Isaiah 21:4 ( pallācūth ), the Revised Version (British and American) "horror";  Isaiah 33:14 ( re‛ādhāh , "trembling"), "Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites," the Revised Version (British and American) "Trembling hath seized the godless ones."

In the New Testament the chief words are phobos , "fear," "terror," "affright" ( Matthew 14:26;  Matthew 28:4 ,  Matthew 28:8;  Luke 21:26;  1 John 4:18 , etc.), and phobeō , "to put in fear" (both used of ordinary fear) ( Matthew 1:20;  Matthew 10:26;  Matthew 28:5;  2 Corinthians 12:20 , etc.); of the fear of God, the noun ( Romans 3:18;  2 Corinthians 7:1 ), the verb ( Luke 18:4;  Luke 23:40 , etc.); deilı́a , "timidity," "fear," occurs in  2 Timothy 1:7 , "God hath not given us the spirit of fear," the Revised Version (British and American) "a spirit of fearfulness"; ékphobos , "frightened out (of one's senses)," "greatly terrified" ( Hebrews 12:21; compare  Deuteronomy 9:19; The Wisdom of Solomon 17:9 the King James Version); apó tḗs eulabeı́as is translated ( Hebrews 5:7 ) "(of Christ) who was heard in that he feared," the Revised Version (British and American) "having been heard for his godly fear"; so all the Greek commentators; eulábeia , properly, "caution," "circumspection," is used in the New Testament for godly fear ( Hebrews 12:28 , the Revised Version (British and American) "reverence and awe," margin as the King James Version); compare eulabēs ( Luke 2:25;  Acts 2:5;  Acts 8:2 ); eulabéomai , "to act with caution" ( Acts 23:10 ). Deilós , "fearful," "timid," occurs in  Matthew 8:26;  Mark 4:40;  Revelation 21:8 , "Their part shall be ... the second death"; phoberós , "fearful," "terrible" ( Hebrews 10:27 ,  Hebrews 10:31 ); phóbētron , "something fearful," "a terrible sign or portent" ( Luke 21:11 , Revised Version (British and American) "terrors").

Fear is a natural and, in its purpose, beneficent feeling, arising in the presence or anticipation of danger, and moving to its avoidance; it is also awakened in the presence of superiors and of striking manifestations of power, etc., taking the form of awe or reverence. Fear has been said to be the source of religion, but religion can never have originated from fear alone, since men are impelled to draw nigh with expectation to the object of worship.

"Fear" is certainly a prominent element in Old Testament religion; the "fear of God" or of Yahweh, "the fear of the Lord," is indeed synonymous with religion itself ( Psalm 34:11;  Proverbs 1:7;  Isaiah 11:2 ,  Isaiah 11:3;  Jeremiah 2:19;  Ecclesiastes 12:13 , "the whole duty of man," the Revised Version, margin "the duty of all men"). But although the element of dread, or of "fear" in its lower sense, is not always absent and is sometimes prominent in the earlier stages especially, though not exclusively ( Exodus 23:27 , 'ēmāh  ;  1 Samuel 11:7;  2 Chronicles 20:29;  Psalm 119:120;  Isaiah 2:10 ,  Isaiah 2:19 ,  Isaiah 2:21 ), it is more the feeling of reverent regard for their God, tempered with awe and fear of the punishment of disobedience. As such it is a sentiment commanded and to be cherished toward Yahweh ( Exodus 20:20;  Deuteronomy 6:13;  Joshua 4:24;  1 Samuel 12:24;  Job 6:14;  Psalm 33:8;  Psalm 34:9;  Proverbs 23:17;  Ecclesiastes 5:7 , etc.). It is an essential element in the worship and service of Yahweh (2 Ki 17 often;  Psalm 2:11 , etc.); it is a Divine qualification of the Messiah ( Isaiah 11:2 ,  Isaiah 11:3 ). This "fear of Yahweh" is manifested in keeping God's commandments, walking in His ways, doing His will, avoiding sin, etc. ( Exodus 20:20;  Deuteronomy 6:13 ,  Deuteronomy 6:14;  2 Samuel 23:3;  Psalm 34:4 ,  Psalm 34:9 parallel   Proverbs 8:13;  Proverbs 16:6 ). It is the true wisdom ( Job 28:28;  Psalm 25:14;  Proverbs 1:7;  Proverbs 15:33 ); it gives life ( Proverbs 10:27 , etc.), blessedness ( Psalm 128:1 ,  Psalm 128:4 ), sufficiency ( Psalm 34:9 ), Divine friendship ( Psalm 25:14 ), protection ( Psalm 34:7 ), deliverance ( Psalm 85:9 ), forgiveness ( Psalm 130:4 ). In  Psalm 90:11 the King James Version has "According to thy fear so is thy wrath," the Revised Version (British and American) "and thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee"; the meaning probably is "thy wrath is in proportion to thy fear."

The "fear of the Lord" is a frequent phrase in Apocrypha, and is highly exalted, e.g. Ecclesiasticus 1:11-30; the idea of it became gradually more and more elevated; in 2:15, 16 it is joined with the love of God.

"Fear" is the natural consequence of sin ( Genesis 3:10;  Genesis 4:13 ,  Genesis 4:14;  Proverbs 28:1 ); it comes as a punishment ( Deuteronomy 28:25 ,  Deuteronomy 28:28 ). The fear of man and of evils are dangers to be avoided, from which the fear of God delivers ( Numbers 14:9;  Numbers 21:34;  Psalm 23:4;  Psalm 31:14 , etc.).

"Fear" sometimes stands for the object of fear (  Proverbs 10:24;  Isaiah 66:4 ); for the object of worship ( Genesis 31:42 ,  Genesis 31:53 , "the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac," paḥadh ).

In the New Testament dread, or fear of God in the lower sense, is removed; He is revealed as the loving and forgiving Father, who gives to men the spirit of sonship ( Romans 8:15;  2 Timothy 1:7;  1 John 4:18 ); we are invited even to come "with boldness unto the throne of grace," with confidence, assurance ( parrhēsı́a ), which, however, may have its literal meaning of free "utterance" ( Hebrews 4:16;  Hebrews 10:19 ); but there remains a filial fear and sense of awe and of the greatness of the issues involved ( Romans 11:20;  Ephesians 5:21 , the Revised Version (British and American) "of Christ";  1 Timothy 5:20;  Hebrews 4:1 ); all other fears should be dismissed ( Matthew 8:26;  Matthew 10:26-28 ,  Matthew 10:31;  Luke 12:32 ); in  Matthew 10:28;  Luke 12:5 , "fear" is used in the sense of "stand in awe of," so perhaps  Luke 23:40; to "fear God" is sometimes used in the New Testament as equivalent to religion ( Luke 18:4;  Acts 10:2 ,  Acts 10:35;  Acts 13:16 ,  Acts 13:26 , used of proselytes); in  Hebrews 10:27 , it is said that if Christ be willfully rejected, nothing remains but "a fearful looking for (the Revised Version (British and American) "expectation") of judgment," and  Hebrews 10:31 , "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," in which places "fearful" means "terrible," something well to be feared. the Revised Version (British and American) gives frequently a more literal rendering of the words translated "fear."