v. Fright, Fear, Tremor, Terror
Gen 9:2 the t.. of you will be over all
Gen 20:11 I said..there is no God in this place
Gen 32:7 Jacob had great t, and was distressed; Y
Exo 9:20 he who had t of the word of Jehovah
Deu 2:25 I will begin to put your t.. on the
Deu 11:25 Fear and the LORD will put yourselves
Deu 25:18 Amalek .. had no t from God
1Sa 18:29 over David, and Saul was the enemy of
Neh 5:9 will ye not walk in the t of our God
Job 4:6 Is not your aunt God your trust? It is not
Job 18:11 from all sides will astonish him, and
Job 21:9 houses are safe from you, nor does the scourge come
Job 28:28 here that the t of the Lord is wisdom
Psa 2:11 serve the Lord with you, and rejoice with
Psa 19:9 the Lord’s tea is clean, that abides
Psa 34:11 come ye children .. t of Jehovah I will teach you
Psa 36:1 there is no God before their eyes
Psa 55:5 and trembling came upon me, and terror
Psa 76:8 judgment; the earth had ty was suspended
Psa 111:10; Pro 1:7; 9:10
state of mind that means terror, fear, Gn 19, 30; 42, 35; Jc 7, 3; 1 S 31, 4; Si 40, 1-11, or simply reverence and respect, different meaning of the word when referring to the fear of Yahweh.
Judge Gideon did not want to enlist any fearful in his army so as not to endanger the morale and spirit of the brave, Jc 7, 3.
The Bible urges God’s children not to be afraid. God tells Abraham not to fear because He is his shield and his reward. And Abraham replies that he fears no evil, because He is by his side, Ps 23, 4. Jesus on several occasions tells his apostles not to fear, Mt 10, 31; Lk 5, 10; 12, 32.
The “fear of God” is mentioned with special frequency in Deuteronomy and means to faithfully follow the commandments so that, in this way, the Covenant remains in force, Dt 10, 12 and 20. Righteous is he who fears Yahweh, and wicked who does not fear him, Ps 112, 1 and 8, the fear of the Lord is Wisdom, flee from evil, Intelligence, Jb 28, 28.
In the NT the love and forgiveness of God stands out more but the t remains latent. as part of the human being, because the t. help man to walk on the right path, Acts 9, 31; 2 Co 7, 1. The t. a God helps the human being to bear the t. for earthly things, including death, Heb 2, 15; Rev 2, 10. T. of God means to be just and a believer, Lk 1, 50; 1 Pet 2, 17; in some passages, Gentile sympathizers of the Christian faith are described as God-fearing, Acts 10, 1 and 22; 13, 16.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
(Heb., yir†™ah; Gr., phobos). This word has two main meanings:
(1) That apprehension of evil which normally leads to flight or fight and
(2) that awe and reverence felt in the presence of a higher authority (whether parent, husband, or especially God).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
Several Hebrew words are translated as t., but the meaning varies according to the context. It can refer to fear (†œ… you had t. of the fire† ). Or to the anticipation of an evil that is seen coming. David, exiled among the Philistines, heard the negative comments about him † œand had great t. of Achish king of Gath † (1Sa 21:12) because he perceived the danger. Joseph, knowing what his brothers thought of him after Jacob’s death, said to them: “Do not be afraid; am I in God’s place?… do not be afraid† (Gen 50:17-21).
It is also used to indicate an attitude of reverence and respect (“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord”; “Establish my heart to fear your name”). This kind of tea it manifests itself in practical life (“… and before the blind you will not put a stumbling block, but you will have t. of your God† ). that you it is obtained through the Word of God (“…you shall read this law….so that they may hear and learn, and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law† ). Sometimes we talk about you. referring to a virtuous life, obedient to the will of God. It is said of †¢Hananiah that †œhe was a true man and feared God…† (Neh 7:2).
The verb “to fear” was sometimes used to express the religion that the person professed. Thus, “Jonah identified himself as a worshiper of Jehovah, saying: “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the earth” (Jon 1:9). A curious case is that of the Samaritans, of whom we are told that they mixed their religion with the worship of Jehovah (“They feared the Lord, and honored their gods”), but it is immediately clear that this t. it is not true, since they do not “fear the Lord”, since they do not “keep his statutes and his ordinances, nor do according to the law and the commandments” (2Ki 17:29-35).
In the NT, the word is phobos, which is used both to indicate fear (“The disciples, seeing him walk on the sea… cried out in fear”), as well as to indicate an attitude of reverence and respect towards God. Speaking of the men of the world, Paul said: “There is no you. of God before his eyes † (Rom 3:18). But believers know †œthe t. of the Lord† (2Co 5:11), for which they seek to cleanse themselves “from all contamination of flesh and spirit† , to perfect “holiness in t. of God† (2Co 7:1).
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
In its most frequent use, fear is the fear of receiving harm or pain. Generally this term designates a painful emotion that is characterized by feelings of alarm, fear and restlessness. However, the word fear can also refer to the considered and calm recognition of what can hurt or harm, recognition that calls for reasonable care and intelligent foresight.
What kind of fear of Jehovah should we have?
The Bible shows that there is a proper fear and an improper fear. For example, fear can be healthy and cause the person to proceed with due caution in the face of danger and thus avoid calamity; or it can be morbid and hopeless, which weakens emotional resilience and can go so far as to cause death. The fear of God is healthy; it consists of a feeling of deep reverence towards the Creator, and it is a healthy fear of displeasing him out of appreciation for his loyal love and kindness, and also due to the recognition that he is the Supreme Judge and the Almighty, the One who can punish or destroy those who disobey him. (See DREAD.)
The fear of Jehovah God is essential for those who want to serve him. This deep, reverential fear of Jehovah is “the beginning of wisdom” (Ps 111:10), “the beginning of wisdom.” (Pr 9:10) It is not a morbid fear that denigrates: “The fear of Jehovah is pure.” (Ps 19:9) It is defined as follows at Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of Jehovah means to hate bad.” It prevents wrongdoing, because “in the fear of Jehovah one turns away from bad.” (Pro 16:6)
Adam and Eve did not show the proper fear of God, and therefore disobeyed him. This produced in them a painful fear or terror, which caused them to hide from the presence of God. Adam said: “I heard your voice in the garden, but I was afraid.” (Ge 3:10) Similarly, Adam’s son Cain felt a similar fear after he had murdered his brother Abel, a fear that may have contributed to his decision to build a city. (Ge 4:13-17.)
At Hebrews 12:28, Christians are commanded to have godly fear: “Let us continue to have undeserved kindness, whereby we may render sacred service to God acceptably, with godly fear and reverence.” An angel flying in mid-heaven with good news to declare introduced his message as follows: “Fear God and give him glory.” (Re 14:6, 7) Jesus contrasted healthy fear of God with fear of man, saying: “Do not become fearful of those that kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but, rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna† . (Mt 10:28) Revelation 2:10 also counsels Christians: “Do not be afraid of the things you are to suffer.” True love for Jehovah casts out the cowardly fear of man that leads to compromise.
Proper fear also includes due respect for secular authority, since the Christian knows that the just punishment imposed by that authority for a crime committed is to be understood as an indirect expression of God’s wrath. (Ro 13:3-7.)
Jesus foretold that a climate of fear would cover the earth during “the conclusion of the system of things.” He said that there would be † œawful sights† and that † ˜men would faint from fear and expectation of the things that would come upon the inhabited earth † ™. (Lu 21:11, 26) Although people in general would be affected by this situation, God’s servants should follow the principle expressed at Isaiah 8:12: “You must not fear the object of your fear.” The apostle Paul explains: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of good judgment.” (2Ti 1:7.)
After making a careful study of mankind and man’s occupations and their calamitous experiences, the Sage said: “The conclusion of the matter, all being heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole duty of man† . (Ecc 12:13.)
From animals to man. At Genesis 9:2 the word “fear” is used in connection with the animal creation. God told Noah and his children: † œA fear of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature on the earth †. During the year that Noah and his family were inside the ark, the animals locked up there were afraid of them, which must have helped keep them in check. Similarly, when they came out of the ark after the Flood, Jehovah assured Noah that this fear would continue. This fact is also corroborated by human experience. For example, Dr. George G. Goodwin, associate curator of mammals at the American Museum of Natural History, said: “The leopard does not normally attack man. However, if provoked or injured, he turns on the humans and fights †. Also, venomous snakes known for their aggressiveness, such as the mamba and the king cobra, if they can, generally prefer to carefully move away from the presence of man rather than attack. Despite the fact that man has mistreated some animals and turned them into dangerous beasts, they are generally still subject to this fear. This fact agrees with God’s declaration recorded in Genesis 1:26-28, where it is said that the animal creation was to be subject to man from the time he was created.
Related terms. The Hebrew verbs ya·re· (Le 19:30; 26:2) and `a·rats (Ps 89:7; Isa 29:23; 47:12) can convey the idea of respectful fear. The verb `a·rats often means to tremble, to fear, or to tremble. (Isa 8:12; Ps 10:18)
Evidence of Jehovah’s presence struck awe in those who beheld it. When the Israelites were gathered on the mount…