FEAR [isbe]
FEAR - fer (yir'ah, yare'; phobos, phobeo):Terms, etc.:
"Fear" is the translation of many words in the Old Testament; the chief are: yir'ah, "fear," "terror," "reverence," "awe," most often "the fear of God," "fear of Yahweh" (Gen 20:11; 2 Ch 19:9, etc.); also of "fear" generally (Job 22:4; Isa 7:25; Ezek 30:13, etc.); yare', "to be afraid," "to fear," "to reverence" (Gen 15:1; Lev 19:3,14; Dt 6:2, etc.); pachadh, "fear," "terror," "dread" (Gen 31:42,53; Dt 11:25; 1 Sam 11:7 the King James Version; Job 4:14; Isa 2:10 the King James Version, etc.).
"Fearful" (timid) is the translation of yare' (Dt 20:8; Jdg 7:3); "to be feared," yare' (Ex 15:11; Dt 28:58; compare Ps 130:4); in Isa 35:4, it is the translation of mahar, "hasty," "them that are of a fearful heart," margin "Hebrew hasty"; perhaps, ready to flee (for fear).
"Fearfully" (Ps 139:14): yare', "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 Ps 65:5, "by terrible things .... in righteousness"; 66:3, "How terrible are thy works (yare' "fearful "); the Septuagint, Peshitta, Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) have "Thou art fearfully wonderful."
"Fearfulness" occurs In Ps 55:5 (yir'ah); Isa 21:4 (pallatsuth), the Revised Version (British and American) "horror"; Isa 33:14 (re`adhah, "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" (Mt 14:26; 28:4,8; Lk 21:26; 1 Jn 4:18, etc.), and phobeo, "to put in fear" (both used of ordinary fear) (Mt 1:20; 10:26; 28:5; 2 Cor 12:20, etc.); of the fear of God, the noun (Rom 3:18; 2 Cor 7:1), the verb (Lk 18:4; 23:40, etc.); deilia, "timidity," "fear," occurs in 2 Tim 1:7, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear," the Revised Version (British and American) "a spirit of fearfulness"; ekphobos, "frightened out (of one's senses)," "greatly terrified" (Heb 12:21; compare Dt 9:19; The Wisdom of Solomon 17:9 the King James Version); apo tes eulabeias is translated (Heb 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; eulabeia, properly, "caution," "circumspection," is used in the New Testament for godly fear (Heb 12:28, the Revised Version (British and American) "reverence and awe," margin as the King James Version); compare eulabes (Lk 2:25; Acts 2:5; 8:2); eulabeomai, "to act with caution" (Acts 23:10). Deilos, "fearful," "timid," occurs in Mt 8:26; Mk 4:40; Rev 21:8, "Their part shall be .... the second death"; phoberos, "fearful," "terrible" (Heb 10:27,31); phobetron, "something fearful," "a terrible sign or portent" (Lk 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 (Ps 34:11; Prov 1:7; Isa 11:2,3; Jer 2:19; Eccl 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 (Ex 23:27, 'emah; 1 Sam 11:7; 2 Ch 20:29; Ps 119:120; Isa 2:10,19,21), 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 (Ex 20:20; Dt 6:13; Josh 4:24; 1 Sam 12:24; Job 6:14; Ps 33:8; 34:9; Prov 23:17; Eccl 5:7, etc.). It is an essential element in the worship and service of Yahweh (2 Ki 17 often; Ps 2:11, etc.); it is a Divine qualification of the Messiah (Isa 11:2,3). This "fear of Yahweh" is manifested in keeping God's commandments, walking in His ways, doing His will, avoiding sin, etc. (Ex 20:20; Dt 6:13,14; 2 Sam 23:3; Ps 34:4,9 parallel Prov 8:13; 16:6). It is the true wisdom (Job 28:28; Ps 25:14; Prov 1:7; 15:33); it gives life (Prov 10:27, etc.), blessedness (Ps 128:1,4), sufficiency (Ps 34:9), Divine friendship (Ps 25:14), protection (Ps 34:7), deliverance (Ps 85:9), forgiveness (Ps 130:4). In Ps 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 (Gen 3:10; 4:13,14; Prov 28:1); it comes as a punishment (Dt 28:25,28). The fear of man and of evils are dangers to be avoided, from which the fear of God delivers (Nu 14:9; 21:34; Ps 23:4; 31:14, etc.).
"Fear" sometimes stands for the object of fear (Prov 10:24; Isa 66:4); for the object of worship (Gen 31:42,53, "the God of Abraham, and the Fear of isaac," pachadh).
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 (Rom 8:15; 2 Tim 1:7; 1 Jn 4:18); we are invited even to come "with boldness unto the throne of grace," with confidence, assurance (parrhesia), which, however, may have its literal meaning of free "utterance" (Heb 4:16; 10:19); but there remains a filial fear and sense of awe and of the greatness of the issues involved (Rom 11:20; Eph 5:21, the Revised Version (British and American) "of Christ"; 1 Tim 5:20; Heb 4:1); all other fears should be dismissed (Mt 8:26; 10:26-28,31; Lk 12:32); in Mt 10:28; Lk 12:5, "fear" is used in the sense of "stand in awe of," so perhaps Lk 23:40; to "fear God" is sometimes used in the New Testament as equivalent to religion (Lk 18:4; Acts 10:2,35; 13:16,26, used of proselytes); in Heb 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 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."
W. L. Walker
Fear [baker]
[N]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 [h'a.rIy] or mora [a'r/m] and the verb yare [aer"y]). 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 [h'a.rIy] or mora [a'r/m] and yare [aer"y].
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 (Exod 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 (Gen 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" (Prov 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; Rev 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 (Prov 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 Awe, Awesome
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
FEAR [bridgeway]
People naturally fears those people, influences, objects and events that they see as threatening, as being able to control, overpower or destroy them (Num 14:9; Ps 2:11; Luke 21:26; Heb 2:15; 10:27). In some cases this may be a cowardly fear (Prov 29:25; Gal 2:12), but in others a very healthy fear, amounting to respect or reverence (Gen 20:11; Lev 26:2; Rom 3:18; 1 Peter 2:18). In this latter sense people are to fear those who have authority over them (Lev 19:3; Prov 24:21; Rom 13:3,7; Eph 6:5), and particularly to fear God (Ps 34:11; Isa 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; Matt 10:28). Believers also fear God, but theirs is a different sort of fear. Their fear of God is mixed with love for him (Deut 6:2,5; 1 Peter 1:8; 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 (Deut 10:12; Rom 8:15; 1 John 4:17-18; 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 Cor 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 (Ps 147:11; Prov 1:7; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26; Phil 2:12-13). It also gives confidence not to fear the dangers and uncertainties of life (Ps 46:2; 112:1,7; Luke 12:4-5; 1 Peter 3:14-15).
