Reference: Fear
Hastings
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 (De 4:10); it is the sum of religious duty (De 6:13) and prompts to obedient and loving service (De 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' (Ps 111:9) that this fundamental principle of religion rests: those who know His name have learnt that to fear Him is true wisdom (Ps 111:10) and true blessedness (Ps 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 (Ac 9:31), and when an uncircumcised foreigner became a devout worshipper of the God of Israel he was known as 'one that feareth God' (Ac 10:2; cf. 2Co 7:1; Php 2:12; 1Pe 1:17; 2:17; Re 14:7; 15:4; 19:5). Although the usual Gr. word for 'fear' is not used in Heb 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' (1Jo 4:18) is the result of sin (Ge 3:10). The sinner, under condemnation of the Law, is in 'bondage unto fear' (Ro 8:15), and inasmuch as 'the sting of death is sin' (1Co 15:56), he is also through fear of death
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He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."
"Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'
"You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
"Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.
He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.
Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."
"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."
And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
Watsons
FEAR, 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, Ge 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, Ps 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, Jer 32:40, whereby it is inclined and enabled to obey all God's commandments, even the most difficult, Ge 22:12; Ec 12:13; and to hate and avoid evil, Ne 5:15; Pr 8:13; 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," Ps 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," Ps 19:9. The law is so called, because it is the object, the cause, and the rule of the grace of holy fear.
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He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
"If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night."
But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
"For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked.
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.