Fearing God in the Old Testament

Fearing God is an important concept in the ot. While “fear” can describe terror or dread (Gen 3:10), the ot use of “fear” often indicates awe or reverence. To fear God is to express loyalty to Him and faithfulness to His covenant. Those who fear God exhibit trust in Him and obedience to His commandments. According to the ot, those who fear God obtain God’s protection, wisdom, and blessing.

Response to Holiness

The fear of God is often evoked in response to God’s holiness (Exod 3:5–6; Isa 8:13). For example, the biblical writers describe God and His name as holy and “awesome” (Psa 111:9). The term “awesome” translates the Hebrew word nora, a form of the word yara which means “to fear.” The fear of God is also related to God’s greatness (Deut 7:21; Psa 99:3); people fear God because of His mighty deeds (Exod 15:11). For example, the Israelites respond to God’s saving power in bringing them out of Egypt by fearing Him (Exod 14:30–31).

Obedience

The biblical texts often parallel the fear of God with obedience. For example, in Gen 22:12, God recognizes Abraham’s obedience to sacrifice Isaac as fear of Him. The link between fearing God and obedience appears throughout Deuteronomy, where fearing God and keeping His commandments are closely linked (Deut 5:29; 8:6; 10:12–13). In the ot, people demonstrate fear of God by obeying the Law (Deut 6:2). Likewise, obedience to the Law teaches people to fear God (Deut 4:10; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12–13).

Fearing God is also related to obedience in Leviticus, specifically regarding social relations. For example, Leviticus states that, instead of wronging others (Lev 25:17) by doing things like cursing the deaf and blind (Lev 19:14), people should fear God. The text of Leviticus further associates the fear of God with honoring the elderly (Lev 19:32), forgoing the charging of interest (Lev 25:36), and treating servants kindly (Lev 25:43).

Loyalty and Faithfulness

The fear of God is also closely tied to loyalty and faithfulness to God (2 Chr 19:6). For instance, after the people of Israel conquered the land of Canaan, Joshua charged them to faithfully fear God by serving Him alone and putting away other gods (Josh 24:14–15). In 2 Kings 17:35–39, the fear of God describes loyalty to Him in contrast to worshiping other gods.

Fear of God in Prophetic Literature and Psalms

The prophets equate fearing God with a pious attitude toward Him; fearing God is linked to honoring God (Isa 8:13) and obeying His commands (Isa 50:10). The prophets often criticize the Israelites for forsaking the fear of God (Jer 2:19; 3:8; Mal 3:5); when speaking of restoration, they include a restoration of the fear of God among God’s people (Isa 59:19; Jer 32:39–40; Hos 3:5).

In the Psalms, fearing God is often likened to trusting God (Pss 40:4; 115:11). The designation of “those who fear God” is used to refer to the community of those faithful to Him (Pss 22:25; 66:16). Those who fear God receive protection, deliverance, and blessing (Pss 25:12–13; 31:19; 34:7,9; 85:9; 111:5; 115:13; 145:19). They also enjoy a close relationship with God (Pss 25:14; 33:18). The Psalms likewise equate worship and praise with the fear of God (Pss 5:7; 22:23; 135:20).

Fear of God in Wisdom Literature

The fear of God also appears as a central theme of Wisdom literature, where it several times refers to the beginning of wisdom or knowledge (Prov 1:7; 9:10; Psa 111:10). Proverbs classifies those without a fear of God as haters of knowledge (Prov 1:29). Proverbs also relates the fear of God to humility and righteous living (Prov 3:7; 8:13; 14:2; 16:6; 22:4). Fearing God also is connected to blessing and long life (Prov 10:27; 14:26–27; 19:23; 28:14). Like obedience, the relationship between fearing God and wisdom is cyclical: fearing God results in wisdom (Prov 15:33), and receiving wisdom helps people understand the fear of God (Prov 2:1–5).

The book of Job describes Job as someone who fears God (Job 1:1; 1:8; 2:3). In fact, Job’s fear of God is the focal point of the book, as the satan figure questions Job’s reason for fearing God (Job 1:9). The book of Ecclesiastes concludes with an exhortation to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Eccl 12:13). It also notes that God acts in order that people may fear Him (Eccl 3:14).

Miles Custis

Further Reading

Fear ISBE

Fear EDB

The Fear of the Lord NICOT Pr 1–15

The Fear of God Proverbs 1–9 (AYBC)

Yare' (yārēʾ) I, fear, be afraid, revere TWOT

Yr' yrʾ to fear TLOT