King James Bible Dictionary

See Cowardice; Fear of God
Cowardice; Fear of God

FEAR, noun [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 31:42.

5. Something set or hung up to terrify wild animals, by its color or noise. Isaiah 24:17. Jeremiah 48:43.

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 32:39.

Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt; it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment. Romans 8:15.

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

7. The worship of God.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Psalms 34:7.

8. The law and word of God.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Psalms 19:9.

9. Reverence; respect; due regard.

Render to all their dues; fear to whom fear Romans 13:7.

FEAR, verb transitive [Latin 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. Psa 23.

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

This do, and live:for I fear God. Genesis 42:18.

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, verb intransitive 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 11:3.

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

FEAR, noun A companion. [Not in use. See Peer.]

Reverence
Genesis 35:5; Exodus 18:21; Exodus 20:18-20; Leviticus 22:32; Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 10:20-21; Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 13:4; Deuteronomy 14:23; Deuteronomy 28:49; Deuteronomy 28:58; Joshua 4:24; Joshua 24:14; 1 Samuel 2:30; 1 Samuel 12:14; 1 Samuel 12:24; 2 Samuel 23:3; 1 Kings 8:40; 2 Kings 17:36; 2 Kings 17:39; 2 Kings 17:28; 1 Chronicles 16:30; 2 Chronicles 19:7; 2 Chronicles 19:9; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 5:9; Job 28:28; Job 37:24; Psalms 2:11; Psalms 4:4; Psalms 15:4; Psalms 19:9; Psalms 22:23; Psalms 22:25; Psalms 25:12-14; Psalms 31:19; Psalms 33:8; Psalms 33:18; Psalms 34:7; Psalms 34:9; Psalms 34:11; Psalms 46:10; Psalms 52:6; Psalms 60:4; Psalms 64:9; Psalms 67:7; Psalms 72:5; Psalms 76:7; Psalms 76:11; Psalms 85:9; Psalms 86:11; Psalms 89:7; Psalms 90:11; Psalms 96:4; Psalms 96:9; Psalms 99:1; Psalms 102:15; Psalms 103:11; Psalms 103:13; Psalms 103:17; Psalms 111:5; Psalms 111:10; Psalms 112:1; Psalms 115:11; Psalms 115:13; Psalms 118:4; Psalms 119:63; Psalms 119:74; Psalms 119:79; Psalms 66:16; Psalms 128:1; Psalms 128:4; Psalms 130:4; Psalms 135:20; Psalms 145:19; Psalms 147:11; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 2:5; Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 13:13; Proverbs 14:2; Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 14:26-27; Proverbs 15:16; Proverbs 15:33; Proverbs 16:6; Proverbs 19:23; Proverbs 22:4; Proverbs 23:17; Proverbs 24:21; Proverbs 28:14; Proverbs 31:30; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Ecclesiastes 7:18; Ecclesiastes 8:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Ecclesiastes 5:7; 1 Peter 2:17; Isaiah 2:10; Isaiah 2:19-21; Isaiah 8:13; Isaiah 25:3; Isaiah 29:13; Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 33:6; Isaiah 33:13; Isaiah 50:10; Isaiah 59:19; Isaiah 60:5; Jeremiah 5:22; Jeremiah 10:7; Jeremiah 32:39-40; Jeremiah 33:9; Hosea 3:5; Micah 7:16-17; Zephaniah 1:7; Zephaniah 3:7; Zech 2:13; Malachi 1:6; Malachi 3:16; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 10:28; Luke 1:50; Luke 12:5; Luke 23:40; Acts 10:35; Acts 13:16; Acts 13:26; Romans 11:20; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:21; Ephesians 6:5; 1 Peter 2:18; Philippians 2:12; Colossians 3:22; Hebrews 5:5; Hebrews 5:7; Hebrews 12:28-29; James 2:19; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Peter 3:2; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 4:16-18; Revelation 11:18; Revelation 14:7; Revelation 19:5

Conspicuous instances of those who feared:

Noah, in preparing the ark
Hebrews 11:7

Abraham, tested in the offering of his son Isaac
Genesis 22:12

Jacob, in the vision of the ladder, and the covenant of God
Genesis 28:16-17; Genesis 42:18

The midwives of Egypt, in refusing to take the lives of the Hebrew children
Exodus 1:17; Exodus 1:21

The Egyptians, at the time of the plague of thunder and hail and fire
Exodus 9:20

The nine and one-half tribes of Israel west of Jordan
Joshua 22:15-20

Phinehas, in turning away the anger of God at the time of the plague
Numbers 25:6-15

Obadiah, in sheltering one hundred prophets against the wrath of Jezebel
1 Kings 18:3-4

Jehoshaphat, in proclaiming a feast, when the land was about to be invaded by the armies of the Ammonites and Moabites
2 Chronicles 20:3

Nehemiah, in his reform of the public administration
Nehemiah 5:15

Hanani, which qualified him to be ruler over Jerusalem
Nehemiah 7:2

Job, according to the testimony of Satan
Job 1:8

David
Psalms 5:7; Psalms 119:38

Hezekiah, in his treatment of the prophet Micah, who prophesied evil against Jerusalem
Jeremiah 26:19

Jonah, in the tempest
Jonah 1:9

The Jews, in obeying the voice of the Lord
Haggai 1:12

Levi, in receiving the covenant of life and peace
Haggai 1:5

The women at the sepulcher
Matthew 28:8

Cornelius, who feared God with all his house
Acts 10:2
Conviction, Of Sin; Faith

Cultivated
Exodus 3:5; Exodus 19:12-13; Hebrews 12:18-24

Guilty

General references
Job 15:20-25; Job 18:11; Proverbs 1:24-27; Proverbs 10:24; Daniel 5:6; James 2:19

Instances of guilty fear:

Adam and Eve
Genesis 3:8-13

The guards at Jesus' tomb
Matthew 28:4

Judas
Matthew 27:3-5

Devils
James 2:19
Conviction, Of Sin

A motive of obedience

General references
Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 19:32; Leviticus 25:17; Leviticus 25:36; Leviticus 25:43; Numbers 32:15; Deuteronomy 6:13-15; Deuteronomy 7:4; Deuteronomy 8:5-6; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Deuteronomy 10:20; Deuteronomy 13:4; Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Deuteronomy 14:23; Deuteronomy 15:9; Deuteronomy 17:11-13; Deuteronomy 19:16-20; Deuteronomy 21:18-21; Deuteronomy 28:14-68; Deuteronomy 31:11-13; Joshua 23:11-16; 1 Samuel 12:24-25; 1 Samuel 12:14-15; Job 13:21; Job 31:1-4; Job 31:13-15; Job 31:23; Proverbs 16:6; Isaiah 1:20; Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 22:5; Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Peter 3:10-12; Revelation 14:9-10
Punishment, Design of, To Secure Obedience; Reward, A Motive to Faithfulness

Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Proverbs 1:7; Job 28:28; Psalms 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp. Deuteronomy 32:6; Hosea 11:1; Isaiah 1:2; 63:16; 64:8.) God is called "the Fear of Isaac" (Genesis 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared.

A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence (Matthew 10:28; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 7:1; Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 5:21; Hebrews 12:28, 29).

FE'ARED, participle passive Apprehended or expected with painful solicitude; reverenced.

FE'ARFUL, adjective

1. Affected by fear; feeling pain in expectation of evil; apprehensive with solicitude; afraid. I am fearful of the consequences of rash conduct. Hence,

2. Timid; timorous; wanting courage.

What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted?

Deuteronomy 20:8.

3. Terrible; impressing fear; frightful; dreadful.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:27.

4. Awful; to be reverenced.

O Lord, who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises? Exodus 15:11.

That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, Jehovah, thy God. Deuteronomy 28:58.

FE'ARFULLY, adverb

1. Timorously; in fear.

In such a night did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew.

2. Terribly; dreadfully; in a manner to impress terror.

There is a cliff, whose high and bending head looks fearfully on the confined deep.

3. In a manner to impress admiration and astonishment.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139:14.

FE'ARFULNESS, noun

1. Timorousness; timidity.

2. State of being afraid; awe; dread.

A thing that makes a government despised, is fearfulness of, and mean compliances with, bold popular offenders.

3. Terror; alarm; apprehension of evil.

Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Isaiah 33:14.

FE'ARLESS, adjective

1. Free from fear; as fearless of death; fearless of consequences.

2. Bold; courageous; intrepid; undaunted; as a fearless hero; a fearless foe.

FE'ARLESSLY, adverb Without fear; in a bold or courageous manner; intrepidly. Brave men fearlessly expose themselves to the most formidable dangers.

FE'ARLESSNESS, noun Freedom from fear; courage; boldness; intrepidity.

He gave instances of an invincible courage and fearlessness in danger.