The Fear of the Lord

Occurrences in Scripture

"The fear of the Lord" appears throughout the Old Testament and is a central theme of wisdom literature in particular. The book of Proverbs opens with the declaration "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (1:7) and repeats the same confession in 9:10. Psalm 111:10 and Job 28:28 likewise present the fear of the Lord as the foundation of wisdom. Ecclesiastes concludes with the words "Fear God, and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Deuteronomy 10:12 places fear alongside love, obedience, and service, presenting it as a basic disposition of the covenant people. In Genesis 22:12, God says to Abraham, who had been ready to offer up his son, "now I know that thou fearest God."

Terminology and Background

The expression denotes reverence combined with fear. The Hebrew yir'ah derives from the verb yare', "to fear," and conveys both dread and reverence. In Exodus 20:20, Moses tells the people trembling before the thunder at Mount Sinai, "Fear not," yet adds that God had come "that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." Proverbs 8:13 states, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil," thereby linking fear with ethical living.

Continuation in the New Testament

Isaiah 11:2–3 prophesies that "the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" will rest upon the Messiah. The New Testament carries this expression into the life of the church. Acts 9:31 records that the churches, "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." 2 Corinthians 7:1 exhorts believers to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God," and Hebrews 12:28 urges them to serve God "with reverence and godly fear." In Acts 10:2, Gentiles who followed the Jewish faith, such as Cornelius, are described as those who "feared God."

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Dread or reverence? First John 4:18 says that "perfect love casteth out fear." The Western theological tradition has explained the tension between this verse and the call to fear God by distinguishing "servile fear," which seeks to avoid punishment, from "filial fear," which seeks not to offend one's Father. Today some interpreters read fear primarily as reverence, while others also emphasize trembling before a holy God.
• The meaning of "beginning": The Hebrew re'shit, rendered "beginning" in Proverbs 1:7, can mean both "starting point" and "chief part." Interpreters are therefore divided between viewing fear as the starting point of wisdom and viewing it as the essence of wisdom.
• A gift of the Holy Spirit: Drawing on Isaiah 11:2, the Catholic Church counts fear of the Lord among the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Protestants generally do not define this list as a distinct doctrine.
• Relationship to reward: Proverbs 22:4 speaks of riches, honor, and life as the reward of the fear of the Lord. However, Proverbs is usually read as a collection of wisdom sayings describing general patterns of life, and interpretations that treat this verse as a guarantee of material blessing have drawn criticism (see prosperity theology).