Lexical Summary
yare: Fearful, reverent, afraid
Original Word:יָרֵא
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:yare'
Pronunciation:yah-ray
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-ray')
KJV: afraid, fear (-ful)
Word Origin:[fromH3372 (יָרֵא - Fear)]
1. fearing
2. morally, reverent
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
afraid, fearful
Fromyare'; fearing; morally, reverent -- afraid, fear (-ful).
see HEBREWyare'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originthe same as
yare, q.v.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
see above
ParticipleTopical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 3373 (yārēʾ) describes a person marked by fear, whether reverential awe toward God or dread of threatening circumstances. About fifty-five occurrences trace a theological arc that binds covenant obedience, worship, wisdom, and communal ethics.
A Fear Grounded in Revelation
The word first signals covenant fidelity: “For now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12). Fear is not self-generated; it rises when God speaks, saves, or judges (Exodus 14:31;Deuteronomy 6:24).
Reverence or Terror?
Context supplies the nuance.
• Holy awe:Job 1:1;Psalm 112:1;Proverbs 1:7.
• Guard-rail against sin:Exodus 20:20.
• Craven dread of men:Judges 7:10;Isaiah 7:4.
Scripture commends awe of the LORD and corrects fear of anything that rivals Him (Isaiah 8:12-13).
Covenant Ethics and Social Justice
The Hebrew midwives “feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded” (Exodus 1:17). Nehemiah shuns exploitation “because of the fear of God” (Nehemiah 5:15). Honest commerce, fair courts, and compassionate leadership flow from hearts that fear the LORD (Leviticus 19:14, 19:32).
Worshiping Community
Psalms identifies “those who fear the LORD” as a distinct worshiping circle (Psalm 22:23; 118:4). Promises attach to them: intimacy (Psalm 25:14), provision (Psalm 34:9), enduring love (Psalm 103:11). Fear of God intensifies rather than dampens praise.
Wisdom Literature
Wisdom begins and matures with fear. Job is introduced as “blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil” (Job 1:1). Proverbs exalts this stance as the “beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7) and the “hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). Ecclesiastes concludes, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), presenting yārēʾ as life’s organizing principle.
Historical Narrative
Kings and nations are weighed by this measure. Jehoshaphat’s reforms prosper because “the fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms” (2 Chronicles 17:10). In contrast, apostate Israel “did not fear the LORD” and was exiled (2 Kings 17:34-41).
Prophetic Exhortation and Hope
Prophets summon the people back: “Should you not fear Me?” (Jeremiah 5:22). Malachi promises, “For you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2). Fear becomes the boundary line between remnant and rebel.
Trajectory into the New Testament
Though Greek takes over, the category persists. Cornelius is “a devout man and one who feared God” (Acts 10:2). Believers are urged to “conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners” (1 Peter 1:17), echoing the Hebrew ideal.
Ministry Implications
1. Worship: Awe safeguards authenticity (Hebrews 12:28-29).
2. Leadership: Governance “in the fear of God” resists corruption (2 Chronicles 19:9).
3. Mission: God-fearers outside Israel, like Cornelius, illustrate divine pursuit beyond ethnic lines.
4. Discipleship: Teaching the fear of the LORD forms character and community (Psalm 34:11).
Summary
Yārēʾ portrays a posture of humble submission to the living God, the wellspring of obedience, wisdom, justice, and worship. Wherever this fear flourishes, covenant life thrives; where it fades, ruin follows.
Forms and Transliterations
הַיָּרֵא֙ הירא וִירֵ֥א וירא יְ֭רֵאֶיךָ יְרֵ֣א יְרֵ֤א יְרֵ֥א יְרֵאִ֖ים יְרֵאֶ֑יךָ יְרֵאָ֑יו יְרֵאָ֥יו יְרֵאָֽיו׃ יִ֭רְאָתְךָ יִֽרְאֵ֥י יִרְאֵ֣י יִרְאֵ֤י יִרְאֵ֥י יִרְאֵ֧י יִרְאַת־ יִרְאָ֣ה יִרְאָ֥ה יִרְאָתָם֙ יָ֭רֵא יָרֵ֔א יָרֵ֖א יָרֵ֛א יָרֵ֣א יָרֵ֤א יָרֵ֥א ירא יראה יראי יראיו יראיו׃ יראיך יראים יראת־ יראתך יראתם לִּֽירֵ֫אֶ֥יךָ לִּירֵאֶ֣יךָ לִֽירֵאָ֑יו לִֽירֵאָ֗יו לִירֵאָ֑יו לִירֵאָ֣יו לִירֵאָֽיו׃ ליראיו ליראיו׃ ליראיך haiyaRe hay·yā·rê hayyārê lî·rê·’āw lî·rê·’e·ḵā lîrê’āw lîrê’eḵā lireAv liReEicha viRe wî·rê wîrê yā·rê yaRe yārê yə·rê yə·rê·’āw yə·rê·’e·ḵā yə·rê·’îm yeRe yərê yərê’āw yərê’eḵā yərê’îm yereAv Yereeicha yereIm yir’āh yir’aṯ- yir’āṯām yir’āṯəḵā yir’ê yir·’ā·ṯām yir·’ā·ṯə·ḵā yir·’āh yir·’aṯ- yir·’ê yirAh yirat yiraTam Yiratecha yirEi
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