Lexical Summary
arats: To tremble, to dread, to be terrified
Original Word:עָרַץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:`arats
Pronunciation:ah-rats'
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-rats')
KJV: be affrighted (afraid, dread, feared, terrified), break, dread, fear, oppress, prevail, shake terribly
NASB:tremble, dread, feared, make the tremble, cause, cause terror, cause trembling
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to awe or (intransitive) to dread
2. (hence) to harass
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be affrighted afraid, dread, feared, terrified, break, dread, fear, oppress,
A primitive root; to awe or (intransitive) to dread; hence, to harass -- be affrighted (afraid, dread, feared, terrified), break, dread, fear, oppress, prevail, shake terribly.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto cause to tremble, tremble
NASB Translationcause (1), cause terror (1), cause trembling (1), dread (3), feared (2), make the tremble (2), shocked (1), stand in awe (1), tremble (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (in terror, or awe) (compare Arabic
quiver, flicker; Syriac
come upon suddenly or violently, PS under the word
passim; compare Egyptian
±u-ra-¼-au(t),
they terrified (= ) WMM
As.u.Eur.76); —
Imperfect2masculine singularDeuteronomy 7:21 +; 2 feminine singularIsaiah 47:12; 1singularJob 31:34, etc.;Infinitive constructIsaiah 2:19 +; —
cause to tremble (i.e. strike with awe) with accusativeIsaiah 2:19,21 (subject ; insert probably alsoIsaiah 2:10);Job 13:25wilt thou strike with awe the driven leaf ? absolutecause trembling =inspire aweIsaiah 47:12 (of Babylonian ),Psalm 10:18.
intransitivetremble, feel dread (D),Deuteronomy 1:29;Deuteronomy 7:21;Deuteronomy 20:3;Deuteronomy 31:6;Joshua 1:9; with accusativeJob 31:34 becauseI stood in awe of the great multitude.
ParticiplePsalm 89:8El, terrible in the company of the holy ones ("" ).
regard, ortreat, with awe, as awful:2masculine pluralIsaiah 8:12 (accusative ); 3 masculine pluralIsaiah 29:23 accusative .
inspire with awe (compare ); —Participle suffixIsaiah 8:13he shall beyour awe-inspirer.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewIn Scripture עָרַץ describes the experience or incitement of intense fear—“dread that crushes.” It can mark paralysis before superior power, or, conversely, the imposing of such dread on others. Each of its fifteen occurrences falls into one of two broad streams: (1) an exhortation to God’s covenant people not to be terrified, and (2) an announcement that the nations—or even God’s own people when hardened—will be struck with overwhelming dread in the day of the Lord.
Covenant Exhortation: Fearless Obedience
Moses employs the verb in a series of battlefield addresses (Deuteronomy 1:29; 7:21; 20:3; 31:6). The tone is pastoral as well as military:
•Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The same promise anchorsJoshua 1:9 when leadership passes to Joshua. In every case the command not to “be terrified” rests on God’s abiding presence, not on Israel’s prowess. The pattern establishes a timeless principle: when mission is commissioned by God, terror is illegitimate because it contradicts faith in His covenant faithfulness.
Warfare and Holy War Theology
The Deuteronomic battle-speech (Deuteronomy 20:3) positions עָרַץ alongside verbs for fainting and panic. In holy war Yahweh Himself advances with the army; therefore to be terrified is to forget the reality of divine accompaniment. The verb thus highlights the moral dimension of warfare: courage flows from theology, not psychology.
Wisdom Literature: The Fear of Man
Job wrestles with dread on two fronts. InJob 13:25 he asks why God “terrorizes” a fragile creature; inJob 31:34 he repudiates the idea that he kept silent “because I feared the great multitude or dreaded the contempt of families.” Here עָרַץ exposes the snare of capitulating to social intimidation, anticipatingProverbs 29:25’s warning that “the fear of man proves to be a snare.”
Psalm 10:18 andPsalm 89:7 form a complementary pair. InPsalm 10 the Lord promises to “terrify” earthly oppressors, vindicating the fatherless; inPsalm 89:7 He Himself is “greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,” underscoring that true dread belongs to God alone. Worship redirects terror from creatures to the Creator.
Prophetic Usage: Eschatological Shaking
Isaiah clusters eight occurrences of the root in a vision of national crisis and final judgment:
•Isaiah 8:12-13: “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear; do not dread it. The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.”
•Isaiah 2:19, 21 pictures mankind fleeing “into the caves of the rocks… from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.”
•Isaiah 29:23 foresees Zion ultimately “stand(ing) in awe of the God of Israel,” reversing misplaced dread.
•Isaiah 47:12 mocks Babylon’s occult defenses: despite her spells she “may be able to inspire terror,” yet divine judgment will render her powerless.
The prophetic canvas portrays human terror as both judgment and corrective. When dread falls on the proud, God is vindicated; when it is lifted from the faithful remnant, God is sanctified.
Redemptive and Christological Trajectory
Two New Testament passages echoIsaiah 8:12-13. Peter cites it in1 Peter 3:14-15, urging believers under persecution, “Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened. But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.”Hebrews 13:5-6 draws onDeuteronomy 31:6 to proclaim fearless confidence grounded in the abiding Christ: “So we say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”
Thus עָרַץ foreshadows the conquest of fear perfected in the Gospel. At Calvary Jesus absorbs the ultimate cause of dread—divine wrath—so that those in Him may serve “without fear” (Luke 1:74).
Ministry Implications
1. Pastoral Care: When believers confront intimidation—whether societal scorn, ideological hostility, or demonic attack—shepherds can apply the Deuteronomy and Isaiah texts to re-center hearts on God’s presence and sovereignty.
2. Spiritual Warfare: Prayer grounded in these passages confronts oppressive forces with the reality that terror belongs to God alone; the enemy’s threats are counterfeit.
3. Worship Planning:Psalm 89:7 invites liturgies that balance intimacy with holy awe, stirring reverent fear that displaces craven fear.
4. Counseling Fear: Job’s testimony equips counselors to distinguish between legitimate reverence and paralyzing dread, leading sufferers to honest lament and renewed trust.
5. Preaching Eschatology: The Isaianic visions warn unbelievers while comforting saints. Proclamation that exalts the LORD’s majesty both shatters false securities and secures trembling hearts in the hope of new creation.
Summary
עָרַץ traces a theological journey from the battlefield to the worship sanctuary, from oppressive dread to reverent awe. The verb signals that fear is never neutral: it either contradicts faith or completes it, depending on its object. God’s design is to liberate His people from terror of men and demons, that they might fear Him alone—and in fearing Him, fear nothing else.
Forms and Transliterations
אֶֽעֱר֨וֹץ ׀ אערוץ יַעֲרִֽיצוּ׃ יעריצו׃ לַעֲרֹ֥ץ לערץ מַֽעֲרִֽצְכֶֽם׃ מערצכם׃ נַ֭עֲרָץ נערץ תַּֽעַרְצ֖וּ תַּעֲר֑וֹץ תַּעֲרֹ֖ץ תַּעֲרֽוֹצִי׃ תַּעַרְצ֖וּ תַֽעַרְצ֥וּן תַעֲרִֽיצוּ׃ תַעֲרֹ֖ץ תערוץ תערוצי׃ תעריצו׃ תערץ תערצו תערצון ’e‘ĕrōwṣ ’e·‘ĕ·rō·wṣ eeRotz la‘ărōṣ la·‘ă·rōṣ laaRotz ma‘ăriṣḵem ma·‘ă·riṣ·ḵem MaaRitzChem na‘ărāṣ na·‘ă·rāṣ Naarotz ṯa‘ărîṣū ta‘ărōṣ ṯa‘ărōṣ ta‘ărōwṣ ta‘ărōwṣî ta‘arṣū ṯa‘arṣūn ṯa·‘ă·rî·ṣū ta·‘ă·rō·w·ṣî ta·‘ă·rō·wṣ ta·‘ă·rōṣ ṯa·‘ă·rōṣ ta·‘ar·ṣū ṯa·‘ar·ṣūn taaRitzu taaRotz taaRotzi taarTzu taarTzun ya‘ărîṣū ya·‘ă·rî·ṣū yaaRitzu
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