Beginning Study on the Fear of the Lord

The following is the word 'fear' within the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon and appears to be both fear and reverential awe.

3374 yirÕah { yir-aw’}
from 3373; TWOT - 907b; n f
AV - fear 41, exceedingly + 1419 2, dreadful 1, fearfulness 1; 45

GK - 3711 { ha;r]yI
1) fear, terror, fearing
1a) fear, terror
1b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)
1c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety
1d) revered

3373 yareÕ { yaw-ray’}
from 3372; TWOT - 907a; adj
AV - fear 59, afraid 3, fearful 2; 64

GK - 3710 { arey:
1) fearing, reverent, afraid

3372 yareÕ { yaw-ray’}
a primitive root; TWOT - 907,908; v
AV - fear 188, afraid 78, terrible 23, terrible thing 6, dreadful 5, reverence 3, fearful 2, terrible acts 1, misc 8; 314

GK - 3707 { arey:
} & 3708 { arey:
1) to fear, revere, be afraid
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to fear, be afraid
1a2) to stand in awe of, be awed
1a3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared
1b2) to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe
1b3) to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe
1c) (Piel) to make afraid, terrify
2) (TWOT) to shoot, pour

After praying, I performed a search on the word "fear" within the King James version of the Bible and came up with 400 hits. I understand from speaking with students of the Bible and the obvious results of so many factions of Christianity, that one should be extremely careful about taking scripture out of context. I am a strong believer that we should read each scripture referenced within its chapter, the surrounding chapters, and time permitting, even its book. This will assure that it is being considered in the correct context and not being taken out of context. With such an understanding, I find the following scriptures of particular interest for discussion:

This is Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, giving him advice about getting helpers for him to judge the people. It is interesting to note that the people he is choosing to be helpers are people such that 'fear God', men of truth, hating covetousness.

Exodus 18:19
19Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: 20And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 22And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

In the following it is interesting to note, that as far back as the book of Exodus that the fear of God is being taught to the people so that they do not sin.

Exodus 20:20
20And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Leviticus is the book of the law, and as it states in the ten commandments to honor your father and mother, hear we see that we are to 'fear every man his father and mother'.

Leviticus 19:1

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. 3Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God

Then again, from the law we learn the fear of God.

Deuteronomy 17:18
18And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

The Feast of Tabernacles - to learn the fear of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:9
9And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

In Job we see the fear of the Lord is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding.

Job 28:20
20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. 22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: 27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.