יָרֵא
To fear ; morally to revere ; causatively to frighten
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does יָרֵא (yare) mean in the Bible?
יָרֵא (yare) is a Hebrew word meaning "to fear ; morally to revere ; causatively to frighten". to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten BDB: fear Usage: affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), × see, terrible (act, -ness, thing). The enemy’s strategy centers on inducing fear; faithful obedience redirects fear toward reverence for God. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant, Faith.
Meaning
Fear and reverence converge: respect rooted in awe of God's power, not mere terror.
to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten BDB: fear Usage: affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), × see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).
Why This Word Matters
The enemy’s strategy centers on inducing fear; faithful obedience redirects fear toward reverence for God. Isaiah 37:1-7
It highlights the global recognition of the Lord’s majesty and authority. Isaiah 50:10-11
The Lord commands freedom from fear grounded in His promise. Isaiah 8:9-15
Defines covenant loyalty rooted in reverent trust. Micah 7:14-17
Reverent fear of God displaces panic and grounds faithful obedience. Nehemiah 6:1-14
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 172×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 23×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 2×
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 329 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.