If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty Genesis 31:42a NASB Fear – It seems that everyone wants to rescue Isaac from the text. Jonathan Sacks’ statement may be Jewish, but it is reflected over…
Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 NASB So easily entangles – I’ve always struggled with this verse. There are a few reasons (and…
Fear of the Lord will add days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 10:27 Chabad Fear – The fundamental insight of biblical wisdom is fear of the Lord. That might sound harsh. We’re used to the Western Christian idea of the love of God. Fear seems like something ominous, foreboding,…
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Psalm 3:6 NASB Not be afraid – The verb is familiar– yārēʾ. Perhaps that’s because we find it in the phrase “fear of the Lord.” But, of course, “fear of the Lord” doesn’t mean emotional trepidation or potential physical…
Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, Lord; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:1-2 NASB Trust – What is…
For [j]what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread [k]encounters me. Job 3:25 NASB What I fear – An unfortunate translation. By rendering this word as “fear,” we miss the point and the connections. Even more, when the translators use “dread” in the subsequent phrase, they mix up the real meanings and miss the oxymoron. …
Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words. Psalm 119:161 NASB שָׂ֭רִים רְדָפ֣וּנִי חִנָּ֑ם (ומדבריך) [וּ֝מִדְּבָרְךָ֗] פָּחַ֥ד לִבִּֽי Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words. שָׂ֣שׂ אָ֭נֹכִי עַל־אִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ כְּ֝מוֹצֵ֗א שָׁלָ֥ל רָֽב I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds great plunder. שֶׁ֣קֶר שָׂ֭נֵאתִי וַאֲתַעֵ֑בָה תּוֹרָתְךָ֥ אָהָֽבְתִּי…
My flesh trembles from the fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments. Psalm 119:120 NASB I am afraid – Something is wrong here. If we follow the NASB, we think that in his current condition the psalmist is terrified of God’s judgments. That’s what the present tense of these two verbs sāmar (to tremble)…
And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place. Psalm 31:8 NASB Not given me over – What does it mean to fall into the hands of the enemy? Pay attention to David’s parallelism and you will understand just how much Hebrew is…
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, . .” Matthew 6:25 ESV Anxious – Heidegger calls anxiety the manifestation of “homelessness.” Anxiety is being afraid of things that are not real, things that might happen. When I am afraid of what might happen, I feel a kind of persistent, “things are not right”…
