Out of the 45 times this word is used in the Tanakh (Genesis through 2 Chronicles) יִרְאָה yare (H3374) is translated as “fear” 42 times as in “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”
Etymology: Middle English fere, from Old English fær “calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack,” from Proto-Germanic feraz “danger” (source also of Old Saxon far “ambush,” Old Norse far “harm, distress, deception,” Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr “danger”); The sense of “state of being afraid, uneasiness caused by possible danger” developed by late 12c. Some Old English words for “fear” as we now use it were fyrhto, fyrhto; as a verb, ondrædan; The meaning “feeling of dread and reverence for God” is from c. 1400. To put the fear of God (into someone) “intimidate, cause to cower” is by 1888, from the common religious phrase; the extended use was often at first in colonial contexts
Here’s how the popular GotQuestions Ministries answers the question “What is the Fear of God?”: For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer’s fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.'” This reverence and awe are exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe.
The problem with defining “The Fear of God” this way is it ignores that the Hebrew structure here is a possessive noun that is Elohim’s and not man’s. For example, if the Bible refers to the “arm of Elohim” (cf. Isaiah 51:9; 53:1) we would not apply that to our own arm. Yet, we apply the “fear of Elohim” back to us and our reaction to it instead of understanding that this is His fear, not our own.
The Hebrew word from which the word “fear” is translated is יָרֵא yare (H3372) a feminine noun which means “to throw or flow” and is concretely represented as “rain” in the sense of how it is “thrown” or “flowing” down from the sky. יָרֵא yare can also refer to the throwing of an arrow. יָרֵא yare also means to “teach” or “direct” in the sense of the throwing of the finger to show a direction to walk or live. This is likely where the concept of “fear” or “dread” comes from since correction in this way can cause a reaction from the receiver, depending on whether they are wise or foolish: “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) Thus, when Scripture uses the word “fear” in reference to how we are to fear Him, it’s essentially telling us to listen to His teaching and direction in which He is pointing us. This is demonstrated in Ecclesiastes 12:13: This is the end (conclusion) of the word. All has been heard. Fear Elohim and guard his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
יִרְאַת יהוה yirat YHWH or יִרְאַת אֱלֹהִים yirat Elohim (H3374 + H3068) is where we get the terms Fear of YHWH or Fear of Elohim. When adding the ת tav suffix to the word יִרְא yira (to make יִרְאַת yirat), it changes the singular feminine noun to the construct form “of”. In Semitic languages, the construct state (or “status constructus”) is a special form of a noun used when it is in a genitive construction with another noun. This construction indicates possession or a close relationship between the two nouns, where the first noun (the possessed) is modified to reflect its relationship with the second noun (the possessor). Thus, the construct of the Hebrew term יִרְאַת יהוה yirat YHWH tells us that the fear indicates possession between the two nouns and should lead us to interpret this fear as YHWH’s and not man’s.
The final proof that the Fear of YHWH is related to His teaching and instruction is in a related word: Torah. תּוֹרָה torah (H8451) is the direction one is to walk in life based on teachings and instructions. The root word of The root word of תּוֹרָה torah is יָרָה yarah (H3384) which means to throw, cast, or shoot and obviously shares the same root as the word יָרֵא yare (H3372), a feminine noun which means “to throw or flow”.
Deuteronomy 32:1-2 Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine will drop as the rain. My speech will condense as the dew, as the misty rain on the tender grass, as the showers on the herb.
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