Bible glossary
Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord is reverent awe before God that leads to wisdom, worship, obedience, and humility. It is not panic before an unpredictable deity.
Key passages to read
Open these chapters next
Use this page as a starting point, then keep reading in the full chapter.
Common confusion to avoid
These are the most common ways this term gets flattened, softened, or used out of context.
- Do not turn this term into baptized self-help or mere personal improvement.
- Do not read it as if it can be understood well without reverence, obedience, and biblical context.
Read these terms together
These neighboring terms keep this definition anchored in the wider biblical picture.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
Wisdom literature repeatedly begins with the posture of a creature before the Creator. A person cannot read wisdom well while treating God as a background idea.
This fear is reverence that listens, receives correction, and refuses arrogant self-rule.
Reverence and trust belong together
Biblical fear of the Lord does not cancel love or trust. It protects them from becoming casual or self-defined.
Read Proverbs, Psalms, and the Gospels together so holy reverence stays connected to God's mercy.
Use this term for better reading
Use these prompts if you want to slow down and turn this page into actual Bible reading.
- 1.After reading this definition of Fear of the Lord, which key passage do you need to open in full first?
- 2.Where are you oversimplifying this term or using it outside its biblical context?
- 3.Which related page would best move you from definition into real reading: a question, a topic, or a guide?
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