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יָרֵא

𐤉𐤓𐤀

yârêʼ

H3373 adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

To fear, to be afraid, or to feel awe; encompasses a spectrum of emotional and attitudinal responses, ranging from terror or dread in the face of danger or divine judgment, to reverential awe, respect, and piety toward God or honored persons. The term frequently appears in contexts of fear, caution, or overwhelming respect and is also used with the nuance of 'reverence' in a religious or moral sense.

Semantic Range

to be afraid, to feel terror, to stand in awe, to revere (especially of deity), to act with religious reverence, to show moral caution, to respect (a person or authority), to be apprehensive or careful

Root / Etymology

From the root ירא (y-r-ʼ), conveying the basic sense of 'to fear' or 'to be afraid.' The root occurs throughout Northwest Semitic languages with meanings of fear or awe. The verb יָרֵא is the qal imperfect or participle/adjective form and originally denotes experiencing fear or awe, but can extend to piety and reverent behavior depending on context.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יָרֵא commonly expresses fear in response to threat or danger, whether from humans, nature, or the divine (Genesis 3:10; Exodus 14:10). However, when God is the object ('fear of YHWH'), it frequently conveys a positive reverential awe or piety (Psalm 112:1; Proverbs 1:7). This reverence marks appropriate moral or cultic comportment before the deity. Over time, 'fear of YHWH' becomes almost synonymous with devotion or obedience. While later English translations sometimes render יָרֵא as 'afraid' or 'fearful' in negative contexts, or as 'reverence' or 'devotion' in pious contexts, the Hebrew term always maintains a sense of profound respect, ranging from trembling terror to awe-filled loyalty. In prophetic and wisdom literature, the distinction between terror and reverence is context-dependent. The participial/adjectival form (יָרֵא) can describe a person as fearful (Judges 7:3), or as reverent/devout toward God (Psalm 128:1). Related roots such as פחד (to be terrified) emphasize more intense dread, while יָרֵא can carry deeply positive connotations of devotion.

Translation Consistency

primary "fear" 3 occurrences

“Fear” is the most natural, common English verb that covers the full semantic range of יָרֵא — to be afraid, to stand in awe, and to revere. It matches the frequent English renderings (fearers, fearful, fearing) and allows consistent inflection for all grammatical forms while still allowing context to convey either dread or reverent awe.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"fearful one of" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָרֵא; fearing; morally, reverent; afraid, fear (-ful).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

ירא (Yireon) — to fear, to be in awe, to revere

Root ירא to fear, to revere, to stand in awe
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3372 יָרֵא the fear-inspiring one
H3374 יִרְאָה in awe
H3375 יִרְאוֹן Yir'on
H3376 יִרְאִיָּיה Yah is awe-inspiring
H4172 מוֹרָא the dread

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3373-05 יָרֵ֛א yare HAamsa fear he feared he feared 11
H3373-13 יִרְאֵ֧י yireey HAampc those who fear fearers of fearers of 10
H3373-06 יְרֵ֥א yere HAamsc fears fearful one of fearful one of 9
H3373-07 יְרֵאָֽי/ו yereayv HAampc/Sp3ms those who fear him his fearers his fearers 7
H3373-02 לִ/ירֵאָ֑י/ו lireayv HR/Aampc/Sp3ms for those who fear him to his fearers to his fearers 5
H3373-03 לִּֽ/ירֵ֫אֶ֥י/ךָ lireeykha HR/Aampc/Sp2ms for those who fear you to your fearers to your fearers 2
H3373-04 וִ/ירֵ֥א vire HC/Aamsc and-fearing and awe-fearing and awe-fearing 2
H3373-08 יְ֭רֵאֶי/ךָ yereeykha HAampc/Sp2ms those who fear you your fearers those who fear you 2
H3373-10 יִרְאָ֣ה yireah HNcfsa fear fearful awe fearful awe 2
H3373-01 הַ/יָּרֵא֙ hayare HTd/Aamsa that is fearful the fearing one the fearful one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

54 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3373-06 Job 2:3 יְרֵ֥א yere HAamsc fearing fearful one of fearing
H3373-06 Ecclesiastes 7:18 יְרֵ֥א yere HAamsc fearful one of fearful one of
H3373-05 Ecclesiastes 8:13 יָרֵ֖א yare HVqrmsa he feared he feared
H3373-05 Daniel 1:10 יָרֵ֤א yare HVqrmsa I fear he feared he feared
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