What does יִרְאָה (yirah) mean in the Bible?
יִרְאָה (yirah) is the Hebrew noun for fear, dread, reverence, or awe. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 42 H3374 uses.
Hebrew · H3374
יִרְאָה
Fear (also used as infinitive); morally, reverence
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יִרְאָה H3374
Pronunciation yirah
What does יִרְאָה (yirah) mean in the Bible?
יִרְאָה (yirah) is the Hebrew noun for fear, dread, reverence, or awe. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 42 H3374 uses.
Reader summary
Full entry for יִרְאָה (H3374) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3374?
The BSB source-word alignment has 45 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the fear (12), in the fear (5), fear (3), . . . (2), and fear (2).
Where does יִרְאָה (yirah) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 20:11. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (14), Psalms (8), Isaiah (6), Job (5).
What This Word Actually Means
יִרְאָה (yirah) is the Hebrew noun for fear, dread, reverence, or awe. The local Hebrew index currently counts about 42 H3374 uses. Some contexts name distressing fear, while fear-of-the-Lord expressions describe a reverent moral orientation toward God. The noun must therefore be read from its immediate setting rather than assigned one emotional sense everywhere.
Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and Proverbs 9:10 calls it the beginning of wisdom. In both settings yirah supplies a foundational orientation for receiving instruction and living wisely; the two verses should not be blended into one quotation.
Job 28:28 identifies the fear of the Lord with wisdom and turning from evil with understanding. The verse joins reverence to moral direction rather than treating wisdom as information alone.
Nehemiah 5:15 says that Nehemiah did not imitate oppressive governors because of the fear of God. Here yirah functions as a moral restraint with public economic consequences.
Proverbs 8:13 says that the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil and then names pride, arrogance, evil conduct, and perverse speech. The noun therefore carries ethical content in this wisdom setting.
Isaiah 33:6 calls the fear of the Lord Zion's treasure within a promise of stability, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. This is a contextual portrait of covenant security, not a formula promising ease in every circumstance.
For the preacher, יִרְאָה (yirah) connects reverence for God with teachability, turning from evil, just leadership, and durable hope, while warning against using fear language to manipulate people.
Lexical sourcePassage contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
The local Hebrew index currently counts about 42 H3374 noun uses. The noun can describe fear or dread, but fear-of-God constructions are especially prominent in wisdom and covenant ethics. Genesis 20:11 and Nehemiah 5:15 connect the fear of God with moral restraint; Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 place it at the beginning of knowledge and wisdom; Proverbs 8:13 connects it with hatred of evil; Job 28:28 pairs it with wisdom; and Isaiah 33:6 calls it Zion's treasure.
Related H3372 verb and H3373 adjective forms occur in additional fear-of-the-Lord passages but remain distinct identities.
- Prov.1.7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7 calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of knowledge and contrasts it with fools who despise wisdom and discipline. The verse establishes a foundational posture for receiving the book's instruction without claiming that every form of ordinary knowledge is impossible outside covenant reverence.
- Job.28.28
And He said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’
Job's wisdom poem concludes by identifying fear of the Lord with wisdom and turning from evil with understanding. The verse places reverence and moral action together after emphasizing that exhaustive wisdom belongs to God.
- Neh.5.15
But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.
Nehemiah contrasts his conduct with former governors who burdened the people. The fear of God restrains him from exploiting his office, giving yirah a concrete social and economic expression in the passage.
- Prov.8.13
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
Wisdom gives fear of the Lord explicit ethical content by associating it with hatred of evil. Pride, arrogance, evil conduct, and perverse speech are named in the immediate context, preventing reverence from being reduced to an inward feeling.
- Isa.33.6
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.
Within Isaiah's promise, fear of the Lord is called Zion's treasure alongside stability, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The verse commends reverence as covenant wealth without making it a guarantee that God's people will avoid every temporal crisis.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It the fear 12× Job 6:14, Job 28:28, Psalms 19:9, Psalms 111:10
in the fear 5× 2 Samuel 23:3, 2 Chronicles 19:9, Nehemiah 5:9, Proverbs 23:17
fear 3× Genesis 20:11, Psalms 55:5, Ezekiel 30:13
. . . 2× Jonah 1:10, Jonah 1:16
and fear 2× Deuteronomy 2:25, Isaiah 11:2
to fear 2× Proverbs 1:29, Proverbs 8:13
[and] the fear 1× Proverbs 22:4
and awesome 1× Ezekiel 1:18
and by the fear 1× Proverbs 16:6
For fear 1× Isaiah 7:25
from fearing You 1× Isaiah 63:17
He who fears 1× Proverbs 14:26
in reverence 1× Psalms 5:7
Is it for your reverence 1× Job 22:4
Is your reverence 1× Job 4:6
matches the fear You are due 1× Psalms 90:11
My fear 1× Jeremiah 32:40
of my fear 1× Nehemiah 5:15
reverence for You 1× Psalms 119:38
the fear [of God] 1× Job 15:4
the fear of Him 1× Exodus 20:20
Their worship 1× Isaiah 29:13
with fear 1× Psalms 2:11
with the fear 1× Proverbs 15:16
you the fear 1× Psalms 34:11
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 20:11 יִרְאַ֣ת to fear Noun - feminine singular construct Exodus 20:20 יִרְאָת֛וֹ to the fear of Him Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:25 וְיִרְאָ֣תְךָ֔ to and fear Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 2 Samuel 23:3 יִרְאַ֥ת to in the fear Noun - feminine singular construct 2 Chronicles 19:9 בְּיִרְאַ֣ת to in the fear Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Nehemiah 5:9 בְּיִרְאַ֤ת to in the fear Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Nehemiah 5:15 יִרְאַ֥ת to of my fear Noun - feminine singular construct Job 4:6 יִ֭רְאָתְךָ to Is your reverence Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Job 6:14 וְיִרְאַ֖ת to the fear Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct Job 15:4 יִרְאָ֑ה to the fear [of God] Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 20:11
Aligned rows 45
Books represented 13
Genesis 1 Exodus 1 Deuteronomy 1 2 Samuel 1 2 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 2 Job 5 Psalms 8 Proverbs 14 Isaiah 6 Jeremiah 1 Ezekiel 2 Jonah 2
Source forms
יִרְאַ֣ת 10x yir·’aṯ Genesis 20:11, Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:5
בְּיִרְאַ֣ת 4x bə·yir·’aṯ 2 Chronicles 19:9, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 15:16, Isaiah 11:3
יִרְאַ֥ת 3x yir·’aṯ 2 Samuel 23:3, Nehemiah 5:15, Isaiah 33:6
וְיִרְאַ֥ת 2x wə·yir·’aṯ Proverbs 1:29, Isaiah 11:2
יִרְאָ֣ה 2x yir·’āh Psalms 55:5, Jonah 1:10
בְּיִרְאָ֑ה 1x bə·yir·’āh Psalms 2:11
בְּיִרְאַ֤ת 1x bə·yir·’aṯ Nehemiah 5:9
בְּיִרְאַת־ 1x bə·yir·’aṯ- Proverbs 23:17
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular construct 18x Genesis 20:11, 2 Samuel 23:3, Nehemiah 5:15, Job 28:28
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct 6x 2 Chronicles 19:9, Nehemiah 5:9, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 15:16
Noun - feminine singular 5x Job 15:4, Psalms 55:5, Ezekiel 30:13, Jonah 1:10
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct 3x Job 6:14, Proverbs 1:29, Isaiah 11:2
Article, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 1x Job 22:4
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 1x Ezekiel 1:18
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 1x Deuteronomy 2:25
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct 1x Proverbs 16:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- The fear of the Lord (yirah) that begins wisdom is not the starting point you graduate from — Proverbs presents it as the ongoing foundation for all of life's wisdom. Return to it regularly.
- Jeremiah 32:40 grounds proper fear of God in divine action — God himself must put this reverence in us. This makes yirah a gift to pray for, not merely a discipline to cultivate.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that yirah is primarily about emotional dread — the wisdom tradition consistently shows that those who fear God live with confidence, peace, and clarity, not with chronic anxiety.
- Do not use the 'fear of the Lord' as a club to induce emotional guilt or terror — biblical yirah is the foundation of a flourishing life, and those who have it experience God's covenant care.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Fear of God moves from terror to reverent awe; the foundation of wisdom and obedience in OT theology
Source Gloss
fear (also used as infinitive); morally, reverence
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Fear of God moves from terror to reverent awe; the foundation of wisdom and obedience in OT theology
fear (also used as infinitive); morally, reverence BDB: fear Usage: × dreadful, × exceedingly, fear(-fulness).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Reverent awe.
Reverent awe and covenant loyalty toward God.
Reverent awe and covenant loyalty toward God.
Reverent awe toward God.
reverent awe expressed in trust, worship, and obedient submission
reverent covenantal submission to the LORD
reverent submission and covenant loyalty
reverence, awe, and submission toward God
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 42 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
יִרְאָה is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
This is the book’s controlling axiom. Without covenant reverence, “wisdom” becomes self-rule, pride, and eventually moral collapse. Isaiah 33:1-12
The refusal described is ultimately refusal of the fear of the Lord. That is why the consequences are not merely practical but spiritual. Nehemiah 5:1-13
The goal of seeking wisdom is relational reverence toward God, not mere mental sharpness. Nehemiah 5:14-19
The fear of the Lord forms the foundation of all wisdom. Nehemiah 7:1-4
Nehemiah appeals to fear of God as the moral anchor for just behavior within the community. Proverbs 1:1-7
Nehemiah’s ethical restraint flows from fear of God, showing that true reform begins with reverent accountability. Proverbs 1:20-33
Fear of God anchors leadership decisions and guards against complacency. Proverbs 2:1-11
Marks the posture that treasures God’s wisdom and salvation. Proverbs 9:7-12
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
יִרְאָה (yirah) names fear, dread, reverence, or awe, and its theological force must be established passage by passage. Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 place fear of the Lord at the beginning of knowledge and wisdom; Job 28:28 joins it to turning from evil; Nehemiah 5:15 shows it restraining abuse of power; Proverbs 8:13 defines it ethically as hatred of evil; and Isaiah 33:6 calls it Zion's treasure.
This evidence supports preaching reverence as a whole-life response to God without conflating the noun with every H3372 verb or H3373 adjective occurrence and without using fear to induce chronic anxiety. Because the same noun can also name distressing fear, its object and immediate context remain decisive. Wise application shows how reverence shapes learning, ethics, leadership, and worship while preserving grace and refusing manipulation.
Anchor passage
Prov.1.7
Doctrinal connections
- Prov 1:7; 9:10 — yirat YHWH as the beginning of knowledge and wisdom
- Job 28:28 — fear of the Lord joined to wisdom and turning from evil
- Neh 5:15 — fear of God restraining economic abuse by a governor
- Prov 8:13 — fear of the Lord expressed as hatred of evil
- Isa 33:6 — fear of the Lord named as Zion's treasure
- H3372 Yare — the related verb for fearing or revering
- H3373 Yare — the related adjective or participial identity
יִרְאָה (yirah) is a feminine noun related to the H3372 verb יָרֵא. It can name fear or dread as well as reverence, and construct phrases such as yirat YHWH specify fear of the Lord. H3372 verb forms and H3373 adjective or participial forms belong to the same root family but should not be counted as H3374 occurrences. Greek fear and reverence vocabulary in the NT supplies canonical comparisons rather than a single exact lexical equivalent for every use of yirah.
From Old to New Testament
Luke 1:50 says that God's mercy is for those who fear him; Acts 9:31 joins the church's fear of the Lord with the Spirit's comfort; 2 Corinthians 7:1 connects holiness with fear of God; and Revelation 14:7 commands people to fear God and give him glory. Hebrews 12:28-29 calls for acceptable worship with reverence and awe because God is a consuming fire. These passages continue the canonical theme that reverence shapes worship and conduct, but their Greek terms do not establish a direct H3374 occurrence or make every OT fear text a prediction of Christ.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain