'Afraid' in the Bible

He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh”; because she was afraid. And He (the Lord) said, “No, but you did laugh.”

The men of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife”—thinking, “the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, since she is very beautiful.”

So he was afraid and said, “How fearful and awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gateway to heaven.”

Jacob answered Laban, “[I left secretly] because I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.

Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps;

When she was in hard labor the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid; you now have another son.”

And he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! Here it is in my sack!” And their hearts sank, and they were afraid and turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Now when they emptied their sacks, every man’s bundle of money [paid to buy grain] was in his sack. When they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and [expecting the worst] they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time [we came] that we are being brought in, so that he may find a reason to accuse us and assail us, and take us as slaves, and seize our donkeys.”

And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you (your descendants) a great nation there.

So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and support you and your little ones.” So he comforted them [giving them encouragement and hope] and spoke [with kindness] to their hearts.

But the man said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Certainly this incident is known.”

Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

I will also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down and there will be no one to make you afraid. I will also eliminate harmful animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.

“With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly],Clearly and openly and not in riddles;And he beholds the form of the Lord.Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear and pay attention to the [cases of the] least [important] as well as the great. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you [to judge], you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them.

and command the people, saying, “You are passing through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau (the Edomites), who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful;

I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said,

you shall not be afraid of them; you shall remember [with confidence] what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt—

the great trials which you saw with your own eyes, and the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

For I was afraid of the anger and absolute fury which the Lord held against you, [enough divine fury] to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me that time also.

When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.

So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.

Moreover, He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow by this time I am going to hand over all of them slain [by the sword] to Israel; you shall hamstring (disable) their horses and set fire to their chariots.”

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him; but because he was too afraid of his father’s household (relatives) and the men of the city to do it during daylight, he did it at night.

So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe [disaster is coming] to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the lords (governors) of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.

Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s constant enemy.

Then David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling [in fear] to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”

David took these words to heart and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath.

But David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the battle lines of the Philistines?”

When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and badly shaken.

The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but [tell me] what do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a divine [superhuman] being coming up from the earth.”

Then Saul immediately fell full length on the earth [floor of the medium’s house], and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; and he was thoroughly exhausted because he had not eaten all day and all night.

David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

So David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”

When all the kings serving Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Arameans (Syrians) were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

Now I came to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. So your maidservant thought, ‘I will just speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his maidservant requests.

“For the waves of death encompassed me;The torrents of destruction overwhelmed and terrified me.

Then all Adonijah’s guests were terrified [of being branded as traitors] and stood up and left the feast, and each one went on his way.

And Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life, and he came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there.

The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he stood and went down with him to the king.

But they were extremely afraid and said, “Look, the two kings did not stand before Jehu; so how can we stand?”

Isaiah said to them, “Say this to your master: ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled (blasphemed) Me.

Gedaliah swore [an oath] to them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants (officials) of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”

Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces set out and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans (Babylonians).

David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home with me?”

But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord.

He said, “Listen carefully, all [you people of] Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: ‘Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria, nor because of all the army that is with him; for the One with us is greater than the one with him.

So the king said to me, “Why do you look sad when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very frightened,

When I saw their fear, I stood and said to the nobles and officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; [confidently] remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and [with courage from Him] fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and for your homes.”

He was hired for this reason, that I would be frightened and do as he said and sin, so that they would have [grounds to make] a malicious report in order to censure and disgrace me.

Esther said, “An adversary and an enemy is Haman, this evil man.” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.

“You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

“You will laugh at violence and famine,And you will not be afraid of the wild beasts of the earth.

“Indeed, you have now become like a dried-up stream,You see a terror [believing me to be a victim of the wrath of God] and are afraid [to be compassionate].

I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come];I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

“Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him;But I am not like that in myself.

“You would lie down with no one to frighten you,And many would entreat and seek your favor.

“Will not His majesty terrify you,And will not the dread of Him fall upon you?

“Terrors frighten him on every sideAnd chase at his heels.

“Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance] for yourselves,For wrathful are the punishments of that sword,So that you may know there is judgment.”

“Even when I remember, I am troubled and afraid;Horror and trembling take hold of my flesh.

“Therefore I would be terrified at His presence;When I consider [all of this], I tremble in dread of Him.

“Behold, I will not make you afraid or terrified of me [for I am only mortal and not God],Nor should any pressure from me weigh heavily upon you.

“When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;Because of the crashing they are bewildered.

I will not be intimidated or afraid of the ten thousandsWho have set themselves against me all around.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—Whom shall I fear?The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—Whom shall I dread?

Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

When I am afraid,I will put my trust and faith in You.

In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?

So they who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs [the evidence of Your presence].You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

The waters [of the Red Sea] saw You, O God;The waters saw You, they were in anguish;The deeps also trembled.

You will not be afraid of the terror of night,Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

He will not fear bad news;His heart is steadfast, trusting [confidently relying on and believing] in the Lord.

His heart is upheld, he will not fearWhile he looks [with satisfaction] on his adversaries.

My flesh trembles in [reverent] fear of You,And I am afraid and in awe of Your judgments.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not be afraid of sudden fearNor of the storm of the wicked when it comes [since you will be blameless];

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,And you are not to fear what they fear nor be in dread of it.

Therefore, the Lord God of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did.

They have gone through the pass, saying,“Geba will be our lodging place for the night.”Ramah trembles, and Gibeah [the city] of Saul has fled.

“Behold, God, my salvation!I will trust and not be afraid,For the Lord God is my strength and song;Yes, He has become my salvation.”

“The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are deserted;They will be [only a refuge] for flocks to lie down in,And there will be no one to make them afraid.

The land of Judah [Assyria’s ally] will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is planning against Egypt.

The sinners in Zion are terrified;Trembling has seized the godless.[They cry] “Who among us can live with the consuming fire?Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”

Isaiah said to them, “You shall say the following to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

O Zion, herald of good news,Get up on a high mountain.O Jerusalem, herald of good news,Lift up your voice with strength,Lift it up, do not fear;Say to the cities of Judah,“Here is your God!”

‘Do not tremble nor be afraid [of the violent upheavals to come];Have I not long ago proclaimed it to you and declared it?And you are My witnesses.Is there a God besides Me?There is no other Rock;I know of none.’”