The Word
Greek: φόβος
Greek (transliterated): phobos
English: fear, terror, reverence, awe
The Greek word phobos gives us our English word “phobia.” It’s used throughout Scripture, sometimes in ways that mean dread and terror, other times in ways that mean reverence and awe. The context of the word matters because the same word that describes the disciples panicking in a storm also describes the church responding to God in worship.
The History
In classical Greek, phobos had a wide range of meanings, from sheer panic on the battlefield to deep respect for a person in authority. The Greeks even personified Phobos as a minor deity of fear who accompanied Ares, the god of war. By the time of the New Testament, the word could swing both ways… negative fear of danger or positive fear of God.
The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) often used phobos to translate the Hebrew word yirah, which likewise carried this double edge. For example, Proverbs says “The fear (yirah) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” which the Greek renders with phobos. That background helps explain why the New Testament writers were comfortable using the same word for two very different responses.
The Implications
When Scripture says “fear not,” it isn’t saying “be reckless.” It’s calling us to reject fear rooted in anxiety, insecurity, or chaos. When it says “fear the Lord,” it’s inviting us into a posture of humility and awe. One kind of fear makes us shrink back… the other draws us closer to God.
This is why John can say that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18, ESV), while Paul can still tell us to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12, ESV). They’re not contradicting each other. They’re distinguishing between fears that enslave and fear that liberates.
The Fun Facts
Our English “phobia” comes directly from this word. For example, arachnophobia is literally the fear of spiders.
In Greek mythology, Phobos and his brother Deimos (Terror) were companions of Ares. Today, they’re also the names of Mars’ two moons.
Luke 5:26 (ESV) says after Jesus healed a paralyzed man, “amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with phobos.” That moment wasn’t about panic… it was about awe.
The Uses
Luke 1:65 (ESV): “And fear came on all their neighbors.”
Luke 5:26 (ESV): “And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today.’”
John 19:38 (ESV): Joseph of Arimathea, though a disciple of Jesus, “but secretly for fear of the Jews…”
Acts 2:43 (ESV): “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”
Romans 13:3 (ESV): Rulers are “not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV): “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.”
Philippians 2:12 (ESV): “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Hebrews 2:15 (ESV): Christ delivers those “who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
1 John 4:18 (ESV): “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
Revelation 11:11 (ESV): “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.”
You again make me proud thanks my brother for taking time for your word study