YIRAH - AWE, FEAR OF THE LORD

The fear of the Lord (yirah) is the beginning of knowledge,

    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1: 7 (NIV)

(1)

INTRODUCTION

There they were. The sea in front of them, the Egyptians approaching speedily behind them. Turning right or left was also out of the question. "What are we to do?" wondered many of the Israelites. Staring face to face with death, fear began to bubble from within. They looked upon the man who brought them into this mess - Moses. Moses was feeling the fear and the panic arising. Pressure was slowly building. He turned to the great I AM and received the simple, yet quite puzzling instructions. Casting doubt away, he raised his hand and staff and placed them into the sea, and commanded it to part. The miraculous was done once more. With each step they took on dry ground, they were filled with awe-trembling fear of the God above all Gods and His Amazing deeds.

Awe-inspiring are the deeds of the Most High. We can not help but stop and observe His amazing creativity in all His creations surrounding us. Even more so when He does the impossible. Today, we will take a look at the amazing Hebrew word yirah and the deeper meaning hidden beneath it.

MEANING, ETYMOLOGY, AND STRUCTURE OF THE HEBREW WORD YIRAH

The Hebrew word often translated as awe in the Bible is yirah. The word means so much more than simply awe. It often directly translates into fear (as in fear of the LORD), reverence, admiration, respect, worship, and awareness. (2, 3)

The word originates from the verb yare, meaning to fear, to revere (morally), and to be afraid of. (4) Some claim it is based on the three-letter Hebrew root ראה, which means to see. (3) It consists of the letters yod, resh, aleph, and he.

IN TREMBLING AWE

The word Yirah is also connected with the meaning of trembling. (2) Originally, the word yirah was connected with the awe-trembling fear of the LORD. Even the roots of the word awe point in a similar direction. They are rooted in the Scandinavian words for terror, dread, uproar, discipline, and restraint: Old Icelandic agi, Swedish aghi, and Old Danish aughæ. (4)

The fear of the LORD, though, is not connected to the shock/emotional reaction to a frightening scene and does not imply that the Most High is some monster. The point is not to live in paralyzing, quivering terror. It is there to remind us to examine every one of our decisions, for they carry consequences. (3)

WONDEROUS REVERENCE

Over the years, the meaning took on a more romantic meaning. It morphed into awe and reverence, and wonder for God and His creations. As with the original meaning, this too is connected to sight. (4)

Awe—Yirah, has to do with beholding something that is beyond one’s capabilities and understanding. Like beholding God’s full glory, which is terrifying! But the Lord spared us – He mediates His glory through His Son, the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).

LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH YIRAH

Yirah makes us question every action. Each action holds consequences. Yirah also

• calls us to behold and worship. Great examples can be found in David and Job.

• challenges us to be wise and obey. If not, we may end up doing foolish and sinful things. To combat, we need to follow God's instructions (1 John 5:3) and meditate upon His word. Yeshua simplifies it by saying that we should love God and our neighbor. That way, we remain in awe.

• Yirah also gives us a future hope. We can not behold all that God has in store for those who love Him, but we can rest assured that His plans are greater than we can even imagine. (4)

CONCLUSION

Great is our LORD, and great are His ways and creations. Awe-inspiring, they are. At all the miraculous deeds, one has to stop and tremble. The Hebrew word for awe is yirah. It directly translates into fear (as in fear of the LORD), reverence, admiration, respect, worship, and awareness. The word originates from the verb yare, meaning to fear, to revere (morally), and to be afraid of. (4) Some claim it is based on the three-letter Hebrew root ראה, which means to see.

Yirah makes us stop and contemplate our actions, for they have consequences. That is the real fear of the LORD. It also calls us to behold and worship, challenges us to be wise and obey, and gives us a future hope.

Application

During this week, take some time to observe the amazing creations surrounding you. Let yourself be filled with awe. Also take a moment before making any decision.

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com

2. Fellowship of Israel related ministries. Hebrew Meaning of Yirah: What Connects Fear and Awe?. July 20th 2021. Available at https://firmisrael.org/learn/hebrew-meaning-of-yirah-what-connects-fear-and-awe/

3. Rabbi Zeitlin. יראה Yirah (Fear/Awe/Vision). June 20, 2013. Available at https://rabbizeitlin.com/2013/06/20/%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%94-yirah-fearawevision/

4. Bible Hub. Yare. Available at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3372.htm