What the Bible Says About Fear

The words "fear not" appear 62 times in the King James Bible. The first is Genesis 15:1, when the word of the LORD comes to Abram in a vision. The last is Revelation 1:17, spoken to John on the island of Patmos. The KJV says the same thing other ways too, like "be not afraid" and "fear thou not."

Below are passages on fear, each quoted word for word with its reference. Short notes give the Hebrew and Greek words behind the English. A list at the end gives every place "fear not" appears.

Worry has a page of its own, What the Bible Says About Worry.

Fear not, Abram (Genesis 15:1)

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1)

The Hebrew verb here is yare. Strong's Concordance defines it as "to fear; morally, to revere." All 48 times "fear not" appears in the KJV's Old Testament, the Hebrew behind it is a form of yare.

Fear thou not (Isaiah 41:10 and 13)

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. (Isaiah 41:13)

"Be not dismayed" is sha'ah in the Hebrew. Strong's defines it as "to gaze at or about (properly, for help)," and by implication to "be nonplussed (as looking around in amazement) or bewildered."

I have called thee by thy name (Isaiah 43:1 and 2)

1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Isaiah 43:5 says it again, "Fear not: for I am with thee."

Be strong and of a good courage (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:9)

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)

Moses says the first to all Israel (Deuteronomy 31:1). The LORD says the second to Joshua after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1). "Be afraid" in both verses is arats, which Strong's defines as "to awe or (intransitive) to dread." "Dismayed" in Joshua 1:9 is chatat. Strong's gives its sense as "to break down, either (literally) by violence, or (figuratively) by confusion and fear."

In the Psalms

Whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

"Fear" is yare again. "Be afraid" is pachad, which Strong's defines as "to be startled (by a sudden alarm); hence, to fear in general."

What time I am afraid (Psalm 56:3 and 4)

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. (Psalm 56:3-4)

The KJV prints a heading over this psalm that ends "Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath." The "afraid" of verse 3 and the "fear" of verse 4 are both yare.

I will fear no evil (Psalm 23:4)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4)

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

Therefore will not we fear (Psalm 46:1 and 2)

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; (Psalm 46:1-2)

What can man do unto me? (Psalm 118:6)

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? (Psalm 118:6)

Psalm 56:4 above says it in nearly the same words, and so does Hebrews 13:6.

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6)

In the Gospels

Be of good cheer (Matthew 14:27)

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (Matthew 14:27)

The disciples had seen Jesus walking on the sea, and "they cried out for fear" (Matthew 14:26). Mark 6:50 and John 6:20 tell the same moment with the same words, "it is I; be not afraid." In the Greek the verb in "be not afraid" is phobeō. It's the verb behind all 14 times "fear not" appears in the KJV's New Testament. "Be of good cheer" is tharseō, which STEPBible's lexicon defines as "to be of good courage."

Be not afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36)

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36)

Word had just come from the ruler's house, "Thy daughter is dead" (Mark 5:35). Luke 8:50 tells it as "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole." The Greek behind "be not afraid" in Mark and "fear not" in Luke is the same two words, mē phobou.

More value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29 to 31)

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Luke 12:6 and 7 has a similar saying with five sparrows "sold for two farthings," and there it's "Fear not therefore."

Good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:8 to 10)

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:8-10)

"Sore afraid" translates three Greek words that read "they feared a great fear." The same three words come out "feared exceedingly" in Mark 4:41.

In the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke, an angel says "fear not" four times. It's said to Joseph (Matthew 1:20), to Zacharias (Luke 1:13), to Mary (Luke 1:30) and to the shepherds here. At the sepulchre in Matthew 28:5 the angel tells the women, "Fear not ye."

In the isle that is called Patmos (Revelation 1:9 and 17)

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:9)

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (Revelation 1:17)

This is the last "fear not" in the KJV.

The spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7 and Romans 8:15)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

The fear in this verse isn't phobos, the word the New Testament usually uses. It's deilia, and this is the only place it appears in the New Testament. STEPBible's lexicon, which draws on Abbott-Smith, defines it as "cowardice, timidity (never in good sense)." The same lexicon calls phobos "fear, in general, good or bad." Deilia's relatives are rare too. The verb deiliaō appears only in John 14:27, as "neither let it be afraid." The adjective deilos is "fearful" in Matthew 8:26, Mark 4:40 and Revelation 21:8.

"A sound mind" is sōphronismos, which appears nowhere else in the New Testament either. Strong's defines it as "discipline, i.e. self-control."

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15)

Fear in Romans 8:15 is phobos. Abba is Aramaic for father. Each of the three times it appears in the New Testament, the Greek word for father follows it, and the KJV prints the pair as "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).

There is no fear in love (1 John 4:18)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

All three times the noun "fear" appears here it's phobos. "Feareth" is phobeō, the verb formed from it.

The fear of the LORD (Proverbs 1:7 and Exodus 20:20)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

This fear is yir'ah, a noun from the same family as yare. Strong's defines it as "fear (also used as infinitive); morally, reverence." Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 111:10 both begin "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."

Exodus 20:20 has both words in one verse. "Fear not" is yare and "his fear" is yir'ah.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:20)

The fear of man (Proverbs 29:25)

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

This fear isn't yir'ah. It's charadah, which Strong's defines as "fear, anxiety." The KJV renders the same word "trembling" in 1 Samuel 14:15, "quaking" in Daniel 10:7 and "care" in 2 Kings 4:13.

Every place "fear not" appears

"Fear not" appears 62 times in the King James Bible, 48 times in the Old Testament and 14 in the New. In five of them nobody is being told not to fear. Those five describe people who don't fear, and four of them are about not fearing God. They're 2 Kings 17:34, Psalm 55:19, Psalm 64:4, Malachi 3:5 and Luke 18:4.

• Genesis 15:1, 21:17, 26:24, 35:17, 43:23, 46:3, 50:19
• Exodus 20:20
• Deuteronomy 1:21, 20:3, 31:6, 31:8
• Joshua 8:1, 10:25
• Judges 4:18, 6:10, 6:23
• Ruth 3:11
• 1 Samuel 4:20, 12:20, 22:23, 23:17
• 2 Samuel 9:7, 13:28
• 1 Kings 17:13
• 2 Kings 6:16, 17:34, 25:24
• 1 Chronicles 28:20
• 2 Chronicles 20:17
• Psalms 55:19, 64:4
• Isaiah 7:4, 35:4, 41:13, 41:14, 43:1, 43:5, 44:2, 54:4
• Jeremiah 40:9, 46:27
• Lamentations 3:57
• Daniel 10:12, 10:19
• Joel 2:21
• Zechariah 8:13
• Malachi 3:5
• Matthew 1:20, 10:28, 28:5
• Luke 1:13, 1:30, 2:10, 5:10, 8:50, 12:7, 12:32, 18:4
• John 12:15
• Acts 27:24
• Revelation 1:17

The KJV has other ways of saying it. Here's how often "fear not" and three of the others appear.

Each count is of those exact words in the 1769 KJV text, in any capitalization, and a second copy of the KJV gives the same counts. In Jeremiah 5:22 "fear ye not" is a question, "Fear ye not me? saith the LORD."

How this page was made

Every verse is quoted from the 1769 standard text of the King James Version and checked word for word against two more digital copies. The printed KJV sets supplied words in italics, which this page doesn't show. Verse numbers follow the KJV. Hebrew Bibles count the headings of Psalms 34, 46 and 56 as their first verses, so the verses quoted from those psalms are numbered one higher there.

Hebrew words were identified with the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. Greek words were identified with STEPBible's tagged Greek New Testament. Every Greek word cited here reads the same in all the editions it tracks, the Textus Receptus among them. STEPBible is a Tyndale House Cambridge project, and its Greek lexicon draws on Abbott-Smith's. STEPBible's data and the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible are both shared under CC BY 4.0. The other definitions come from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). If you find a mistake, tell us through the support page.

About Patmos

Patmos is an AI Bible study companion for iPhone, free to download. Take a photo of a page in your Bible or type a reference. John, the app's AI, reads the passage with you and answers your questions. He can be wrong, so check what he says against your Bible. The app's name comes from the island of Patmos.

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