Have No Fear Do Not Be Afraid
The most commonly repeated phrase in the whole Bible, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is Fear not! or Have no fear! or Do not be afraid! or Be not afraid!
- It is often claimed that this phrase appears exactly 365 times in the Bible, one for each day of the year! This might be an inspiring claim, but it is not biblically accurate.
- The phrase “Fear not! appears only slightly over 100 times in the Old Testament, as well as about 44 times in the New Testament .
- The exact count will depend on which Hebrew and Greek words one includes, since there are several close synonyms in each language .
- The main Greek word group expressing “fear” is the adjective phobos , the verb phobe , and the adverb aphobs .
- One can attain a higher total count if one includes biblical texts that mention people who are afraid .
- An even higher total can be attained if one also includes some positive phrases that could be considered equivalent, such as “to trust God/Jesus” or “to be at peace” or “to rest in God.”
Another closely related and very common biblical theme is that people should “fear the Lord” or have “fear of the Lord” but these ideas are not contradictory, when understood properly:
List Of 365 Fear Not Bible Verses
- Genesis 15:1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.
- Genesis 21:17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.
- Genesis 26:24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.
- Genesis 35:17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her Dont despair, for you have another son
- Genesis 43:23 Its all right, he said. Dont be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks I received your silver. Then he brought Simeon out to them.
- Genesis 46:3 I am God, the God of your father, he said. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
- Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, Dont be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
- Genesis 50:21 So then, dont be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
- Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
What Is The Biblical Meaning Of Fear
The term can mean fear of God’s judgment. However, from a theological perspective “fear of the Lord” encompasses more than simple fear. … neither feared God nor cared for man.” Some translations of the Bible, such as the New International Version, sometimes replace the word “fear” with “reverence”.
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Letters Attributed To Paul :
- Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, Abba! Father!
- Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval
- 1 Corinthians 16:10 If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am
- Philippians 1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
- Philippians 1:28 are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.
So Do Not Fear For I Am With You Do Not Be Dismayed For I Am Your God I Will Strengthen You And Help You I Will Uphold You With My Righteous Right Hand
When youre feeling overwhelmed, remember that God is with you. Hes your God and he will strengthen, help, uphold and uphold you with his righteous right hand.
So do not fear, for I am with you do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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Jesus Teaches His Disciples In Jerusalem:
- Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars see that you are not alarmed for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
- Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed this must take place, but the end is still to come.
- Luke 21:9 When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.
How Many Times Does The Bible Say Fear Not
The phrase Fear Not is written 365 times in the Bible which is an everyday reminding of God to live your life by being courageous. Usually, when I see this pop-up, the quote does not fear. It says the phrase do not fear appears 365 times, essentially the same thing. So whats the claim here?
Well, the claim is that theres this biblical lesson that God says we shouldnt be afraid, and God, in the sense of poetic mystery, has given us this point 365 times in the Bible. And when we decode that, it tells us that this is a lesson god must want to remind us of every day.
And I read this, and I thought, wow, thats amazing. I mean, its certainly not beyond the power of God to do something like that, and the Bibles this amazing book, but I wondered if this is true.
And if so, why would God do that anyway because? What was jumping out in my mind? When I read this today, the Jewish calendar when the old testaments and new testaments were written. It only had 360 days in a calendar year, not 365.
So if God wanted to give us one mention of this idea for every day of the year, wouldnt he have given us 360 different mentions of it instead of 365. So I dont know the whole thing sounded a little fishy to me, and while the stuff we read on the internet is normally completely correct and trustworthy.
We came up with 17 different instances where this appears in our Bible, and some of these instances were completely on target.
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I Suddenly Realized The Incredible Value In Fear
It is not something to be ashamed of, ignored, or condemned. Rather it’s a healthy emotion created by God. When we are scared, we slow down, become cautious, pay attention.
It’s the perfect time to pray. “Lord, is this thought true? Is it loving is it You? Is it helping me or hurting me? Is it saving my skin or stopping me from stepping my very best life? Is this You or is this the enemy?”
The enemy wants to do a perverted whack job on anything God means for our good. So… can fear become distorted and disruptive and destructive? Hell, yes.
That’s exactly why we need to seek God vigilantly in our fear to learn where it’s coming from.
Gods Command To Fear Not
God says Do not fear hundreds of times throughout the Bible. But what does that mean? Was my 7th-grade-self sinning? Are you wrong to feel fear when youre not sure how to pay next months rent or when you get that dire health diagnosis or when your job is on the line?
No. Youre not wrong. God wired our brains to experience fear. It is a primary emotion. There is a reason and purpose for our fear as we respond to triggering stimuli. When God says, Do not fear he is not commanding us to shut off a part of our brain. His model citizen isnt an emotionless and stoic robot.
The real issue God wants us to wrestle with is where we go when we fear. Where do you go with your fears? How do you deal with them?
Simply put, God wants us to come to him. Fear can paralyze us. Yet when we fear in the presence of God, God help us take the next step of faith even in the midst of our fear! Unfortunately, no one will be able to escape fear in this sinful and broken world. It is real. It can be paralyzing. It is powerful.
But God is more powerful.
He has the power and desire to be with us in the midst of our fears. Remembering this will enable to us to take the next step of faithfulness in our lives. How? Because God is with us. We can continue to fight to believe Jesus is more in and through our fears thanks to his presence with us.
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What Is The Difference Between Fear And Phobia
– fear It is an emotion characterized by an intense feeling of either dislike or rejection, which is generally caused by the perception of danger. The phobia it is a psychological disorder in the face of concrete things. – The fear it is a primary emotion caused by natural aversion to risk or threat.
In The Infancy Narratives:
- Matthew 1:20b Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
- Luke 1:12-13 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and fear overwhelmed him. / But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
- Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
- Luke 1:74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
- Luke 2:9-10 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. / But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid for see–I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
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Verses That Say Fear Him Not
Below Are 15 Verses That Help Put Our Fears Into Perspective
Memorize them. Reflect on them. Write them down. Discuss them. Sing them. May these verses give all of us perspective and reminders of Gods presence with us in and through our fears
Try meditating on these biblical truths alongside this simple, encouraging video where the Bible verses are illustrated to uplifting music:
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my lifeof whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 118:6
The Lord is with me I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Isaiah 41:13
Hebrews 13:6
Deuteronomy 3:22
Luke 12:32
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What Is The Second Type Of Fear Mentioned In The Bible
The second form of terror referenced in the Bible, on the other hand, is completely counterproductive. This is the spirit of terror that the Bible refers to in 2 Timothy 1:7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind, writes the apostle Paul . A spirit of dread and timidity does not emanate from the presence of God.
What Does It Mean To Fear God
I often hear people explain the fear of the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. But the Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. The subject becomes even more mysterious when we read something like 1 John 4:18 that says that “perfect love expels all fear.” So how do we marry this dichotomy? How can we fear God while he expels all fear?
Scripture is full of examples of how fearing God is a positive rather than a negative thing. For example in Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers’ trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. It was because the midwives feared God that they obeyed him instead of the authorities by sparing the Hebrew babies . Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God . Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis that they feared God and wouldn’t take bribes and told the Hebrews that God met with them in a terrifying display of his power so that they wouldn’t sin . The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly well . And lest you think this is only an Old Testament idea, note that Jesus states this stronger than anyone when he says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” . And Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God .
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How Many Times Does The Bible Tell Us Not To Fear
A common saying among Christians today is, Fear not is in the Bible 365 times. I saw this on a Facebook post and was surprised at how many Christians agreed with the statement. The Bible does tell us not to fear, but not 365 times. Lets see how many times I can come up with.
Doing a search for fear not in my King James Pure Bible software, I came up with 63 occurrences, but two of those occurrences are not telling us not to fear.
Psalms 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
I also removed Judges 4:18 because Jael is telling Sisera not to fear so she can catch him off guard and kill him!
Judges 4:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
And I removed from the list 2 Samuel 13:28 because evil Absalom is telling his servants not to fear to kill his brother Ammon!
2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnons heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
And 2 Kings 17:34 was removed because its talking about people who do not fear the Lord.
Fear Not 365 Days A Year
Most every day I talk to someone who is afraid or anxious . Maybe you fear what people think of you Not having enough money Public speaking, flying, being far from home, or spiders Failure or rejection Losing a loved one Disease or pain Death
We all long for more of Gods peace in the midst of the stresses of our lives!
How Many Fear Nots are There in the Bible?
Its been said that there are 365 Fear nots in the Bible, one Fear not for every day of the yearactually there are more than 365 Fear nots in the Bible! Thank God because we need to be reminded to Fear not and trust God every day.
Many people say, Its a nice thought to say that there are 365 Fear nots in the Bible, but its not true. Indeed, there is not a version of the Bible that 365 times says, quote unquote, Fear not. For instance, the King James Version says Fear not or Be not afraid 103 times, but not 365 times.
So why do I say that there are more than 365 Fear nots in the Bible?
Fear is spoken of over 500 times in the KJV. Furthermore, in addition to the Fear nots many times its saying Fear God, which really means reverence God alone and do not fear anyone or anything else. Expanding the search to look at verses encouraging us not to worry or not to be anxious would add many, many more Fear not Scriptures. This is why I say that there are more than 365 Fear nots in the Bible.
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