109 Bible Verses about Fear of God

I want you to know that God doesn't want you to be afraid of Him. He wants you to come close, to feel comfortable in His presence. When we talk about "fearing" God, it's really about encouraging you to live a life that honors Him – following His word and commandments out of respect and love.

This kind of "fear" comes from within. It guides you to do what's good and right simply because you love Him. It's different from being scared. Fear makes you avoid doing bad things only because you're worried about being punished, not because you love God.

Truly fearing God goes way beyond just being terrified. It's about surrendering your heart to Him, worshipping Him, and honoring His name. It's about having a relationship with Him so deep that you wouldn't want to hurt someone you love so much.

God doesn't want us to be foolish. He wants us to be wise and intelligent, making the best choices for our lives. Proverbs 8:13¹ says, "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." When you know God and experience His goodness, you naturally want to please Him and let go of anything that doesn't align with His heart.

It's through the Holy Spirit that we can straighten out the crooked parts of ourselves and guard our hearts against sin. It's a daily process of becoming more like Him. As Ecclesiastes 12:13¹ reminds us, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of everyone."

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear Yahweh and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.

¶The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.

¶Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His lovingkindness,

The reward of humility—the fear of Yahweh— Is riches, glory, and life.

And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, Who walks in His ways.

“The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the mouth of perverted words, I hate.

Better is a little with the fear of Yahweh Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

The end of the matter, all that has been heard: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the end of the matter for all mankind.

The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The fear of Yahweh is the discipline leading to wisdom, And before glory comes humility.

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether.

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; Good insight belongs to all those who do His commandments; His praise stands forever.

“So now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God ask from you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

and to keep the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

The secret of Yahweh is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.

Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments all the days, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!

But the lovingkindness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

So you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

Only fear Yahweh and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for see what great things He has done for you.

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

So Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God for our good all our days and for our survival, as it is today.

Praise Yah! How blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, Who greatly delights in His commandments.

Yahweh is pleased with those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

The fear of Yahweh leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, not visited by evil.

The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.

¶Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His lovingkindness,

To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.

And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

“So He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh; He is their help and their shield.

Assemble the people, the men and the women and little ones and the sojourner who is within your gates, so that they may hear and so that they may learn and fear Yahweh your God and be careful to do all the words of this law.

And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear Yahweh your God, all the days you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

Honor all people, love the brethren, fear God, honor the king.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

for our God is a consuming fire.

I know that everything God does will be forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it—God has so worked that men should fear Him.

Let the exaltations of God be in their throats, And a two-edged sword in their hand,

By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of Yahweh one turns away from evil.

“For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares Yahweh. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Let all the earth fear Yahweh; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

who will repay to each according to his works:

to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;

but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger.

My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,

For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Discretion will keep you, Discernment will guard you,

To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;

From those who forsake the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;

Who are glad to do evil And they rejoice in the perversity of evil;

Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their tracks;

To deliver you from the strange woman, From the foreign woman who flatters with her words;

Who forsakes the close companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God;

For her house sinks down to death And her tracks descend to the dead;

All who go to her will not return, And they will not reach the paths of life.

To make your ear pay attention to wisdom, Incline your heart to discernment;

So that you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will dwell in the land And the blameless will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be torn away from it.

For if you call out for understanding, Give your voice for discernment;

If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will understand the fear of Yahweh And find the knowledge of God.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

¶Who is the man who fears Yahweh? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

His soul will abide in goodness, And his seed will inherit the land.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear Yahweh and turn away from evil.

Transgression declares to the ungodly within his heart; There is no dread of God before his eyes.

Who is among you that fears Yahweh, That listens to the voice of His Servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God.

Trembling before man brings a snare, But he who trusts in Yahweh will be set securely on high.

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

My flesh quakes for dread of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

The fear of Yahweh prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may prolong his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

But it will not be well for the wicked man, and he will not prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God openly.

¶Tremble, and do not sin; Ponder in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

¶He will not fear an evil report; His heart is set, trusting in Yahweh.

His heart is upheld, he will not fear, Until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

So Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God for our good all our days and for our survival, as it is today.

And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, just as He commanded us.

In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

But with You there is forgiveness, That You may be feared.

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will make you mighty, surely I will help you; Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Yahweh is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strong defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

¶Surely wait in silence for God, O my soul, For my hope is from Him.

Surely He is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of Yahweh.

To receive discipline that leads to insight, Righteousness, justice, and equity,

“They were not willing to accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.

“So they shall eat of the fruit of their way And be satisfied with their own devices.

“It is Yahweh of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your cause of trembling.

Those who love Your law have much peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God;

¶Keep me, O Yahweh, from the hands of the wicked; Guard me from violent men Who give thought to trip up my steps.

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not dread; For Yah—Yahweh Himself—is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

¶Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and might to the people. Blessed be God!

Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Lift up an offering, and come before Him; Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.

¶Your lovingkindness, O Yahweh, is in the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Yahweh, You save man and beast.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.

Yahweh is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

So they will fear the name of Yahweh from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of Yahweh makes flee.

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, to Me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

¶Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Cause Your word to be established for Your slave, As that which produces fear for You.

You who fear Yahweh, praise Him; All you seed of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you seed of Israel.

In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear Yahweh; He swears to his own hurt and does not change;

¶Teach me Your way, O Yahweh; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

“For I am Yahweh your God, who strongly takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

Your creatures inhabited it; You established it in Your goodness for the poor, O God.

¶The Lord gives the word; The women who proclaim the good news are a great host:

“Kings of armies retreat, they retreat, And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!”

If you men lie down among the sheepfolds, You all would be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold.

When the Almighty dispersed the kings there, It was snowing in Zalmon.

¶A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has prized for His habitation? Surely Yahweh will dwell there forever.

The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that Yah—God—may dwell there.

¶Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God.

Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

¶My son, fear Yahweh and the king; Do not associate with those who change,

Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your slave muses on Your statutes.

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear,

For in many dreams and vanities are many words. Rather, fear God.

¶How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have worked for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men!

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

In the fear of Yahweh there is strong security, And his children will have refuge.

For thus says the One high and lifted up Who dwells forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the crushed and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the crushed.

So then, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we have been made manifest to God; and I hope that we have been made manifest also in your consciences.

In God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

If You should keep iniquities, O Yah, O Lord, who could stand?

You have commanded us, To keep Your precepts diligently.

Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

¶May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Yahweh, Your salvation according to Your word;

So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.

And do not take away the word of truth utterly from my mouth, For I wait for Your judgments.

So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.

And I will walk in a wide place, For I seek Your precepts.

I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And I shall not be ashamed.

I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love.

And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will muse on Your statutes.

¶Remember the word to Your slave, In which You have made me wait.

Oh may my ways be established To keep Your statutes!

who will repay to each according to his works:

Who knows the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

May Your compassion come to me that I may live, For Your law is my delight.

For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, Who walks in His ways.

When you shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands, How blessed will you be and how well will it be for you.

¶Who is the man who fears Yahweh? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

His soul will abide in goodness, And his seed will inherit the land.

The secret of Yahweh is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.

Oh, fear Yahweh, you His saints; For there is no want to those who fear Him.

But the lovingkindness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

Prayer