The Significant Name of God (26)
The יראת יהוה - Yir’at YaHUaH
André H. Roosma
26 October 2024 (Dutch original:
17 Feb 2024)
The yir’at YaHUaH1 is the
beginning of wisdom, a good insight have all who practice it. His praise
endures forever.
Psalm 111:10
יראת יהוה - yir’at YaHUaH is
a Hebrew expression in the Bible that has occupied me for years.
The traditional ‘translation’ is: the fear of the LORD. Does the Bible teach that we should especially fear God?
When we read certain Bible passages, we might think so. I think of Exodus
19-20, for example – about how awesome God’s appearance on Sinai was for the
Israelites. The entire mountain was shaking, there was constant lightning and
thunder to be seen and heard, with a sound like the intense blast of rams’
horns, and everyone had to keep their distance to stay alive.
On the other hand, the Bible clearly indicates that God does not want us to
be afraid of Him (e.g. Isa. 12:2)!
And judging by the grammatical form, it seems more a property of God
YaHUaH Himself (just as when, for example, the majesty of YaHUaH
or the power of YaHUaH is spoken of), and therefore not or less
something of us. But still, we must strive to make this our own, ‘practice’
it, because wisdom and knowledge begin with the yir’at YaHUaH,
says the Psalm above, and Proverbs 1:7 also says something like that:
The yir’at YaHUaH is the beginning of
knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7, see also 2:5; 9:10
In other words, the yir’at YaHUaH is extremely important,
and without it, you can forget about gaining any wisdom or truly meaningful
knowledge!
So how does this work? What exactly is the יראת
יהוה - yir’at YaHUaH, and how do we make it our own?
First, we can consult dictionaries. Gesenius, Brown, Driver & Briggs
say that יִרְאַת - yir’at is related to the
verbal root ירא - yare’ - (1) to fear, to be
anxious, (2) to have awe of, to stand in awe of someone, to honor someone,
and (3) to tremble (Fürst adds: to beam) with joy. The niph‘al - that
is: reciprocal or participle form of this verb is also quite clear: נרא - nora’ - to be feared, awesome, terrible,
admirable, wonderful, exciting.
This brings us to the conclusion that when we are filled with the yir’at
YaHUaH, we look up to God YaHUaH with awe, deep respect and
admiration. So this article is actually very much in line with the previous
one in this series, where we saw that Mosheh and the Israelites sang to
YaHUaH in admiration because they were full of awe for Him in
connection with the tremendous miracles He had performed and how He had most
gloriously saved them from the clutches of their oppressors: the mighty
Egyptians. It is the same for us. God’s greatness, His love and care also
for us and His saving work in Yeshu‘a are a
great basis for our awe, our admiration and therefore our yir’at
YaHUaH.
Yes, seeing God’s greatness and power can elicit two responses: if we
are happy with Him, we will have great admiration and joyful reverence for
Him. But someone who disagrees with Him or is even hostile to Him will have
good reason to fear Him based on God’s greatness and power. I also see this
in this passage from Proverbs:
20 Wisdom shouts in
the street, she utters her voice in the plazas; 21
at the corners of the noisy streets she calls, at the entrances of the gates
in the city she utters her words: 22 How long will
you, o simple ones, love naiveté? How long do scoffers delight in scoffing,
and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn to my
instruction; behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you, and I will make
known My words to you. 24 Because you refused when
I called, and no one paid attention when I stretched out My hand; 25 you have neglected all My counsel and would not hear
My rebuke; 26 therefore I also will laugh when
disaster strikes you and mock when what you dread comes. 27 When what your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction comes
like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you; 28 Then they will cry out to Me, but I will not answer; they will
diligently seek Me, but they will not find Me. 29
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the yir’at YaHUaH, 30 they would have none of My counsel and
despised all My reproof; 31 Therefore they shall
eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own counsel.
32 For the backsliding of the simple ones will
kill them, and the carelessness of fools will destroy them. 33 But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, secure from the
dread of evil harm.
Proverbs 1:20-33; cf. 16:6; 19:23
When I read this, it becomes clear to me that the yir’at YaHUaH is about that we, out of awe for Him, are humble and willing to listen to
God. His great Love also gives us every reason to do so!
The relationship with knowledge and wisdom lies precisely in that: that we
are not self-willed, thinking we know it all by ourselves, but constantly
listening to what He has to say (compare also Prov. 3:1-10):
1 My son, if you
receive My words and treasure up My commandments within you, 2 so that your ear hears wisdom and you incline your
heart to understanding, 3 yes, if you cry out for
insight and lift up your voice for understanding; 4
if you seek it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the yir’at YaHUaH and find knowing God. 6 For YaHUaH gives
wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up help for the upright, He is a shield for those who walk
in integrity, 8 while He guards the paths of
justice and protects the way of His gentle ones.
Proverbs 2:1-8
Earlier I mentioned the event of God's descent on Sinai, which is described
in Exodus 19-20. A remarkable verse from this is this:
Moses said to the people: Yare’ not
(’al-tira’u that is: Fear not, 2nd p.pl.), for God has come to test
you and that His yir’at (lit: jir’ato; His 'fear'; i.e. the
yir’at YaHUaH) may be before you (lit: before your faces), so
that you will not sin.
Exodus 20:20
At first glance this seems - as it is usually translated - to say: fear not
... so that you may fear. That would be a bit strange.
The point is that the people did not have to become afraid, but that they
would develop such an awe for God that it would prevent them from sinning (cf.
Prov. 16:6).
There is a big difference between, on the one hand, an awe for God that is
linked to a deep sense of His great Love for us, that makes us happy and gives
us energy and drives us to live well, and, on the other hand, a fear of God
that would only paralyze or that would make us very driven and anxious to do
or not do certain things. It is clear that God means the first.
We also see that when we read further. A little further on, God tells the Israelites what His intention is for them:
In every place where I cause My name to be
remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Exodus 20:24b
A slightly different light on the yir’at YaHUaH we get in
this text:
The yir’at YaHUaH is pure, existing
forever, the protective measures2 of YaHUaH are truth,
altogether they are righteous
Psalm 19:10
Here the yir’at YaHUaH is compared to the protective measures
of YaHUaH – both are true, pure, righteous and eternal, and in
fact lead us there too. We recognize something similar in:
12 Come, children,
listen to me, I will teach you the yir’at YaHUaH. 13 Who is the man who desires life, who desires many
days, that he may enjoy the good? 14 Keep your
tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit; 15 Depart from evil and do good; seek shalom and pursue
it.
from Psalm 34
Eyewitnesses
Much can also be learned from the testimonies of the people in the Bible
who, at some point, saw something of God Himself.3 It was a very
impressive event for all of them. I am thinking of Bible passages such as the
one where Mosheh, ’Aharon, Nadab and ’Abihu and seventy of the elders of
Isra’el climbed up Mount Sinai and saw the God of Isra’el (Exodus 24:9-11;
cf. also Exodus 34:5-7). Or at the calling of Yesha‘-Yahu (Isaiah) in
Isa.6:1-7. And at the visions that Jechezq’el
(Eze.1 and e.g. also 3:23; 10:1-5) and also Dani’el (7:1-15 esp. vs 9) were
shown. And of course the revelation John received on Patmos (Rev.1; 4:1-4).
It was a very impressive event for all those people. For example, it says
that it was as if under God’s feet lay a pavement of lapis lazuli, as bright
as the heavens themselves. In the first example above, they didn’t get any
further than that, or so it seems. In other cases, people saw the hems of
God’s robe that filled the temple. God’s throne is described as high and
exalted. Angels, elders and other beings stand around Him and pay Him homage.
There is talk of bright shining light or fire that goes before Him. Paul was
completely blinded by God’s light when he was called.
Often, people fall forward to the ground in awe and because of the bright
light. Think of what John writes elsewhere, that God is light and in Him
there is no darkness at all; He is so pure, so dazzling, so radiant...
In the descriptions that people gave, the metaphors and the superlatives
almost tumble over each other. All sorts of radiantly sparkling gemstones,
shining metal, torches and coals of fire and the sun, radiating in all its
power, are brought in to somewhat approach the indescribable glory of
YaHUaH in human terms. He is so indescribable in glory and splendor!
In many cases, seeing God also works something lasting in the people who
see Him: they become more passionate about Him; about His Love, about His
greatness. And they are more willing to serve YaHUaH completely
devotedly. For example, Jacob becomes revering God more, and when he is
reminded of the encounter some 20 years later, he gets rid of all the idols
in his family. With Yesha‘-Yahu we see that he is immediately prepared to
accept a difficult mission as a prophet.
Although I have not come across the term yir’at YaHUaH in
the descriptions of the people who had an encounter with the living God, they
do describe well what the yir’at YaHUaH is all about. They are
full of Him; of His indescribable glory, of His Love, of His greatness.
And so they want to honor Him and worship Him, and serve Him with a greater
devotion.
Hallelu YaHUaH !
Notes
| 1 |
The glorious Name of God I represent here as accurately
as possible from the oldest Hebrew original, instead of replacing this grand
personal Name of The Most High by a common word, such as ‘Lord’. For more
background information see:
André H. Roosma, ‘The
wonderful and lovely Name of the God Who was there, Who is there, and Who
will be there’  , extensive Accede! / Hallelu-YaH! study, July 2009.
See also the other articles on the
significant Name of God, on the articles page here. |
| 2 |
In the introduction of my Dutch article series on Psalm 119, I explain why I translate various Hebrew terms a bit
different. May it suffice here, that in my research I discovered that the
Hebrew word מִשׁפָּט - mishpat (mishpāt) [H4941] originates from the notion of covering a water-well, so that people or cattle will not fall in. Hence, I’ve come to
translate it as ‘protective measures’. |
| 3 |
It is often said that it is impossible to see God.
People then refer to Bible texts such as Ex.33:20; John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46;
1 Tim.6:16; 1 John 4:12, and forget the texts where it simply says that people
did see Him at some point, and lived, such as Gen.28:11-17; 32:30; Ex.3:11;
24:10; Josh.5:13-15; 2 Chron.18:18-22; Isa.6:1; Eze.1; Dan.7:9; Amos 9:1
John 14:9; Rev.1 ff.; 4:1-4. Now I understand that if we want to understand everything precisely, we have difficulty with these apparent contradictions.
However, if we realize that God's wisdom and truth are infinitely greater than
ours and therefore do not fit into our small human brains, we do not have to
be able to understand it completely. Some things are beyond me, how it
exactly works. God is so much greater than we are...
What is striking is that many people are surprised when they have seen
something of God and have come out of it alive. We see that, for example,
with Jacob in Gen. 32:30, but also with the 70 elders in Ex. 24:10, with
Manoah and his wife in Judges 13:22 and with Yesha‘-Yahu (6:5). The idea that
this was impossible therefore was there early on. (Perhaps that also has to
do with the fact that God’s glory and majesty ‘clash’ with our imperfection,
our sin, our brokenness. Is it perhaps the case that we die a little to
ourselves when we see something of God? Fuller of Him and a little less
impressed of ourselves?)
And yet God does not let that stop Him. He shows Himself to people again and
again in different ways. :-)
See also the text below about the earliest meaning of the terminology we are
studying here, which seems to have everything to do with ‘seeing God’. |
The earliest meaning?
What I often do, when I want to understand the earliest
meaning of a Hebrew word better, and it is not yet completely clear from
dictionaries and the like, is to study it in the context of especially the
first times it occurs in the Bible. Often a sentence provides insight into the
meaning of the words used, through the Hebrew stylistic form of parallelism.
I also look at how it occurs in other Semitic languages, especially in Arabic, because many old forms and meanings have been preserved quite well there.
If I get a good understanding of the letters with which it was written at the
time of Mosheh, the old Semitic letters that formed the basis of the word
often also provide some clarity about the meaning.
I went looking for the oldest form of the Hebrew verbal
root ירא yáré’ H3372. To do this I look at Arabic, among other things; When the Arabic
form has the same letters, it is often also the old West Semitic form. In this
case there is no Arabic equivalent with the same letters. It turned out that
both the yod and the ’aleph may not have belonged to the oldest
spelling. Gesenius et al say for ירא: this root is
softened from ירע - yáré‘ (so with
‘ajin, instead of ’aleph). Fürst also refers to: ירה – yarah (which also means: to shine),
related to the Arabic وره – warah;
and also refers to ירע - yáré‘ – to turn
away shyly, to be afraid, to despair, to tremble, to tremble; and says that
this is the same as ירא and ירה, Arabic: يرع – jara‘ to be
fearful, to despair; or ورع – wara‘ - to
withdraw shyly; according to Wehr: to be God-fearing and devoted to God, to
pause, to be cautious, to hesitate, to be shy or reserved.
All this gives little clue as to what is now the oldest
form. Given what Gesenius et al say and what I see in Arabic, I will leave it
at this for now:
- ירע - yáré‘ - so in the old script:
  
- to see the hand of God; or
- ורע- wara‘ - so in the old script:
- to see the connection with God.
When we see the mighty or graciously giving hand of God,
or see the connection with God, it is almost inevitable that we will be filled
with awe for Him.
In the yir’at YaHUaH there is another
ת - tav -  -
a cross-sign behind the stem. So there we see the mighty or graciously giving
hand of God on the cross! I am indeed gazing on in awe!
Hallelu YaHUaH !
Previous articles in this series on The significant
Name of God:
‘(25) - The praise-song
of Mosheh (Moses)’, 13 Oct. 2024;
‘(24) His Name is exalted - call upon His Name!’ (a brief note on Is.12),
14 April 2024;
‘(23) The Speaking God of the Exodus and of the entire Bible’,
6 March 2024;
‘(22) The riches of the Title אֵל רַחוְּם
- ’El Rachum’, 13 March 2021;
‘(21) Why Christianity often ignored The Name YaHUaH’,
21 June 2020;
‘(20) YaHUaH - the true God of the Bible - is involved!’,
19 June 2020;
‘(19) The riches of the Title אֵל שַׁדַּי
- ’El Shaddai’, 17 June 2020;
‘(18) Why Rabbinic Judaism refuses to mention THE NAME’,
14 June 2020;
‘(17) What we learn from Jesus’ temptation in the desert’,
12 June 2020.
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