Lexical Summary yagor: Fear, dread Original Word: יָגוֹר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance afraid, fear From yagor; fearful -- afraid, fearest. see HEBREW yagor NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yagor Definition fearing NASB Translation dread (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs יָגוֺר verbal adjective fearing, men מִמְּנֵיהַם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה יָגוֺר Jeremiah 22:25; Jeremiah 39:17. Topical Lexicon Occurrences and Immediate ContextStrong’s Hebrew 3016, יָגוֹר, surfaces only twice in the Old Testament, both in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 22:25; 39:17). In each case it describes a visceral, personal fear of threatening individuals. The prophet employs the term to expose two sharply contrasting outcomes: the faithless king Coniah is handed over to the very men he dreads, while the faithful Ebed-melech is shielded from the men he fears. “I will deliver you into the hands of those you dread, who want to kill you, into the hands of those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans.” “But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD, “and you will not be delivered into the hands of the men whom you fear.” Semantic Nuance While several Hebrew roots express fear, יָגוֹר carries the idea of dread focused on a threatening human power. It is not the reverential awe reserved for the Lord but a shrinking, anxious anticipation of harm from men. The shift of the y-prefix marks a participial sense—“the ones you are fearing”— spotlighting an ongoing state rather than a momentary fright. Historical Setting in Jeremiah 1. Royal Judgment (Jeremiah 22:24-30) Coniah (Jehoiachin) had trusted political alliances and palace walls instead of covenant fidelity. His dread of Babylon proved futile because God Himself actively placed him into the hands of the very foes that haunted his thoughts. יָגוֹר thus underscores the futility of self-reliance when the Lord’s word of judgment has been pronounced. 2. Deliverance of a Righteous Foreign Servant (Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:15-18) Ebed-melech risked his position to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern. Though he, too, felt real fear of Babylonian forces, he feared the Lord more (Jeremiah 39:18). His dread of men is acknowledged, yet God reverses Coniah’s fate for him: “you will not be delivered into the hands of the men whom you fear.” Theological Themes • Fear of Man versus Fear of the LORD Proverbs 29:25 teaches, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.” Jeremiah dramatizes this truth through יָגוֹר: the snare tightens upon Coniah, while Ebed-melech is lifted above it. • Divine Sovereignty over Human Threats God alone decides whether dreaded enemies will have power (Psalm 31:13-15). The same Babylonian army is both instrument of judgment and means of salvation, illustrating that human agents are secondary to divine decree. • Covenant Faithfulness and Protection Ebed-melech, though an Ethiopian foreigner, embodies covenant ethics by protecting God’s prophet. His fear of men does not paralyze obedience; therefore, God transforms his dread into safety. This foreshadows the New Covenant promise that all who act in obedient faith—regardless of ethnicity—are heirs of divine protection (Galatians 3:28-29). Ministry Significance 1. Pastoral Care Believers often experience the dread of hostile authorities or cultural pressures. יָגוֹר reminds pastors to distinguish between unhealthy fear of men and sober reverence for God. Counselees can be guided to Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” 2. Preaching and Teaching Jeremiah’s juxtaposition of Coniah and Ebed-melech serves as a homiletic model: fear of man leads to captivity; trust expressed through courageous obedience invites divine deliverance. Preachers can underscore that God may not remove every threat, but He is sovereign over its outcome. 3. Mission and Evangelism Ebed-melech’s account encourages believers in hostile environments: courage in the face of men is grounded not in the absence of dread but in higher allegiance. Missionaries who encounter persecution can take heart that the Lord “knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9). Christological Echoes Jesus confronted Gethsemane with a dread far deeper than that captured by יָגוֹר, yet He submitted to the Father’s will (Matthew 26:38-39). His obedience secured the ultimate deliverance promised in Jeremiah 39:17. Consequently, the risen Christ now speaks Jeremiah’s assurance to every believer: “Do not be afraid… I am the First and the Last” (Revelation 1:17). Summary יָגוֹר spotlights human dread of powerful adversaries. In Jeremiah it functions as a theological mirror: revealing judgment for the unfaithful and deliverance for the obedient. Its scarcity magnifies its weight—each occurrence is a divine commentary on fear’s outcome when placed in men versus when surrendered to God. Forms and Transliterations יָג֖וֹר יגור yā·ḡō·wr yaGor yāḡōwrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 22:25 HEB: אֲשֶׁר־ אַתָּ֥ה יָג֖וֹר מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וּבְיַ֛ד NAS: of those whom you dread, even into the hand KJV: [of them] whose face thou fearest, even into the hand INT: whom you dread face the hand Jeremiah 39:17 2 Occurrences |
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