Lexical Summary pachad: dread, fear, afraid Original Word: פָחַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be afraid, stand in awe, be in fear, make to shake A primitive root; to be startled (by a sudden alarm); hence, to fear in general -- be afraid, stand in awe, (be in) fear, make to shake. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to dread, be in dread or in awe NASB Translation afraid (3), come in dread (1), come trembling (1), dread (6), fear (4), fears (1), shake (1), stands in awe (1), terrified (2), thrill (1), tremble (2), turned in fear (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מָּחַד verb dread, be in dread, in awe (Late Hebrew Hithpa`el (rare), Ecclus 41:12 Imperative פחד על fear for; ᵑ7 מַּחְדָּא n.); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular מָּחַד Psalm 119:161, ׳וּפ consecutive Isaiah 19:16; Isaiah 60:5; 1singular מָּחַדְתִּי Job 3:25, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִפְחָ֑ד Isaiah 19:17; 2masculine singular תִּפְחָ֑ד Deuteronomy 28:67 +, etc.; — 1 be in dread, absolute Deuteronomy 28:66; Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 33:14; Isaiah 44:8,11; Psalm 78:53; Proverbs 3:24; ׳לֹא פ Jeremiah 36:24 sign of callousness; with accusative of congnate meaning with verb מַּחַד Deuteronomy 28:67; Job 3:25; Psalm 14:5 = Psalm 53:6; with מִן person Isaiah 19:17; Job 23:15; Psalm 27:1 ("" יָרֵא), compare Psalm 119:161, and (with מִמְּנֵי) Isaiah 19:16; with עַל of thing Jeremiah 33:9 (+ רָֽגְזוּ); with אֶל, pregnantly, turn in dread to each other Jeremiah 36:16, submitting to ׳י Hosea 3:5; Micah 7:17 ("" יָרֵא). 2 be in awe (at ׳יs favour), absolute, Isaiah 60:5. Pi`el be in great dread, Imperfect2masculine singular וַתְּפַחֵד Isaiah 51:13, with מִמְּנֵי thing; Participle absolute מְפַחֵד Proverbs 28:14 deeply dreading (that is, sin). Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular הִפְחַיד Job 4:14 filled my bones with dread. Topical Lexicon Essential Meaning פָחַד (pāchad) portrays visceral dread—an intense, often paralyzing awareness of danger or overwhelming power. The term spans the spectrum from crippling terror that accompanies guilt and judgment to the quivering awe that attends the recognition of God’s majesty and goodness. Literary Range of Usage 1. Covenant sanction: dread as divine discipline (Deuteronomy 28). Covenantal Dread—Deuteronomy 28:66-67 Under the covenant curses Israel’s disobedience yields a life “in dread night and day.” Here pāchad functions as a prophetic warning: when the covenant is scorned, fear becomes an inescapable companion, a daily reminder that safety is found only in covenant faithfulness. Wisdom Literature—Personal Fear and Deliverance Job’s lament, “For the thing I feared has overtaken me” (Job 3:25), captures the self-haunting nature of dread. Yet Job 23:15 shows the same emotion redirected toward God’s mysterious sovereignty: “Therefore I am terrified in His presence.” The Psalms contrast destructive fear with confident trust: “The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1). Proverbs 3:24 reverses dread, promising sweet sleep to the trusting heart, while Proverbs 28:14 commends the man who lives in continual reverent awe, not hard-hearted presumption. Prophetic Oracles—Fear Among the Nations Isaiah portrays pāchad falling on Egypt (Isaiah 19:16-17) and idol-makers (Isaiah 44:11), heralding the LORD’s supremacy. Micah 7:17 pictures nations “trembling out of their dens,” a foretaste of universal submission. Such texts reinforce God’s sovereign right to instill fear in those who oppose His purposes. Fear Before God’s Holiness Isaiah 33:14 exposes the terror of sinners who suddenly grasp God’s consuming purity: “Who among us can dwell with everlasting flames?” Likewise, rulers hearing Jeremiah’s scroll “turned to one another in fear” (Jeremiah 36:16), while King Jehoiakim’s cold indifference (Jeremiah 36:24) illustrates hardened unbelief that refuses even salutary dread. Trembling at Goodness and Glory A striking feature of pāchad is its use for trembling that accompanies blessing. Isaiah 60:5 describes Zion’s heart that “will tremble and swell with joy” as nations stream to her. Jeremiah 33:9 foretells nations that “will tremble and fear because of all the good and all the peace” God bestows. Hosea 3:5 promises Israel will “come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness.” Reverent terror thus yields to astonished worship when grace is recognized. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Pāchad warns that sin births bondage to fear; repentance restores confidence. The Fear Removed in Christ While pāchad never appears in the New Testament, its tension finds resolution in Jesus Christ. In Him covenant curses are borne and the believer is invited into fearless intimacy: “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Yet a sanctifying tremor remains, for the same Lord is still “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). The gospel therefore converts crippling dread into reverent sonship. Reflective Summary פָחַד traces a theological journey: from the dread that stalks covenant breakers, through the trembling that acknowledges divine holiness, to the awe-filled wonder that greets redemptive grace. Scripture consistently presents this fear as both a diagnostic of the heart’s stance toward God and a tool in His hand to lead His people from terror to trust. Forms and Transliterations אֶפְחָ֑ד אֶפְחָֽד׃ אפחד אפחד׃ הִפְחִֽיד׃ הפחיד׃ וְאֶפְחַ֥ד וַתְּפַחֵ֨ד וּפָֽחַדְתָּ֙ וּפָחֲד֣וּ וּפָחֲד֧וּ וּפָחַ֗ד וּפָחַ֥ד ואפחד ופחד ופחדו ופחדת ותפחד יִפְחֲד֖וּ יִפְחָ֑ד יִפְחָ֔דוּ יפחד יפחדו מְפַחֵ֣ד מפחד פָּ֣חֲדוּ פָּ֭חַדְתִּי פָּֽחֲדוּ־ פָּחֲד֖וּ פָּחֲד֤וּ פָּחַ֥ד פָחֲד֔וּ פָחָ֑דוּ פחד פחדו פחדו־ פחדתי תִּפְחֲדוּ֙ תִּפְחָ֔ד תִפְחָ֑ד תפחד תפחדו ’ep̄·ḥāḏ ’ep̄ḥāḏ efChad faChadu hifChid hip̄·ḥîḏ hip̄ḥîḏ mə·p̄a·ḥêḏ mefaChed məp̄aḥêḏ pā·ḥă·ḏū p̄ā·ḥă·ḏū p̄ā·ḥā·ḏū pā·ḥă·ḏū- pā·ḥaḏ pā·ḥaḏ·tî paChad Pachadti Pachadu pāḥaḏ pāḥaḏtî pāḥăḏū p̄āḥăḏū p̄āḥāḏū pāḥăḏū- tifChad tifchaDu tip̄·ḥă·ḏū tip̄·ḥāḏ ṯip̄·ḥāḏ tip̄ḥāḏ ṯip̄ḥāḏ tip̄ḥăḏū ū·p̄ā·ḥă·ḏū ū·p̄ā·ḥaḏ ū·p̄ā·ḥaḏ·tā ufaChad ufachadTa ufachaDu ūp̄āḥaḏ ūp̄āḥaḏtā ūp̄āḥăḏū vattefaChed veefChad wat·tə·p̄a·ḥêḏ wattəp̄aḥêḏ wə’ep̄ḥaḏ wə·’ep̄·ḥaḏ yifChad yifchaDu yip̄·ḥă·ḏū yip̄·ḥā·ḏū yip̄·ḥāḏ yip̄ḥāḏ yip̄ḥăḏū yip̄ḥāḏūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 28:66 HEB: לְךָ֖ מִנֶּ֑גֶד וּפָֽחַדְתָּ֙ לַ֣יְלָה וְיוֹמָ֔ם NAS: shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night KJV: in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day INT: shall hang before dread night and day Deuteronomy 28:67 Job 3:25 Job 4:14 Job 23:15 Psalm 14:5 Psalm 27:1 Psalm 53:5 Psalm 78:53 Psalm 119:161 Proverbs 3:24 Proverbs 28:14 Isaiah 12:2 Isaiah 19:16 Isaiah 19:17 Isaiah 33:14 Isaiah 44:8 Isaiah 44:11 Isaiah 51:13 Isaiah 60:5 Jeremiah 33:9 Jeremiah 36:16 Jeremiah 36:24 Hosea 3:5 Micah 7:17 25 Occurrences |
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