Terrifying
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The concept of "terrifying" in the Bible often relates to the fear and awe inspired by the presence and actions of God, as well as the fear of judgment and the unknown. This term is used to describe both the reverence due to God and the dread of His righteous judgment.

Divine Presence and Revelation

The presence of God is frequently described as terrifying due to His holiness and power. In Exodus 19:16, when God descends upon Mount Sinai, the Israelites experience a terrifying scene: "On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled." This event underscores the overwhelming majesty and power of God, which evokes a natural response of fear and reverence.

Similarly, in Isaiah 6:5, the prophet Isaiah reacts with terror upon seeing a vision of the Lord: "Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts." The terrifying aspect of this vision highlights the contrast between God's holiness and human sinfulness.

Judgment and Wrath

The Bible also uses terrifying imagery to describe God's judgment and wrath. In Deuteronomy 10:17, God is described as "the great, mighty, and awesome God," who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. This depiction serves as a warning of the terrifying nature of divine justice.

The Book of Revelation contains vivid and terrifying imagery of the end times. Revelation 6:15-17 describes the reaction of people to the wrath of the Lamb: "Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?'" This passage illustrates the terror that accompanies the final judgment.

Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord is a recurring theme in Scripture, often associated with wisdom and righteousness. Proverbs 9:10 states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." This fear is not merely terror but a profound respect and reverence for God's authority and majesty.

In the New Testament, the fear of the Lord continues to be emphasized. Acts 9:31 describes the early church as "walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit," indicating that a proper understanding of God's power and holiness leads to spiritual growth and comfort.

Human Responses to the Divine

Throughout the Bible, human responses to divine encounters often include terror and awe. In the New Testament, when the disciples witness Jesus calming the storm, they are filled with fear and amazement, asking, "Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!" (Mark 4:41). This reaction underscores the disciples' growing understanding of Jesus' divine authority.

In conclusion, the concept of "terrifying" in the Bible serves to highlight the majesty, holiness, and justice of God. It calls believers to a reverent fear of the Lord, recognizing His power and authority while also acknowledging His grace and mercy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Terrify.
Greek
5398. phoberos -- fearful
... See 5401 (). Word Origin from phobeo Definition fearful NASB Word Usage terrible
(1), terrifying (1), terrifying thing (1). fearful, terrible. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5398.htm - 6k

5400. phobetron -- a (cause of) terror
... Cognate: 5400 (a neuter noun) -- a fearful sight, emphasizing its terrifying
impact on people () it. It is used only in Lk 21:11. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5400.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew
368b. emethan -- terrible
... terrible. Transliteration: emethan Short Definition: terrifying. Word Origin (Aramaic)
corresponding to ayom Definition terrible NASB Word Usage terrifying (1). ...
/hebrew/368b.htm - 5k

926. bahal -- to disturb, terrify
... 1), hastens (1), hastily (1), hasty (1), hurried (1), hurriedly (1), hurry (2),
quickly (1), terrified (7), terrifies (1), terrify (3), terrifying (1), tremble ...
/hebrew/926.htm - 6k

3372a. yare -- to fear
... fear (1), made me afraid (1), revere (10), revered (3), reverence (3), showed reverence
(1), stand in awe (1), terrible (3), terrible things (1), terrifying (2 ...
/hebrew/3372a.htm - 6k

Library

Further Diplomacy
... for her happiness. Now, a terrifying lapse in his care, or a more terrifying
display of his real character, appalled her. He had ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxvi further diplomacy.htm

As the Terrors of Imagined Suffering are Always Worse than Actual ...
... too clear;"but on this particular night he was visited by an impression rather than
a dream,"the impression of a lonely, and terrifying dreariness, as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/corelli/the master-christian/iv as the terrors of.htm

Our Reception at Hwochow
... the back of a galloping horse, and to lift stones of immense weight; meanwhile throwing
the body into such postures as, coupled with a terrifying expression of ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter vi our reception at.htm

God's Peace Obtained in Answer to Prayer
... unpardonable sin. Some have been so completely engulfed by this terrifying
thought that they have abandoned all hope. These misguided ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 3 gods peace obtained.htm

The Man About whom the Apostle is Here Treating, do Far as He Is ...
... to the two epistles of the Pelagians to Boniface, "The law, as a schoolmaster, leads
and conducts a man to this grace of God, by terrifying him concerning his ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/the man about whom the.htm

1 Cor. xi. 28
... He was not however content with these things alone, but from these he also introduced
and confirmed the argument concerning hell-fire, terrifying them in both ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxviii 1 cor xi.htm

Acts xx. 17-21
... murder! Nothing could be more terrifying than this. ... for. So, whereas he seems
to be justifying himself, in fact he is terrifying them. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xliv acts xx 17-21.htm

By Divine Inspiration Philosophers Sometimes Hit on the Truth.
... A great crowd of this description rushes on my mind, introducing, as it were, a
terrifying apparition of strange demons, speaking of fabulous and monstrous ...
/.../exhortation to the heathen/chapter vi by divine inspiration philosophers.htm

The Note of Pity.
... Again, without a pitiful heart the preacher's utterance of the divine judgment will
be but more or less terrifying threats, and the pulpit is not set up to ...
/.../jackson/the message and the man/chapter ii the note of.htm

Prologue
... It must be acknowledged also that the very sight of his works is terrifying, whether
we take the enormous folios in two columns of the Benedictine edition, or ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/prologue.htm

Thesaurus
Terrifying (10 Occurrences)
...Terrifying (10 Occurrences). ... 1 Samuel 16:15 and the servants of Saul say unto him,
'Lo, we pray thee, a spirit of sadness 'from' God is terrifying thee; (YLT). ...
/t/terrifying.htm - 9k

Territories (12 Occurrences)

/t/territories.htm - 10k

Terrify (27 Occurrences)

/t/terrify.htm - 13k

Ostrich (9 Occurrences)
... the Bible because of their desert life, the companions they lived among there, and
because of their night cries that were guttural, terrifying groans, like the ...
/o/ostrich.htm - 18k

Geba (22 Occurrences)
... 22). It is named by Isaiah in his description of the terrifying march of
the Assyrians upon Jerusalem from the North (10:28). It ...
/g/geba.htm - 17k

Mara (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their
chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions. ...
/m/mara.htm - 7k

Blackness (13 Occurrences)
... Yahweh clothes the heavens with the blackness of sackcloth (Isaiah 50:3), the figure
being that of the inky blackness of ominous, terrifying thunder clouds. ...
/b/blackness.htm - 12k

Scarecrow (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Anything set up to frighten crows or other birds
from cornfields; hence, anything terrifying without danger. ...
/s/scarecrow.htm - 7k

Sadness (16 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 16:15 and the servants of Saul say unto him, 'Lo, we pray thee,
a spirit of sadness 'from' God is terrifying thee; (YLT). ...
/s/sadness.htm - 11k

Owl (11 Occurrences)
... text is confusing. The ostrich had a voice that was even more terrifying,
when raised in the night, than that of the owl. But it ...
/o/owl.htm - 18k

Resources
What does hell look like? How hot is hell? | GotQuestions.org

How can I overcome my fear of the end of days? | GotQuestions.org

How can I not go to hell? | GotQuestions.org

Terrifying: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Terrifying (10 Occurrences)

Hebrews 10:27
But only a great fear of being judged, and of the fire of wrath which will be the destruction of the haters of God.
(See NAS)

Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(See NAS)

Hebrews 12:21
and, (so terrible was the sight,) Moses said, 'I am fearful exceedingly, and trembling.'
(See RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 16:15
and the servants of Saul say unto him, 'Lo, we pray thee, a spirit of sadness 'from' God is terrifying thee;
(YLT)

Job 15:21
A sound of terrors is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
(See RSV NIV)

Isaiah 10:33
Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the boughs with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be laid low.
(See RSV)

Isaiah 21:1
The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
(See NAS)

Daniel 7:19
Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet;
(See NIV)

Zephaniah 1:18
Even their silver and their gold will not be able to keep them safe in the day of the Lord's wrath; but all the land will be burned up in the fire of his bitter wrath: for he will put an end, even suddenly, to all who are living in the land.
(See NAS)

Zephaniah 2:11
The LORD will be terrible unto them; for He will famish all the gods of the earth; then shall all the isles of the nations worship Him, every one from its place.
(See NAS)

Subtopics

Terrifying

Related Terms

Israel (27466 Occurrences)

Abilene (1 Occurrence)

Anem (1 Occurrence)

Terrifying (10 Occurrences)

Judea (50 Occurrences)

Levitical (19 Occurrences)

Giants (18 Occurrences)

Isles (32 Occurrences)

Tiglathpileser (3 Occurrences)

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Afflicted (171 Occurrences)

Agrippa (12 Occurrences)

Salim (1 Occurrence)

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Shishak (6 Occurrences)

Herod (45 Occurrences)

Hellenism

Shiloh (34 Occurrences)

Benhadad (24 Occurrences)

Hellenist

Pekah (11 Occurrences)

Gentiles (150 Occurrences)

Pontus (3 Occurrences)

Dispersion (4 Occurrences)

Sheba (36 Occurrences)

Bethsaida (7 Occurrences)

Governor (78 Occurrences)

Territory (140 Occurrences)

City

Helam (3 Occurrences)

Jehu (63 Occurrences)

Great (10383 Occurrences)

Elamites (2 Occurrences)

Minor (2 Occurrences)

Joshua (211 Occurrences)

Elam (24 Occurrences)

Asia (22 Occurrences)

Solomon (277 Occurrences)

Judah (802 Occurrences)

Cities (427 Occurrences)

Kingdom (409 Occurrences)

Terrify
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