Excursus on Fear of the Lord

Bibliography
The literature on this topic is far too vast to record here. Rather, only the works that influenced the
production of this excursus need be mentioned.
Barr, M. Fear of God and the World of Wisdom. BTB 11 (1981) 4143. Becker, J. Gottesfurcht im
Alten Testament. AnBib 25. Rome: Biblical Institute, 1965. Cox, D. Fear or Conscience?: YHWH in
Proverbs 19. Studia Hierosolymitana 3 (1982) 8390. Derousseaux, L. La crainte de Dieu dans lAncien
Testament. Paris: du Cerf, 1970. Fox, M. V. Ideas of Wisdom in Proverbs 19. JBL 116 (1997) 61333.
Fuhs, H. ary

TDOT 6:290315. Hausmann, J. Menschenbild. 26576. Murphy, R. E. Religious Dimensions of

Israelite Wisdom. In Ancient Israelite Religion. FS F. M. Cross, ed. P. Miller et al. Philadelphia: Fortress,
1987. 44958. Plath, S. Furcht Gottes. Stuttgart: Calwer, 1962. Preuss, H. D. Einfhrung in die
alttestamentliche Weisheitsliteratur. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1987. 5766, 17486. Rad, G. von. Wisdom in
Israel. Nashville: Abingdon, 1972. 5373. Schmid, H.-H. Timor Domini Initium Sapientiae. In Ernten
was man st. Ed. D. R. Daniels et al. Neukirchen: Neukirchener, 1991. 51931. Vanoni, G.
Volkssprichwort und YHWH-Ethos. Beobachtungen zu Spr 15, 16. BN 35 (1986) 73108.

The fear of the Lord (hwhy

tary

) is a concept that is central to the biblical wisdom literature, and especially to the book of
Proverbs. Its position within the book calls attention to the idea: it is the motto at the beginning, 1:7,
and this unites with 9:10 to form a frame for the collection in chaps. 19. A further frame for the
entire book is the connection between 1:7 and 31:30. But the idea did not suddenly appear with this
book or with wisdom literature. In one form or another fear of the Lord/God permeates the entire
Bible. It must be seen in its biblical context if one is to understand it more clearly and especially its
place within wisdom. It seems undeniable that fear of God is rooted in a basic attitude of mortal
beings before the Numen. That is simply the fear that the Bible expresses so often and in so many
ways. Only a few instances can be mentioned here. One of the prime examples is the Sinai
revelation and the reaction of the people indicated in Exod 19:16; 20:1518. The role of nature in
the theophany intensifies the awfulness of these events. Another expression is the belief that to see
the Lord means deatha belief attested all through the Bible. The divine utterance in Exod 33:20 is
reflected in one episode after another where, paradoxically, the person concerned lives to tell the
tale! The concept of the holiness of the Lord is another expression associated with fear of the
Lord. It is a characterization of the divinity as totally other, as being in a sphere of its own that
differs from the level in which mortals find themselves. Both the Numinous and the Holy beget
certain standards if one is to be able to live in their proximity. This is exemplified in the experience
of Isaiah in his confrontation with the Lord in Isa 6:17. The prophet recognizes his sinfulness in
the face of this vision of God, but he is purified by the action of one of the seraphim.
Already the notion of the fear of God has acquired certain nuances, and that is the tantalizing
aspect of the idea within the Bible. It comes to denote several things. Even if these are rooted in the
basic stance of mortals before the numinousand this should always be kept in minddefinite new
meanings are acquired at different levels of biblical writings. J. Becker (Gottesfurcht, 7584)
describes three basic types of fear that develop from the numinous, which he describes as the cultic,
moral, and nomistic.
The cultic expression is to be found in the Deuteronomic and Deuteronomistic writings. The
dominant aspect is loyalty to the Lord as the God of the covenant, with the corresponding honor that
is due to him. As Deut 10:12 puts it, Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? This: to
fear the Lord your God, to walk only in his ways, to love him and to serve the Lord your God with

all your heart and soul. Our common distinction between fear and love is obviously not applicable
to this mentality; fear of the Lord also includes love. There is naturally a cultic (which includes
the note of proper conduct) sense to be found in the Psalms, and here a communal aspect emerges;
the one who fears God is one of the worshiping community. The moral aspect (but without any
explicit reference to the obligations of Torah) is found in the book of Proverbs especially, and we
shall return to this point. In the famous verse of Job 28:28, against the background of unattainable
Wisdom, the fear of the Lord is allied with avoiding evilhence a moral nuance. Qoheleth does not
use the phrase, but he uses the verb fear (God) and is unique in his usage (cf. R. Murphy,
Ecclesiastes, WBC 23A, lxivlxvi). Finally, the nomistic usage, with specific reference to the Law,
is characteristic of Ben Sira.
We are concerned with the usage in Proverbs especially. This is strikingly presented in what has
been called the motto of the book in Prov 1:7. The importance of this saying is indicated by its
effective repetition in many other places: Prov 9:10; 15:33; Job 28:28; Ps 111:10. First of all, it is
the beginning (not the best part, although this is a possible meaning) of wisdom, that is, a
training that leads to wisdom, a moral formation to which wisdom contributes while it is also
dependent upon it. Second, within the book of Proverbs is a striking parallelism between
knowledge () and fear of the Lord: 1:7, 29; 2:5; 9:10; 30:3. In addition to these texts Becker
(Gottesfurcht, 22241) has pointed out other ramifications of the phrase. Thus it is associated with
retribution in 10:27; 14:2627; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23 and 22:24. In 14:22 it describes one who walks
uprightly, and in 15:33 it means training for wisdom. While the notion is considered characteristic
of later wisdom (e.g., Prov 19), it is arbitrary to impose a limit since it appears also in chaps. 10
29. There is no way of limiting fear of the Lord to a given temporal pigeonhole. Neither can it be
considered an infallible sign pointing towards prosperity. According to 15:16 it can tolerate
(relative?) poverty, for that is preferable to being overpreoccupied about ones personal state and the
problems it begets.
The merit of having explored the full meaning of the wisdom connection and fear of the Lord
goes to G. von Rad: The thesis that all human knowledge comes back to the question about
commitment to God is a statement of penetrating perspicacity. It has, of course, been so worn by
centuries of Christian teaching that it has to be seen anew in all its provocative pungency. In the
most concise phraseology it encompasses a wide range of intellectual content and can itself be
understood only as the result of a long process of thought. It contains in a nutshell the whole
Israelite theory of knowledge. The statement that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of
wisdom was Israels most special possession. But this does not mean that everything is now clear. In
a word, her thinking had to operate within spheres of tension indicated by the prior gift of the
knowledge of God (Wisdom, 6768). It might seem to be an overstatement to say that the fear of
the Lord contains in a nutshell a theory of knowledge. Epistemology sounds too abstract to be
linked up to such an attitude. Yet, von Rads perception is basically correct. The oft-maligned
wisdom literature is not simply secular or profane or self-centered. It is anthropological and
creational, and the pertinence of the divine to these areas should be clearly evident.
This understanding of the fear of the Lord and wisdom is worlds apart from other views that
have been expressed, and for which the late H. D. Preuss can be taken as spokesman. He argues
(Einfhrung, 57) that the other religions likewise cultivate a fear of the deity, and that in this respect
the older wisdom in Israel (specifically Prov 1029) does not differ from ancient Near Eastern
wisdom in its conception of the Lord. It would surely be wrong as well as foolish to consider the
idea of fear of God as exclusive to Israel; it is a natural response to a Higher Being who cannot be
fathomed. But neither is fear of God to be considered merely a common denominator or catchall in
the religious understanding of the ancient Near East. Preuss and others have united the expressions
of fear into a basic stance before an Urhebergott, or God of origins, a rather theoretical divinity
(worthy, indeed, of fear!). This patterning is hypothetical and the product of a deductive method that
goes beyond our control of the history and development of ancient texts, both those of the ancient
Near East and of Israel. At the present time, a holistic approach, without obliterating historical
indications, seems to be the safest way of evaluating fear of God/Lord in Israels wisdom.
Certainly it is a key concept in Israelite wisdom literature and even the rest of the Old Testament,

when Israels writings are compared to the other writings of the ancient Near East. Its treatment is
too extensive, both in Proverbs and the rest of Israelite wisdom, and unique to be dismissed merely
as a parallel. One cannot be satisfied with a shortsighted historical approach to the concept and
fail to evaluate its function within the present form of the literature. The historical approach merely
yields questions, but a holistic approach, as can be exemplified in von Rads exposition, interprets
the literature as it stands.
It seems clear that the author/editor of the book regarded 1:7 (The fear of the Lord: the
beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise) as central to the work. Fear of the
Lord is not opposed to Fear of God. There is only one God for the editor: the Lord. The phrase
certainly serves in 1:7 as a kind of motto, as many contemporary scholars hold. It is set off from the
first six verses of chap. 1, and from the first appeal to hearken to the instruction of the parents (vv
89), and from the lengthy warning about evil company (vv 1018). The parallel line within 1:7 is
also important: wisdom and instruction fools despise. Wisdom (hmkj
) is what the book of Proverbs is about. Its companion is instruction or rswm
, whether in the sense of instruction or discipline, or both. As M. Fox puts it, The wisdom that
Wisdom speaks is rswm
(8:33), which refers to all admonitions bearing an ethical and religious message (JBL 116
[1997] 632). It is clear from the warning against the evil way proposed in 1:1018 that the way of
wisdom involves a life of responsibility and virtue. A similar admonition is to be found in Prov
24:12, where one is urged to shun evil people. In 1:29 Woman Wisdom complains about those who
do not choose fear of the Lord and who hate knowledge. In 2:5 fear of the Lord is paired with
knowledge of God. What is this knowledge? It is the practical way of life indicated in 2:9 (cf. 1:3):
then you will understand justice and judgment and right. In this context the text of Isa 11:2 (a
spirit of wisdom and understanding a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord) should be noted;
it predicates of the shoot from Jesses stump these spirit gifts; cf. also Isa 33:6. The saying of
Prov 1:7 is given a slight refinement in 9:10; now the fear of the Lord is defined as the beginning
of wisdom. Paradoxically, fear of the Lord can be the antithesis of wisdom (Prov 3:7)i.e., a
certain kind of wisdom, the wisdom that derives from ones personal judgment (wise in your own
eyes; cf. Prov 26:12).
According to Becker (Gottesfurcht, 22128), fear of the Lord is usually associated with
retribution in Prov 1022: 10:27; 14:26, 27; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4. He considers 15:33 to be an
exception, for it is more in the spirit of chaps. 19 in that it is termed wise instruction. I think that
chap. 14 of Proverbs is also an exception; see the Comment, with the Explanation, on 14:2, 26, 27.
The function of fear of the Lord in 16:6 is particularly important; it enables one to avoid evil. The
parallelism within the verse indicates that evil should be understood in a moral sense, and not
merely in the meaning of a physical disaster. Both 16:6 and 3:7, examples of early and late texts,
affirm this centrality of fear of the Lord. In Prov 19:23, fear leads to life, which is so often
promised in Proverbs, e.g., 8:35. Although 8:13 has an interruptive character in Woman Wisdoms
description of herself in the first person, it is certainly a valid statement about the way fear of the
Lord is understood: the fear of the Lordhatred of evil. Finally, there is the tantalizing appearance
of fear of the Lord in the summary description of the woman of valor in 31:30. However this
verse is to be translated (see the Comment and Explanation), it seems to be an inclusion with 1:8,
and underlines the importance of fear of the Lord in this book.1

1Murphy, Roland E., Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 22: Proverbs, (Dallas, Texas: Word Books, Publisher) 1998.