H4172a H4172a
Fear, dread, terror; awe-inspiring deeds or spectacles; the One who is to be feared (divine epithet)
A noun expressing the full spectrum of fear as it radiates outward from God. In its most common sense, it denotes the dread that falls upon creatures—the 'fear and terror' placed on all animals after the Flood (Gen 9:2), or the dread that precedes Israel in conquest (Deut 11:25). When modified by 'great,' it shifts to the terrifying deeds themselves—the awesome signs of the Exodus (Deut 4:34, 26:8). In Psalm 76:11, it becomes a divine title: God is 'the One to be feared,' an epithet where the abstract emotion crystallizes into a name for God Himself. Malachi probes the relational heart of this word: 'If I am a master, where is My mora?' (Mal 1:6).
Senses
1. fear, dread, terror — Abstract fear, dread, or terror experienced by or imposed upon others. Used of the fear animals have of humans (Gen 9:2), the dread that falls before Israel's advance (Deut 11:25), and the great terror of the Exodus (Deut 26:8, 34:12). Isaiah 8:12 warns against fearing what the people fear. Spanish 'el temor' and French renderings consistently treat this as the raw emotion of dread, paired with synonyms like pachad and chat. 9×
AR["الْمَهَابَةِ","مَخَافَتَهُم","مَخَافَتُكُم","مَهَابَةً","مَهَابَتِي","وَ-خَوْفُكُمْ","وَبِ-رُعْبٍ","وَبِرُعْبٍ","وَخَوْفَكُمْ"]·ben["আমার-ভয়","আর-তোমাদের-ভয়","আর-ভয়ে","এবং-তোমাদের-ত্রাস","এবং-ভয়ে","তাদের-ভয়ের-বস্তু","তোমাদের-ভয়ের-বস্তু","ভয়"]·DE["[ובמורא]","[מורא]","[מוראו]","[מוראי]","[מוראכם]","der-Schrecken","und-dein-Furcht","und-eure-Furcht","und-mit-Schrecken"]·EN["My-fear","and-fear-of-you","and-with-terror","and-your-fear","fear","its-fear","the-terror","your-fear"]·FR["[ובמורא]","[מוראו]","[מוראכם]","et-avec-terreur","et-craindre-de-tu","et-ton-crainte","le-terreur","terreur"]·heb["ה-מורא","ו-ב-מורא","ו-מוראכם","ו-מוראכם-כם","מורא","מוראו","מוראי","מוראכם"]·HI["उसके-भय","और-डर-तुम्हारा","और-तुम-से-दर","और-भय-से","और-से-भय","तुम्हारा-भय","भय","मेरा-भय"]·ID["Dan-ketakutanmu","dan-dengan-kegentaran","dan-dengan-kengerian","dan-kengerian-mu","kegentaran","ketakutannya","rasa-takut","takut-kepada-Ku","yang-kamu-takuti"]·IT["[ובמורא]","[מוראו]","[מוראכם]","e-con-terror","e-timore-di-tu","e-tuo-temere","il-terror","timore"]·jav["ajrih","ajrih-dhumateng-Kawula","ajrih-ipun","ajrih-panjenengan","kasaeman","lan-geter-panjenengan","lan-kaliyan-kajrihan","lan-mawi-ajrih","lan-wedos-panjenengan-sadaya"]·KO["그-두려움","그들의-두려움을","그리고-너희의-경외를","그리고-너희의-두려움","그리고-두려움으로","너희의-두려움이요","두려움-나의가","두려움을"]·PT["E-temor-de-vós","e-com-grande","e-com-temor","e-vosso-terror","meu-temor","o-temor","temor","temor-seu","temor-vosso"]·RU["и-страх-перед-вами","и-страхом","и-трепет-ваш","и-ужасом","страх","страх-Мой","страх-ваш","страха-его","страху"]·ES["Y-vuestro-temor","el-temor","sea-vuestro-temor","su-temor","temor","temor-mío?","y-con-temor","y-con-terror","y-vuestro-pavor"]·SW["Na-hofu-yenu","awe-hofu-yenu","hofu","hofu-yangu","hofu-yao","na-kwa-hofu","na-kwa-utisho","na-utisho-wenu","utisho"]·TR["Ve-korkunuz","korku","korkum","korkunuz","korkusundan","ve-dehşetinizi","ve-korkuyla"]·urd["اور-تمہاری-دہشت","اور-خوف-تمہارا","اور-دہشت-سے","اُس-کے-خوف","تمہارا-خوف","دہشت","میرا-ڈر","ڈر"]
2. terrors, fearsome events — Terrifying deeds or awe-inspiring spectacles, a concrete plural use. Deuteronomy 4:34 asks whether any god attempted to take a nation 'with terrors great'—the mighty acts of plagues and Red Sea crossing. German 'Schrecken' (terrors) and Spanish 'terrores' both render these as specific fearsome events rather than the abstract emotion, marking a shift from feeling to manifestation. 1×
AR["وَبِمَخَاوِفَ"]·ben["এবং-ভয়ঙ্কর-কাজ-দিয়ে"]·DE["und-durch-Schrecken"]·EN["and-by-terrors"]·FR["et-par-terrors"]·heb["ו-ב-מוראים"]·HI["और-भयानक-घटनाओं-में"]·ID["dan-dengan-kengerian-kengerian"]·IT["e-da-terrors"]·jav["lan-ngangge-pamedhèdhan-pamedhèdhan"]·KO["그리고-두려움들-로"]·PT["e-com-terrores"]·RU["и-ужасами"]·ES["y-con-terrores"]·SW["na-kwa-mambo-ya-kutisha"]·TR["ve-dehşetlerle-"]·urd["اور-ڈراؤنی-چیزوں-سے"]
3. object of awe, the Feared One — The Feared One, a substantivized divine epithet designating God as the proper object of awe. Psalm 76:11 calls worshippers to bring gifts 'to the One to be feared.' Spanish 'al Temible' ('to the Fearsome One') captures the personal, titular quality. This sense moves beyond emotion into theology—fear becomes a name, identifying God by the response He rightly commands. 1×
AR["لِلْمَهِيبِ"]·ben["ভয়ংকরকে"]·DE["zu-der-einer-zu-sein-gefürchtet"]·EN["to-the-One-to-be-feared"]·FR["à-crainte"]·heb["ל-מורא"]·HI["ला-मोरा"]·ID["kepada-Yang-Ditakuti"]·IT["[למורא]"]·jav["dhateng-ingkang-Dipunajrihi"]·KO["두려운-분-에게"]·PT["ao-Terrível"]·RU["Страшному"]·ES["al-Temible"]·SW["kwa-yeye-wa-kuogofya"]·TR["Korkulana"]·urd["لِ-ہیبت-ناک"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מוֹרָא n.m. Dt 4:34 fear, מ׳ Mal 2:5 + 3 times; מֹרָא Dt 26:8; sfs. מוֹרָאִי Mal 1:6; מוֹרָאוֹ Is 8:12; מוֹרַאֲכֶם v 13 + 2 times; pl. מוֹרָאִים Dt 4:34;— 1. fear, terror, ‖ חַת Gn 9:2 (P); ‖ פַּחַד Dt 11:25. 2. reverence: אַיֵּה מוֹרָאִי where is the reverence due to me Mal 1:6. 3. object of reverence, especially God Is 8:12, 13 ψ 76:12; ‖ בְּרִית Mal 2:5. 4. awe-inspiring spectacle or deed (ה)מ׳ (ה)גּדול(ים) Dt 4:34; 26:8; 34:12 Je 32:21.