What Does it Mean to Fear the Lord?

The fear of the Lord is a major theme throughout the Bible.  We are commanded to fear the Lord (Dt 6:13), and promised many rewards for doing so (Ps 34:9).

But what does it mean to fear the Lord?  The following is a list of quotes and definitions that I gathered this week in my study.

The fear of the Lord is "the essence of true religion."  It is "the cultivation and exercise of all right and holy dispositions towards God. Yes, this is religion, to have the heart right towards God."  John Angell James (1785-1859)

"The fear of the Lord involves awe, reverence, love, and trust in God."  HCSB Study Bible

To fear the Lord is “to honor and respect God, to live in awe of his power, and to obey his word.”  Life Application Study Bible, note on Pr 1:7-9

The fear of the Lord is "both reverent awe and a healthy fear of God’s displeasure and discipline."  ESV Study Bible, note on Acts 5:5

The fear of the Lord is "godly awe, reverence and devotion, or fear of God’s displeasure and fatherly discipline.  ESV Study Bible, note on Acts 9:31

It is the conviction that God will both discipline us in this life and judge us in the next.  ESV Study Bible, note on Rm 3:18 (not a direct quote)

"To fear the Lord is not to cower in terror before an unknowable deity; rather, it entails a life lived in constant awareness of one’s dependence on and obligation to the sovereign Creator."  Baker Illustrated Study Bible

“The fear of the Lord recognizes total dependence on God for everything, including knowledge and wisdom.  It is not just a mental attitude but involves service, love, and obeying God’s laws.  Fear of the Lord is basis of all knowledge.  How can we understand life without knowing the most fundamental truth about it – that it is God’s creation?”  NLT Study Bible, note on Pr 1:7

“Fear implies respect, awe, and at times knee-knocking terror.  It also acknowledges that everything, including knowledge and wisdom, comes from total dependence on God.  The fear of the Lord leads people toward humility and away from pride.  With such an attitude, readers of Proverbs are more apt to listen to God than to their own independent judgment.  Fear of the Lord recognizes God’s central place in the order of the world.  God si the Creator and Master of all things….  Those who fear the Lord receive wisdom because they begin to understand that everything is under God’s rule and in his service.  This is more than just an attitude; it is a way of living that takes into account God’s power and authority and our ultimate accountability to him.”  NLT Study Bible, Note on Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is "reverence for God."  It "reverential awe and admiring, submissive fear."  "The fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God's."  MacArthur Study Bible, note on Pr 1:7