פַּ֫חַד (pa.chad)
pa.chad
dread
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 43 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun pachad refers to a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread or terror. It describes the intense emotional reaction caused by something frightening, often used to depict the awe-inspiring power of God. In passages like Isaiah 2:10 and Psalm 36:2, it captures the profound reverence and fear that believers feel before the divine presence.
Interestingly, pachad can also refer to the object that causes this fear, not just the feeling itself. For example, in Genesis 31:42 and 53, it is used to describe Isaac as a figure of dread or awe to his family. This dual usage highlights how the word bridges the gap between the internal experience of terror and the external source of that emotion.
Translators often render pachad as "dread," "fear," or "terror," depending on the context. Its frequent appearance in books like Job and Psalms underscores its role in expressing deep spiritual and emotional responses to life's challenges and God's majesty. This word invites readers to reflect on the balance between fear and reverence in their own faith journeys.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pachad describes a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread or terror. It captures the intense emotional reaction caused by something frightening, often used to depict the awe-inspiring power of God. In passages like Isaiah 2:10 and Psalm 36:2, it expresses the profound reverence and fear that believers feel before the divine presence.
Interestingly, pachad can also refer to the object that causes this fear, not just the feeling itself. For example, in Genesis 31:42 and 53, it is used to describe Isaac as a figure of dread or awe to his family. This dual usage highlights how the word bridges the gap between the internal experience of terror and the external source of that emotion.
Its frequent appearance in books like Job and Psalms underscores its role in expressing deep spiritual and emotional responses to life's challenges and God's majesty. This word invites readers to reflect on the balance between fear and reverence in their own faith journeys.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 43 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] dread of8×
- dread/ your4×
- terror3×
- dread3×
- from/ [the] dread of2×
- fear2×
- dread of/ them2×
- and/ dread2×
- a fear2×
- to/ fear1×
- the/ terror1×
- the/ dread1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פַּ֣חַד5×
- פַּֽחַד\־3×
- פַּ֥חַד2×
- פַּ֤חַד2×
- פַ֣חַד2×
- מִ/פַּ֣חַד2×
- הַ/פַּ֙חַד֙2×
- פַּחְדָּ֣/ם1×
- פַּחְדָּ֖/ם1×
- פַּחְדְּ/כֶ֨ם1×
- פַּחְדְּ/כֶ֗ם1×
- פַּחְדְּ/ךָ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 31:42
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
Jacob invokes Isaac as a figure of dread, showing how pachad can refer to the person who inspires awe rather than just the emotion itself.
-
Exodus 15:16
Terror and dread falls on them. By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone, until your people pass over, Yahweh, until the people you have purchased pass over.
The phrase 'terror and dread falls on them' illustrates God's power to instill overwhelming fear in enemies as His people pass through the sea.
-
Deuteronomy 2:25
Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.”
God promises to put the dread of Israel on other peoples, demonstrating how this fear serves as a tool for divine protection and witness.
-
Job 4:14
fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
Job describes a personal encounter where fear and trembling shake his bones, highlighting the word's use for intense, visceral spiritual experiences.
-
Psalms 14:5
There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.
The psalmist notes that 'great fear' falls on enemies because God is present with the righteous, linking dread to divine justice.