Awe is a profound sense of reverence, wonder, and respect, often accompanied by fear or admiration, particularly in the presence of something greater than oneself. In the biblical context, awe is frequently associated with the divine majesty and holiness of God, as well as His mighty works and acts of judgment.

Biblical Usage and Context

The concept of awe is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative, where it is often linked to the fear of the Lord. This fear is not merely terror but a reverential awe that acknowledges God's supreme power, holiness, and authority. Proverbs 9:10 states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" . Here, awe is foundational to wisdom and understanding, suggesting that recognizing God's greatness is essential to a proper relationship with Him.

Awe in Worship

Awe is a central element in worship, as believers are called to approach God with reverence and humility. Psalm 33:8 declares, "Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him" . This call to reverence underscores the appropriate response to God's majesty and power. Worship in the Bible often involves expressions of awe, as seen in the heavenly visions of Isaiah and John, where the holiness and glory of God evoke profound reverence (Isaiah 6:1-5; Revelation 4:8-11).

Awe and God's Creation

The natural world is a testament to God's creative power and often inspires awe. Psalm 19:1 proclaims, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands" . The beauty and complexity of creation lead to a sense of wonder and admiration for the Creator. Romans 1:20 further emphasizes that God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, are clearly seen in what has been made, leaving humanity without excuse.

Awe in Response to God's Acts

Throughout Scripture, God's mighty acts elicit awe from those who witness them. The parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that demonstrate God's power and provoke awe among His people. In Exodus 14:31, after witnessing the deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites "feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses" . Such events reinforce God's sovereignty and inspire trust and reverence.

Awe and the Fear of the Lord

The fear of the Lord, often synonymous with awe, is a recurring theme in the wisdom literature of the Bible. It is portrayed as a source of life, protection, and blessing. Proverbs 14:27 states, "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death" . This reverential awe leads to obedience, moral living, and a deeper relationship with God.

Awe in the New Testament

In the New Testament, awe continues to be a significant response to Jesus' ministry and the early church's activities. The miracles of Jesus, His authority over nature, and His resurrection inspire awe among His followers and even His adversaries. Mark 4:41 records the disciples' reaction to Jesus calming the storm: "They were filled with great awe and asked one another, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!'" . The early church also experienced awe as a result of the apostles' signs and wonders, as described in Acts 2:43: "A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs" .

Conclusion

Awe, as depicted in the Bible, is a multifaceted response to God's presence, power, and holiness. It is an essential aspect of faith, worship, and the believer's relationship with God, encouraging a life of reverence, obedience, and trust.1. (n.) Dread; great fear mingled with respect.

2. (n.) The emotion inspired by something dreadful and sublime; an undefined sense of the dreadful and the sublime; reverential fear, or solemn wonder; profound reverence.

3. (v. t.) To strike with fear and reverence; to inspire with awe; to control by inspiring dread.

AWE

o: Fear mingled with reverence and wonder, a state of mind inspired by something terrible or sublime.

In the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) it occurs in Psalm 4:4: "Stand in awe, and sin not" (where the Revised Version, margin has, "Be ye angry," so Septuagint; compare Ephesians 4:26); Psalm 33:8; Psalm 119:161. In the following passages the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "stand in awe" for the King James Version "fear": Psalm 22:23 phoboumenoi;

Isaiah 29:23 1 Samuel 18:15; Malachi 2:5; and in Hebrews 12:28 it substitutes "awe" for the King James Version "reverence" (deos here only in New Testament). In all these passages, except 1 Samuel 18:15 (eulabeito, where it describes Saul's feeling toward David), the word stands for man's attitude of reverential fear toward God. This is the characteristic attitude of the pious soul toward God in the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament. It arises from a consciousness of the infinite power, sublimity and holiness of God, which fills the mind with the "fear of the Lord," and a dread of violating His law. See FEAR.

D. Miall Edwards

4573. sebazomai -- to fear, spec. to have reverential awe
... to have reverential awe. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: sebazomai Phonetic
Spelling: (seb-ad'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I worship Definition: I worship ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4573.htm - 6k

1190a. deos -- fear, reverence
... fear, reverence. Transliteration: deos Short Definition: awe. Word Origin from deido
(to fear) Definition fear, reverence NASB Word Usage awe (1). 1190, 1190a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1190a.htm - 5k

127. aidos -- a sense of shame
... as a negative particle) and eido (through the idea of downcast eyes); bashfulness,
ie (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe -- reverence, shamefacedness. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/127.htm - 6k

2124. eulabeia -- caution
... reverence, awe. From eulabes; properly, caution, ie (religiously) reverence (piety);
by implication, dread (concretely) -- fear(-ed). see GREEK eulabes. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2124.htm - 7k

1568. ekthambeo -- to amaze, to be amazed
... Verb Transliteration: ekthambeo Phonetic Spelling: (ek-tham-beh'-o) Short Definition:
I am greatly astonished Definition: I am greatly astonished, am awe-struck ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1568.htm - 7k

5401. phobos -- panic flight, fear, the causing of fear, terror
... fear, terror NASB Word Usage cause of fear (1), fear (37), fearful (1), fears (1),
intimidation (1), respect (1), respectful (1), reverence (1), sense of awe (1 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5401.htm - 7k

4586. semnos -- reverend, ie venerable, spec. serious
... 4586 (an adjective derived from 4576 , "to revere, be in awe") -- properly, what
is (dignified, has ""); weighty, deeply respected because viewed as majestic ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4586.htm - 7k

5399. phobeo -- to put to flight, to terrify, frighten
... to fear. From phobos; to frighten, ie (passively) to be alarmed; by analogy, to
be in awe of, ie Revere -- be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5399.htm - 9k

2285. thambos -- amazement
... Noun, Neuter Transliteration: thambos Phonetic Spelling: (tham'-bos) Short Definition:
astonishment Definition: astonishment, amazement (allied to terror or awe ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2285.htm - 7k

2298. thaumastos -- wonderful
... Cognate: 2298 -- marvelous, describing an awe-evoking sight (dramatic sense of ),
moving the beholder to their deepest emotions. See 2296 (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2298.htm - 7k

6342. pachad -- to dread, be in dread or in awe
... pachad. 6343 . to dread, be in dread or in awe. Transliteration: pachad Phonetic
Spelling: (paw-kkad') Short Definition: dread. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6342.htm - 6k

6345. pachdah -- dread, (religious) awe
... dread, (religious) awe. Transliteration: pachdah Phonetic Spelling: (pakh-daw')
Short Definition: dread. ... fear. Feminine of pachad; alarm (ie Awe) -- fear. ...
/hebrew/6345.htm - 6k

6184. arits -- awe-inspiring, terror-striking
... 6183, 6184. arits. 6185 . awe-inspiring, terror-striking. Transliteration:
arits Phonetic Spelling: (aw-reets') Short Definition: ruthless. ...
/hebrew/6184.htm - 6k

6206. arats -- to cause to tremble, tremble
... tremble NASB Word Usage cause (1), cause terror (1), cause trembling (1), dread
(3), feared (2), make the tremble (2), shocked (1), stand in awe (1), tremble (4 ...
/hebrew/6206.htm - 6k

7264. ragaz -- to be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited ...
... be afraid, stand in awe, disquiet, fall out, fret, move, provoke, quake,. A
primitive root; to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially ...
/hebrew/7264.htm - 6k

3372a. yare -- to fear
... frighten (4), frightened (1), have...fear (1), made me afraid (1), revere (10),
revered (3), reverence (3), showed reverence (1), stand in awe (1), terrible (3 ...
/hebrew/3372a.htm - 6k

6343. pachad -- dread
... Word Origin from pachad Definition dread NASB Word Usage awe (1), disaster (1),
dread (20), fear (9), great (1), great fear (1), great fear where fear (1 ...
/hebrew/6343.htm - 6k

1481. guwr -- to sojourn
... also to gather for hostility (as afraid) -- abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear,
gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger ...
/hebrew/1481.htm - 5k

2865. chathath -- to be shattered or dismayed
... NASB Word Usage been shattered (3), break (1), cracked (1), dismay (1), dismayed
(26), frighten (1), shatter (1), shattered (9), stood in awe (1), terrified (8 ...
/hebrew/2865.htm - 6k

1481c. gur -- to dread
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to dread NASB Word Usage afraid (2), dreaded
(1), fear (4), feared (1), stand in awe (2). 1481b, 1481c. gur. 1482 . ...
/hebrew/1481c.htm - 5k

Schin.
... Let us therefore here also recognise the words of the Church: "Princes have persecuted
me without a cause: and my heart hath stood in awe of Thee" (ver.161). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/schin.htm

Further Examples from the Old Testament in Favour of Fasting.
... And then (came) the word of the Lord unto Elijah, Thou hast seen how Ahab hath shrunk
in awe from my face: for that he hath shrunk in awe I will not bring the ...
/.../chapter vii further examples from the.htm

Shaping a Prayer on the Anvil of the Knees.
... One enters with a holy hush over his spirit, and, with awe in his eyes, looks
at Jesus in Gethsemane. ... With what awe must they have ministered! ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/shaping a prayer on the.htm

"But in what I am Now About to Narrate...
... We did so with deep reverence and awe, as if we were carrying out a watch prescribed
to us before the tent of an angel; while, all the time, the door of his ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xiii but in what.htm

Humility
... sinful man, O Lord'? God grant to us all, that after that first feeling of
dread and awe is over, we may go on, as St. Peter went on ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon xviii humility.htm

1 Timothy vi. 13-16
... Again he calls God to witness, as he had done a little before, at once to increase
his disciple's awe, and to secure his safety, and to show that these were ...
/.../homily xviii 1 timothy vi.htm

Christ and his Captors
... He emphasises our Lord's patient standing there, in the midst of the awe-struck
crowd, and even inciting them, as it would seem, to do the work for which they ...
/.../christ and his captors.htm

The Beatific vision
... If we could see Jesus as he was, we should see him with great awe. If we had
seen him walking on the water, what awe should we have felt! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the beatific vision.htm

Hallowing Christ
... He is, the Lord. Let us take care that our thoughts about Jesus Christ
are full of devout awe and reverence. I venture to think ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/hallowing christ.htm

Reverence in Worship.
... The more he acquainted himself with God, the greater would be his awe and holy fear. ...
They have considered awe to be superstition, and reverence to be slavery. ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon i reverence in worship.htm

Awe (32 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To strike with fear and reverence; to inspire with awe; to control
by inspiring dread. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. AWE. ...
/a/awe.htm - 17k

Awe-struck (9 Occurrences)
Awe-struck. Awestruck, Awe-struck. Awful . Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Struck
with awe. Multi-Version Concordance Awe-struck (9 Occurrences). ...
/a/awe-struck.htm - 9k

Awe-inspiring (2 Occurrences)
Awe-inspiring. Awe, Awe-inspiring. Awesome . Multi-Version
Concordance Awe-inspiring (2 Occurrences). Song of Songs ...
/a/awe-inspiring.htm - 6k

Awe-stricken (1 Occurrence)
Awe-stricken. Awesome, Awe-stricken. Awestruck . Noah Webster's Dictionary
(a.) Awe-struck. Multi-Version Concordance Awe-stricken (1 Occurrence). ...
/a/awe-stricken.htm - 6k

Fear (970 Occurrences)
... 7. (n.) To have a reverential awe of; to solicitous to avoid the displeasure of.
8. (n.) To be anxious or solicitous for. 9. (n.) To suspect; to doubt. 10. ...
/f/fear.htm - 50k

Awful (20 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence, or with fear and admiration;
fitted to inspire reverential fear; profoundly impressive. ...
/a/awful.htm - 12k

Awesome (47 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Causing awe; appalling; awful; as, an awesome
sight. 2. (a.) Expressive of awe or terror. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/a/awesome.htm - 20k

Astonished (92 Occurrences)
... The personality, teaching and works of Jesus were so wonderful, Divine, supernatural,
as to awaken emotions of surprise and awe never before known in the ...
/a/astonished.htm - 34k

Revere (26 Occurrences)
... (vt) To regard with reverence, or profound respect and affection, mingled with
awe or fear; to venerate; to reverence; to honor in estimation. ...
/r/revere.htm - 13k

Bannered (2 Occurrences)
... Bannered (2 Occurrences). Song of Songs 6:4 Fair 'art' thou, my friend, as Tirzah,
Comely as Jerusalem, Awe-inspiring as bannered hosts. (YLT). ...
/b/bannered.htm - 7k

What does it mean to have the fear of God? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that God is holy, holy, holy? | GotQuestions.org

How should a believer respond to the characteristics of God? | GotQuestions.org

Awe: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus