Lexical Summary
mora: Fear, terror, reverence
Original Word: מוֹרָא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mowra'
Pronunciation: moh-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-raw')
KJV: dread, (that ought to be) fear(-ed), terribleness, terror
NASB: fear, terror, respect, reverence, terrors, what they fear, who is to be feared
Word Origin: [from H3372 (יָרֵא - Fear)]
1. fear
2. (by implication) a fearful thing or deed
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dread, that ought to be feared, terribleness, terror
Or morat {mo-raw'}; or morah (Psa. 9:20) {mo-raw'}; from yare'; fear; by implication, a fearful thing or deed -- dread, (that ought to be) fear(-ed), terribleness, terror.
see HEBREW yare'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yareDefinitiona fear, terror
NASB Translationfear (3), respect (1), reverence (1), terror (3), terrors (1), what they fear (1), who is to be feared (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Deuteronomy 4:34 ,
Malachi 2:5 3t.;
Deuteronomy 26:8; suffixes
Malachi 1:6;
Isaiah 8:12;
Isaiah 8:13 2t.; plural
Deuteronomy 4:34; —
fear, terror, "" Genesis 9:2 (P); "" Deuteronomy 11:25.
reverence: where is the reverence due to me Malachi 1:6.
object of reverence, especially God Isaiah 8:12,13; Psalm 76:12; "" Malachi 2:5.
awe-inspiring spectacle or deed Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 26:8; Deuteronomy 34:12; Jeremiah 32:21.
Psalm 9:21, probably appoint (Hosea 6:11) terror (i.e. some awe-inspiring exhibition of power) for them Thes SS RV Ew De Hu Pe Che after Masora, Aq Jerome ( a variation of or probably error for ); possibly set them a teacher, master Bae after , ; neither altogether satisfactory.
Topical Lexicon
Scope and Central IdeaThe noun mōrāʾ denotes an intense, often awe-filled dread that God Himself either inspires or rightfully receives. The term can describe (1) the fear God places upon His creation for the protection and advance of His covenant people, and (2) the reverential dread that His people owe to Him. In all twelve occurrences this fear is inseparably linked to the Lord’s sovereign acts in history.
Fear Imposed for Covenant Preservation
Genesis 9:2 inaugurates post-Flood life: “The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth…”. Here mōrāʾ is a gracious, protective hedge guaranteeing humankind’s survival and dominion. A similar dynamic appears in Israel’s conquest narratives. Deuteronomy 11:25 promises, “No one will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land wherever you set foot.” The fear is not Israel’s achievement; it is Yahweh’s gift, disarming opposition and confirming His covenant faithfulness.
Fear Displayed in Redemptive Acts
Mōrāʾ repeatedly summarizes the unrivaled impact of the Exodus. Deuteronomy 4:34 recalls “trials, signs, wonders, and war, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror.” Deuteronomy 26:8 and Jeremiah 32:21 echo the same combination of “mighty hand” and “great terror,” underscoring that God’s redemptive power is never sterile; it evokes shuddering awe. Deuteronomy 34:12 closes the Pentateuch, praising Moses for “all the mighty power and awesome deeds” manifested before Israel. The fear elicited by these deeds anchors Israel’s memory and worship.
Fear as Covenant Worship and Priestly Ethos
Malachi confronts post-exilic apathy by reminding priests of Levi’s original call: “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name” (Malachi 2:5). Earlier, Malachi 1:6 had rebuked them: “If I am a Master, where is your fear?” Mōrāʾ therefore functions as a litmus test of authentic ministry. True priests embrace holy dread; negligent priests lose it and dishonor God.
Fear Redirected from Human Threats to the Holy One
Isaiah addresses societal panic: “Do not call conspiracy everything these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, nor be terrified. The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread” (Isaiah 8:12-13). Mōrāʾ shifts the axis of fear from horizontal threats to vertical reverence. Proper dread of God liberates from paralyzing dread of men.
Fear as Judicial Warning and Eschatological Hope
Psalm 9:20 petitions, “Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are mortal.” Psalm 76:11 exhorts, “Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all who are around Him bring gifts to the One to be feared.” The psalmists view mōrāʾ both as divine judgment on arrogance and as a catalyst for global worship. The term anticipates the eschatological day when every knee bows, not coerced by mere terror, but compelled by unveiled majesty.
Ministry Implications
• Proclamation: Preaching must present God’s redemptive acts in a way that rekindles holy dread, avoiding both sentimentalism and despair.
• Discipleship: Believers are trained to fear God, not people, cultivating courage for witness and obedience (cf. Acts 4:19-21, the New Testament counterpart).
• Pastoral Care: Mōrāʾ warns the complacent yet comforts the oppressed, assuring them that enemies ultimately tremble before the Lord.
Christological Fulfillment and New Testament Echoes
The cross and resurrection replicate the Exodus pattern on a cosmic scale. At Calvary “there was darkness over all the land” and an earthquake, signs that inspired “great fear” among bystanders (Matthew 27:54). In Acts, the early church grows “in the fear of the Lord” (Acts 9:31), the Greek phobos mirroring mōrāʾ. Revelation’s visions culminate with universal acknowledgment: “Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?” (Revelation 15:4). Thus the Old Testament theology of mōrāʾ finds its climax in the Lamb whose judgment and mercy elicit everlasting awe.
Forms and Transliterations
הַמּוֹרָ֣א המורא וּבְמֹרָ֖א וּבְמוֹרָ֖א וּבְמוֹרָאִ֖ים וּמֽוֹרַאֲכֶ֜ם וּמוֹרַאֲכֶ֤ם ובמורא ובמוראים ובמרא ומוראכם לַמּוֹרָֽא׃ למורא׃ מוֹרַאֲכֶ֖ם מוֹרָ֖א מוֹרָ֗ה מוֹרָא֥וֹ מוֹרָאִ֜י מורא מוראו מוראי מוראכם מורה ham·mō·w·rā hammoRa hammōwrā lam·mō·w·rā lammoRa lammōwrā mō·w·rā mō·w·ra·’ă·ḵem mō·w·rā·’î mō·w·rā·’ōw mō·w·rāh moRa moraaChem moRah moraI moraO mōwrā mōwra’ăḵem mōwrā’î mōwrā’ōw mōwrāh ū·ḇə·mō·rā ū·ḇə·mō·w·rā ū·ḇə·mō·w·rā·’îm ū·mō·w·ra·’ă·ḵem ūḇəmōrā ūḇəmōwrā ūḇəmōwrā’îm umoraaChem ūmōwra’ăḵem uvemoRa uvemoraIm
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