Greek word · G1719

ἔμφοβος

emphobos

afraid

In fear, terrified, struck with awe. In the New Testament it is mostly used for the reaction to a divine or heavenly encounter.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

ἔμ-φοβος

[in LXX: Sirach 19:24, 1Ma.13:2 * ;]

1. terrible.

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: In fear, terrified, struck with awe. In the New Testament it is mostly used for the reaction to a divine or heavenly encounter.
Against the English: 'Afraid' (KJV, YLT), 'in fear' (BSB), 'frightened' (WEB). All are accurate.
Used elsewhere in the period: Luke 24:5 (the women at the tomb before the angels), 24:37 (disciples seeing the risen Jesus), Acts 24:25 (Felix), Revelation 11:13. The same pattern of a heavenly visitor followed by fear: Luke 1:12; 2:9; Daniel 10:7–11.

Range of meaning: 'In fear', 'filled with fear': alarmed or awestruck, especially in Luke–Acts at angelic or divine appearances (Luke 24:5, 37; Acts 10:4; 22:9 variant; 24:25, where Felix becomes afraid at Paul's talk of judgment).
Against the English: 'Terrified' (BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV) gets the strength right. 'Affrighted' (KJV, YLT) is the same idea in older English. None of them fully carries the awe that biblical 'fear' before God implies.
Used elsewhere in the period: It is used in the Greek Old Testament (e.g. Sirach 19:24) and in Luke–Acts for the moment a person confronted by the divine is shaken. In Revelation it lines up with the verb in 14:7 ('Fear God') and 15:4 ('Who will not fear, O Lord?').

Range of meaning: "In fear": afraid, alarmed, terrified. It describes a state of fear, often in the face of something beyond human control.
Against the English: KJV "trembled" is vivid but adds a physical detail the Greek does not state. It probably comes through Tyndale from the Latin Vulgate's tremefactus ("made to tremble"). ESV "alarmed" and NASB/BSB "frightened" are closer.
How it drifted: In preaching tradition "Felix trembled" became a stock picture of a sinner under conviction. The Greek says only that he became afraid.
Used elsewhere in the period: Luke uses it for the women at the empty tomb (Luke 24:5), the disciples seeing the risen Jesus (Luke 24:37), Cornelius before the angel (Acts 10:4), and the survivors in Rev 11:13. All are reactions to something from God breaking in.

Luke · 2

Luke 24:5 ἐμφόβων Terrified

As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Here: Literally 'in fear'. The overwhelming fear people feel when a heavenly being appears. The feminine form shows the women are the ones afraid.
Luke 24:37 ἔμφοβοι filled with fear

But they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit.

Acts · 2

Acts 10:4 ἔμφοβος afraid

Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

Here: Literally 'in fear', gripped by fear. This is the normal human response to a heavenly visitor in Luke's writings (Luke 24:5, 37).
Acts 24:25 ἔμφοβος frightened

As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.”

Here: Literally "in fear": alarmed, gripped by fear. It describes Felix's state of mind and does not say he physically shook.

Revelation · 1

Revelation 11:13 ἔμφοβοι terrified

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Here: Seized by fear, the kind of shaken fear people feel at a display of divine power (Luke 24:5, 37; Acts 10:4). Here it is fear that leads them to acknowledge God.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.