Hebrew word · H367

אֵימָה

'eimah

terror

Terror or dread, almost always the terror that a powerful being causes in others.

Appears 17 times in 17 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

terror, dread

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 20:2

Range of meaning

Terror or dread, almost always the terror that a powerful being causes in others. It is used for God's terror sent before Israel (Exod 23:27), for dread falling on enemies (Exod 15:16; Josh 2:9), for the terror of God that Job begs to be spared (Job 9:34; 13:21), and for the terror of the night (Gen 15:12, 'a dread of great darkness').

Against the English

KJV says 'the fear of a king', which can sound like a fitting reverence people show the king, on the pattern of 'the fear of the LORD'. But Proverbs' 'fear of the LORD' uses a different word (yirʾah). ʾeimah is the stronger, rawer word, closer to 'dread', and here it names what comes from the king. NIV and NLT express this by speaking of the king's wrath or fury.

How it drifted

Older English 'fear of X' was ambiguous between fear felt toward X and the fear X causes. A modern reader shaped by 'the fear of the LORD' tends to hear dutiful respect.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDB and HALOT give 'terror, dread'. The LXX translates freely as apeilē basileōs, 'the threat of a king', and the Vulgate as terror regis. Both read it as something the king puts out, not an attitude toward him.

From the study of Joshua 2:9

Range of meaning

Terror, dread, fright. It is often overwhelming and frequently comes from God or is sent by him (HALOT, BDB). It is stronger than ordinary fear (yir'ah) or anxiety.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'your terror' could be misread as terror the Israelites feel. The Hebrew 'your terror' means terror of you, which is what BSB, WEB and most modern versions say ('the fear of you'). 'Fear' is a softer word than eimah.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 15:16: 'terror (eimatah) and dread fall upon them'. Exod 23:27: 'I will send my terror (eimati) before you'. Deut 32:25; Gen 15:12 (a 'great dark dread' falls on Abram). Mesopotamian royal inscriptions likewise describe the overwhelming 'terror' or 'awe-inspiring radiance' of a god or king falling on enemies so that they submit or flee.

From the study of Genesis 15:12

Range of meaning

Terror, dread, fright: a paralysing fear. Used of (1) the panic God sends ahead of Israel onto its enemies (Exod 15:16, 'terror and dread fall upon them'; 23:27, 'my terror I will send before you'; Josh 2:9); (2) the terror of facing God's power (Job 9:34; 13:21, 'let not dread of you terrify me'); (3) terrifying beings or kings (Job 39:20; Prov 20:2, 'the terror of a king'; Ps 88:15). Its plural form can mean 'objects of terror', even idols (Jer 50:38).

Against the English

KJV 'horror' and BSB/NASB/WEB 'terror' are both fair. ESV/NIV/NLT turn the noun into an adjective, 'dreadful/terrifying darkness', which keeps the feeling but makes the dread a quality of the darkness rather than a force of its own. In modern English 'horror' leans toward revulsion or the horror-film genre. In 1611 it meant shuddering dread (Latin horror, 'bristling, shuddering', following the Vulgate's horror magnus).

How it drifted

KJV 'horror' has narrowed since the 1600s toward disgust and gruesome spectacle. The Hebrew is about being overwhelmed and paralysed, not repelled.

Used elsewhere in the period

The pairing 'terror … falls upon' appears in Exod 15:16 (tippol 'aleihem 'eimatah), with the same verb naphal. The Septuagint here has phobos, 'fear'. In ancient Near Eastern texts a god's overwhelming terrifying radiance (Akkadian puluḫtu, melammu) is what overwhelms enemies and worshippers. This is a related, though not identical, idea.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 15:12 אֵימָ֛ה dread

    As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.

    Here: Overpowering dread, the kind that freezes a person. Elsewhere it is the terror God sends on enemies (Exod 15:16; 23:27) or the terror of meeting God (Job 9:34; 13:21). Here it is the felt weight of God's presence and of what he is about to announce.

Exodus · 2

  1. Exodus 15:16 אֵימָ֙תָה֙ terror

    and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.

    Here: Terror, horror, the paralysing fright of facing something overwhelming, often fear that God sends. The extra -āh ending is an old poetic flourish, part of the antique sound of this song.

  2. Exodus 23:27 אֵֽימָתִי֙ terror my

    I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

    Here: "My terror": the paralysing dread that comes from God and falls on others. It is not fear God feels. It is fear he causes, almost a living force he sends out.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 32:25 אֵימָ֑ה terror

    Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 2:9 אֵֽימַתְכֶם֙ dread your

    and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.

    Here: 'The terror of you.' This means the dread that you cause, not dread that you feel. Eimah is a strong word, often used for terror that God sends ahead of his people (Exod 23:27).

Ezra · 1

  1. Ezra 3:3 בְּאֵימָ֣ה <in> terror

    They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.

Job · 6

  1. Job 9:34 וְ֝אֵמָת֗וֹ and dread his

    Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.

  2. Job 13:21 וְ֝אֵ֥מָתְךָ֗ and dread your

    Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.

  3. Job 20:25 אֵמִֽים׃ terrors

    It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.

  4. Job 33:7 אֵ֭מָתִי dread of me

    Surely no fear of me should terrify you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.

  5. Job 39:20 אֵימָֽה׃ [is] terror

    Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?

  6. Job 41:14 אֵימָֽה׃ terror

    Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth?

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 55:4 וְאֵימ֥וֹת and [the] terrors of

    My heart pounds within me, and the terrors of death assail me.

    Here: "And terrors". The plural suggests wave after wave of dread. The word is used for overwhelming, paralysing fear, often sent by God on armies or people (Exod 15:16; 23:27).

  2. Psalm 88:15 אֵמֶ֣יךָ terrors your

    From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

    Here: Plural: "your dreads, your horrors." The terrors belong to God ("your"). He sends them, and the speaker does not trace them to demons or chance. The word is spelled unusually here, without one letter.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 20:2 אֵ֣ימַת [the] terror of

    The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

    Here: The dread a powerful being causes. Here it is the frightening force of the king himself, his menacing anger, not a respectful attitude his subjects have. The form links it to the next word: 'the terror of…'.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 33:18 אֵימָ֑ה terror

    Your mind will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?”

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 50:38 וּבָאֵימִ֖ים and in <the> terrors

    A drought is upon her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the people go mad over idols.

    Here: Literally "and over/in the terrors". This is a mocking name for the idols: they are dreadful things, frightening and also monstrous. Some take it as the terror that will drive the people mad. See debates.

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