Yesaya 41:13-14

41:13 For I am the Lord your God,

the one who takes hold of your right hand,

who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’

41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, ¹ 

men of ²  Israel.

I am helping you,” says the Lord,

your protector, ³  the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

Yesaya 12:2

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ⁵ 

I will trust in him ⁶  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ⁷ 

he has become my deliverer.” ⁸ 

Yesaya 43:1

The Lord Will Rescue His People

43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,

the one who created you, O Jacob,

and formed you, O Israel:

“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect ⁹  you.

I call you by name, you are mine.

Yesaya 43:5

43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

From the east I will bring your descendants;

from the west I will gather you.

Yesaya 44:2

44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –

the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:

“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,

Jeshurun, ¹⁰  whom I have chosen!

Yesaya 51:12-13

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ¹¹ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ¹² 

51:13 Why do you forget ¹³  the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky ¹⁴ 

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long ¹⁵ 

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor? ¹⁶ 

Kejadian 15:1

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹⁷  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ¹⁸ 

Ulangan 20:1

Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies

20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry ¹⁹  and troops ²⁰  who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.

Ulangan 31:6-8

31:6 Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” 31:7 Then Moses called out to Joshua ²¹  in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the Lord promised to give their ancestors, ²²  and you will enable them to inherit it. 31:8 The Lord is indeed going before you – he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

Yosua 1:9

1:9 I repeat, ²³  be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, ²⁴  for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” ²⁵ 

Yosua 1:2

1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! ²⁶  Cross the Jordan River! ²⁷  Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. ²⁸ 

Yosua 20:1

Israel Designates Cities of Refuge

20:1 The Lord instructed Joshua:

Yosua 1:8

1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! ²⁹  You must memorize it ³⁰  day and night so you can carefully obey ³¹  all that is written in it. Then you will prosper ³²  and be successful. ³³ 

Mazmur 27:1

Psalm 27 ³⁴ 

By David.

27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! ³⁵ 

I fear no one! ³⁶ 

The Lord protects my life!

I am afraid of no one! ³⁷ 

Mazmur 46:1-2

Psalm 46 ³⁸ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ³⁹  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ⁴⁰ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ⁴¹ 

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ⁴²  when the earth shakes, ⁴³ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 46:7

46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ⁴⁵ 

The God of Jacob ⁴⁶  is our protector! ⁴⁷  (Selah)

Mazmur 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ⁴⁸ 

The God of Jacob ⁴⁹  is our protector! ⁵⁰  (Selah)

Lukas 1:13

1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, ⁵¹  and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you ⁵²  will name him John. ⁵³ 

Lukas 1:30

1:30 So ⁵⁴  the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, ⁵⁵  Mary, for you have found favor ⁵⁶  with God!

Lukas 2:10-11

2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ⁵⁷  for I proclaim to you good news ⁵⁸  that brings great joy to all the people: 2:11 Today ⁵⁹  your Savior is born in the city ⁶⁰  of David. ⁶¹  He is Christ ⁶²  the Lord.

Roma 8:31

8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

[41:14]  ¹ tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.

[41:14]  ² tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”

[41:14]  ³ tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.

[41:14]  ⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:2]  ⁵ tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[12:2]  ⁶ tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:2]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.

[12:2]  ⁸ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”

[43:1]  ⁹ tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”

[44:2]  ¹⁰ sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.

[51:12]  ¹¹ tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.

[51:12]  ¹² tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.

[51:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “and that you forget.”

[51:13]  ¹⁴ tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[51:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”

[51:13]  ¹⁶ tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.

[15:1]  ¹⁷ sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.

[15:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).

[15:1]  sn Abram has just rejected all the spoils of war, and the Lord promises to reward him in great abundance. In walking by faith and living with integrity he cannot lose.

[20:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “horse and chariot.”

[20:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “people.”

[31:7]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:7]  ²² tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).

[1:9]  ²³ tn Heb “Have I not commanded you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes the importance of the following command by reminding the listener that it is being repeated.

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn Or perhaps, “don’t get discouraged!”

[1:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in all which you go.”

[1:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Get up!”

[1:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “this Jordan”; the word “River” has been supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in v. 11).

[1:2]  ²⁸ tc Heb “Cross over this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel.” The final phrase, “to the children of Israel,” is probably a later scribal addition specifying the identity of “these people/them.”

[1:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[1:8]  sn This law scroll must not leave your lips. The ancient practice of reading aloud to oneself as an aid to memorization is in view here.

[1:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

[1:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “be careful to do.”

[1:8]  ³² tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

[1:8]  ³³ tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[27:1]  ³⁴ sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

[27:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

[27:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[27:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[46:1]  ³⁸ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ³⁹ sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[46:2]  ⁴² tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ⁴³ tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[46:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:7]  ⁴⁶ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[46:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[1:13]  ⁵¹ tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.

[1:13]  sn Your prayer has been heard. Zechariah’s prayer while offering the sacrifice would have been for the nation, but the answer to the prayer also gave them a long hoped-for child, a hope they had abandoned because of their old age.

[1:13]  ⁵² tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:13]  ⁵³ tn Grk “you will call his name John.” The future tense here functions like a command (see ExSyn 569-70). This same construction occurs in v. 31.

[1:13]  sn “Do not be afraid…you must call his name John.” This is a standard birth announcement (see Gen 16:11; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31).

[1:30]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Gabriel’s statement is a response to Mary’s perplexity over the greeting.

[1:30]  ⁵⁵ sn Do not be afraid. See 1:13 for a similar statement to Zechariah.

[1:30]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “grace.”

[1:30]  sn The expression found favor is a Semitism, common in the OT (Gen 6:8; 18:3; 43:14; 2 Sam 15:25). God has chosen to act on this person’s behalf.

[2:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”

[2:11]  ⁵⁹ sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).

[2:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ⁶¹ tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ⁶² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:11]  sn The term χριστός (cristos) was originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive (“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there (technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name.