Genesis to Revelation · Subject · Courage
Fear Not: How Often Scripture Says It
In the Berean Standard Bible 121 verses command a hearer not to fear or to take courage, 89 in the Old Testament and 32 in the New.
A popular saying holds that the Bible says “fear not” 365 times, once for every day of the year.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
- Books
- Genesis, Luke, Matthew
- Hold in memory
- Matthew 10:28
Summary
The command not to fear runs through the whole Bible, from God's word to Abram to the risen Christ's word to John. It is given before battles and hard tasks, to exiles, to the persecuted and at the edge of death. Its reasons are found in God, who is present, who will act, or who has spoken. The command is frequent, and its weight rests on the one who gives it.
- The words “fear not” belong to the King James Version, where they stand in 62 verses.
- No count of these forms in either translation reaches 365.
- God, angels, Jesus, prophets and leaders all give the command, and a few people misuse its words.
- Jael and Absalom used the same words for their own ends (Judges 4:18; 2 Samuel 13:28).
A Command Given in Every Age
The command not to fear is given to patriarchs, to armies, to exiles, to shepherds and to apostles.
Fear Not: How Often Scripture Says It counts the command not to be afraid in the Berean Standard Bible and sorts the places where it is given. The command belongs to the value of courage, because Scripture's call to courage is most often spoken as a word against fear.
The question the page answers is how often the Bible gives the command, who gives it, and on what ground. It gives the count with the method behind it, the count by book, the speakers and their reasons, and the readings of the church on whether fear itself is sin.
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”God tells Abram not to be afraid and gives Himself as the reason, the pattern many later commands follow.
The Count, Form by Form
Every Berean verse was read for six English wordings of the command.
“Do not be afraid” is the commonest form of the command in the Berean text.
| Wording | Old Testament | New Testament | Verses |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Do not be afraid” | 68 | 24 | 92 |
| “Do not fear” | 17 | 2 | 19 |
| “Be strong and courageous” | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| “Take courage” | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| “Do not be dismayed” | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| “Fear not” | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The six forms stand in 125 verses, 140 times in all, and a verse with two wordings stands in both rows. Four of those verses use “do not fear” as a statement and give no command, so 121 verses carry the command.
The four statements left out1 table
Each of the four verses says that people do not fear God, and none commands a hearer.
| Speaker | The Berean words |
|---|---|
| Moses to Pharaoh | you still do not fear the LORD our God |
| The Teacher | because the wicked do not fear God |
| The LORD to His people | Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me? |
| The LORD of Hosts | and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me |
Other wordings, such as “have no fear” in three verses and “do not be terrified” in two, would raise the count a little.
The Claim of 365
The saying is answered by counting.
Neither the Berean text nor the King James Version comes near 365 verses on these forms.
| What is counted | Text | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| The number in the popular saying | No text named | 365 |
| Commands not to fear or to take courage | Berean Standard Bible | 121 |
| “Fear not”, “fear ye not”, “be not afraid” or “be not dismayed” | King James Version | 99 |
| “Fear not” alone | King James Version | 62 |
A count of 121 verses shows the command to be frequent with no larger number needed.
Where the Command Stands
The command stands in 32 books of the Bible.
Isaiah carries the command most often, then Deuteronomy and Matthew, then Genesis, Joshua, Jeremiah and Luke.
The twelve books with the most commands1 figure
Isaiah heads the twelve books that carry the command most often.
The twelve counts as a table
| Book | Verses |
|---|---|
| Isaiah | 14 |
| Deuteronomy | 10 |
| Matthew | 10 |
| Genesis | 8 |
| Joshua | 8 |
| Jeremiah | 8 |
| Luke | 8 |
| 1 Samuel | 6 |
| John | 4 |
| Acts | 4 |
| 2 Kings | 4 |
| Mark | 3 |
Bars from zero for the twelve books with the most verses carrying the command, of the 32 books in which it stands.
Who Gives the Command
Eight verses show the range of people who give the command.
The speakers of the command range from God Himself to Jael at her tent door.
| Speaker and hearer | The Berean words |
|---|---|
| Moses to Israel at the sea | Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD's salvation |
| The LORD to Jacob in exile | Do not fear, for I have redeemed you |
| The LORD to the young Jeremiah | Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you |
| Jesus to Jairus | Do not be afraid; just believe. |
| The risen Christ to John | Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last |
| Peter to suffering believers | Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken. |
| Jael to Sisera | Come in with me. Do not be afraid. |
| Absalom to his young men | Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? |
Jael to Sisera, Absalom to his young men
Jael spoke the words to the enemy commander she was about to kill, and Absalom spoke them to the men he sent to murder his brother. The words carry the weight of the one who speaks them.
The Reasons Given
The verses of the command set a reason beside it in God Himself.
Three reasons recur, God's presence with the hearer, God's act on the hearer's behalf, and good news from God.
On the night before the cross Jesus gave His own peace as the reason not to be afraid.
Is Fear Itself a Sin?
Readers of Scripture have answered in three ways.
Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologiae (II-II question 125), held that fear is sinful only when it is disordered, shunning what reason says should be endured.
Charles Spurgeon, in The Treasury of David (1872), read the psalm's “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You” (Psalm 56:3) as fear and faith in one mind at one moment.
Tertullian, in his Scorpiace (third century), read 1 John 4:18 as speaking of the fear that leads a believer to deny Christ.
The Fear That Is Commanded
The verse that forbids one fear commands another.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.Jesus sets the fear of people against the fear of God, so the command not to fear is never a ban on every fear.
The fear of God that Jesus commands is the subject of its own study.
Sources
Scripture is the Berean Standard Bible.
- A count of the command over the Berean Standard Bible and the King James Version.
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, tr. Fathers of the English Dominican Province (1920)
- Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (1872)
- Tertullian (died about 220), Scorpiace.
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