B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

ירא פחד I get the feeling that the second word translated as 'fear' has a somewhat stronger connotation to it than the first word. A similar feeling one might infer if I were to say: I am afraid of him" and then "I am in fear of him". Would perhaps ירא carry a duration of time to it and פחד preferred for immediate danger? Or am I really being pedantic? Just want to clear this niggly thing up please.
Thankyou
Chris

Chris,

It seems as though yirah is the more generic word, while pachad is more specific. Notice in Deut 2:25, אָחֵל֙ תֵּ֤ת פַּחְדְּךָ֙ וְיִרְאָ֣תְךָ֔ עַל־, "to put the dread and fear." Also, in Jonah the sailors are petrified:וַיִּֽירְא֤וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ יִרְאָ֣ה גְדֹולָ֔ה. Here the generic yirah has to be qualified "great fear" where pachad would not need to be qualified.

Jonathan Mohler

Thanks Jonathan that adds a little extra perspective to bare in mind.
Kind regards

Chris:

In my dictionary, of which you have a copy, I asked the same question. In it I have a list of synonyms for “fear” as follows:

‎ירא to fear as in to be afraid, scared of something → ירא, יראה fear referring to being afraid, מורא fear referring to a subject causing fear, נורא fearful, frightful, fear inspiring σ אים to cause unease So 6:4, 10, בהל move quickly Pr 28:22, 2C 26:20 ⇒ to alarm as in to frighten (⇐ those who are frightened move quickly) Dn 11:44, 2C 32:18 Ni be alarmed, frightened Gn 45:3, Ez 26:18, בעת to terrify 1S 16:14–5, Es 7:6, Dn 8:17, גור to be intimidated, דאב to despair, דאג to be anxious 1S 9:5, 10:2, Is 57:11, Jr 17:8, Ps 38:19 (18), זוע to be in a cold sweat, חפז to hurry as if caused by fear Dt 20:3, 1S 23:26, Ps 46:6, חתת to be paralyzed from fear יגר to fear as in seeing something unpleasant and fearing that it will come, ערץ to (be) dismay(ed) Dt 1:29, 20:3, Is 2:19, 21, Ps 89:8, פון despair ?? Ps 88:16 αλ, פחד to dread, רהה to fear, used only in connection with dread in context that this was announced before, therefore don’t dread and don’t __, possible misspelling for ירא ?? Is 44:8 αλ

I just edited my copy on my computer, for I just looked up the DSS and found that רהה doesn’t exist, rather the word is ירא.

Hope this helps. Karl W. Randolph.