Verb phobeō (to fear, to be afraid) in the New Testament

(Translation from NRSV with a few modifications for a more literal meaning)


Legend:
Green color: phobeō = to feel intimidated to the point of not acting
Blue color: phobeō = to experience an upheaval or a fright in the face of an unusual event
Pink color: phobeō = to respect someone whose word is welcomed
Red color: phobeō = to be afraid in the face of a (deadly) threat
Turquoise color: phobeō = to be worried about an undesired situation

Matthew

1: 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid (phobeō) to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
2: 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid (phobeō) to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
9: 8When the crowds saw it, they were afraid (phobeō), and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
10: 26"So have no fear (phobeō) of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.
10: 28Do not fear (phobeō) those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear (phobeō) him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
10: 31So do not be afraid (phobeō); you are of more value than many sparrows.
14: 5Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared (phobeō) the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.
14: 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid (phobeō)."
14: 30But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid (phobeō), and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
17: 6When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear (phobeō).
17: 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid (phobeō)."
21: 26But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid (phobeō) of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet."
21: 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared (phobeō) the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
25: 25so I was afraid (phobeō), and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
27: 54Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were afraid (phobeō) and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"
28: 5But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid (phobeō); I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
28: 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid (phobeō); go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Mark

4: 41And they were afraid (phobeō) with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
5: 15They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid (phobeō).
5: 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear (phobeō) and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.
5: 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear (phobeō), only believe."
6: 20for Herod feared (phobeō) John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.
6: 50for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid (phobeō)."
9: 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid (phobeō) to ask him.
10: 32They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid (phobeō). He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him,
11: 18And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid (phobeō) of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.
11: 32But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?" - they were afraid (phobeō) of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.
12: 12When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared (phobeō) the crowd. So they left him and went away.
16: 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid (phobeō).

Luke

1: 13But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid (phobeō), Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
1: 30The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid (phobeō), Mary, for you have found favor with God.
1: 50His mercy is for those who fear (phobeō) him from generation to generation.
2: 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were afraid (phobeō).
2: 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid (phobeō); for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
5: 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid (phobeō); from now on you will be catching people."
8: 25He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid (phobeō) and amazed, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"
8: 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid (phobeō).
8: 50When Jesus heard this, he replied, "Do not fear (phobeō). Only believe, and she will be saved."
9: 34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid (phobeō) as they entered the cloud.
9: 45But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid (phobeō) to ask him about this saying.
12: 4"I tell you, my friends, do not fear (phobeō) those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.
12: 5But I will warn you whom to fear (phobeō): fear (phobeō) him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear (phobeō) him!
12: 7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid (phobeō); you are of more value than many sparrows.
12: 32"Do not be afraid (phobeō), little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
18: 2He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared (phobeō) God nor had respect for people.
18: 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear (phobeō) of God and no respect for anyone,
19: 21for I was afraid (phobeō) of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'
20: 19When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared (phobeō) the people.
22: 2The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid (phobeō) of the people.
23: 40But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear (phobeō) God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

John

6: 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid (phobeō).
6: 20But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid (phobeō)."
9: 22His parents said this because they were afraid (phobeō) of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
12: 15"Do not be afraid (phobeō), daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
19: 8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid (phobeō) than ever.

Acts

5: 26Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid (phobeō) of being stoned by the people.
9: 26When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid (phobeō) of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
10: 2He was a devout man who feared (phobeō) God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.
10: 22They answered, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing (phobeō) man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say."
10: 35but in every nation anyone who fears (phobeō) him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
13: 16So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: "You Israelites, and others who fear (phobeō) God, listen.
13: 26"My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, and others who fear (phobeō) God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.
16: 38The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid (phobeō) when they heard that they were Roman citizens;
18: 9One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "Do not be afraid (phobeō), but speak and do not be silent;
22: 29Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid (phobeō), for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
23: 10When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing (phobeō) that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.
27: 17After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing (phobeō) that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and so were driven.
27: 24and he said, 'Do not be afraid (phobeō), Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.'
27: 29Fearing (phobeō) that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

1 John

4: 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears (phobeō) has not reached perfection in love.

2 Corinthians

11: 3But I am afraid (phobeō) that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
12: 20For I fear (phobeō) that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Galatians

2: 12for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear (phobeō) of the circumcision faction.
4: 11I am afraid (phobeō) that my work for you may have been wasted.

Romans

11: 20That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but be afraid (phobeō).
13: 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear (phobeō) of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval;
13: 4for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid (phobeō), for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.

Colossians

3: 22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing (phobeō) the Lord.

Ephesians

5: 33Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should fear (phobeō) her husband.

Hebrews

4: 1Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us fear (phobeō) that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
11: 23By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid (phobeō) of the king's edict.
11: 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing (phobeō) the king's anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.
13: 6So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid (phobeō). What can anyone do to me?"

1 Peter

2: 17Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear (phobeō) God. Honor the emperor.
3: 6Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and not fearing (phobeō) any consternation.
3: 14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear (phobeō) their fear, and do not be intimidated,

Revelation

1: 17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid (phobeō); I am the first and the last,
2: 10Do not fear (phobeō) what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11: 18The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear (phobeō) your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
14: 7He said in a loud voice, "Fear (phobeō) God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."
15: 4Lord, who will not fear (phobeō) and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed."
19: 5And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear (phobeō) him, small and great."