If you have ever been told to calm down by someone who did not understand, you know it rarely works. When God says fear not, He says it differently. He rarely stops at the command. He usually gives a reason, and very often the reason is Himself.
The exact two words fear not appear in 62 verses of the King James Version, and that is before you count other ways of saying it, like be not afraid. Many of them are spoken to real people at a frightening moment: a battle, a birth, a move to a strange country, an angel standing in the room.
This page walks through who heard those words and why. If you came looking for Bible verses on do not fear for yourself or for someone you love, you will find plenty to hold. You will also see that God has been saying this to scared people for a very long time.
Who God told to fear not
Here are some of the people who heard it, what had them frightened, and the reason they were given. Most heard it from God or an angel He sent; two heard it from a prophet speaking for Him. Read across each row and you will see the pattern.
| Who heard it | What scared them | The reason given | Verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abram | He had just fought four kings to rescue Lot | God Himself would be his shield | Genesis 15:1 |
| Hagar | Her son was dying of thirst in the desert | God had heard the boy's voice | Genesis 21:17 |
| Isaac | Neighbors fighting him over wells | God was with him and would bless him | Genesis 26:24 |
| Jacob | Moving his whole family to Egypt in old age | God would make a great nation of him there | Genesis 46:3 |
| Israel at the Red Sea (through Moses) | Pharaoh's army behind, water in front | They would see the Lord save them | Exodus 14:13 |
| Joshua | A second attack on Ai after a defeat | God had already given the city into his hand | Joshua 8:1 |
| Gideon | He realized his visitor was a messenger from heaven | He would not die | Judges 6:23 |
| Elisha's servant (through Elisha) | An enemy army surrounding the city | More were with them than against them | 2 Kings 6:16 |
| Daniel (through a heavenly messenger) | A vision that left him with no strength | His prayer had been heard from the first day | Daniel 10:12 |
| Mary | An angel's greeting she did not understand | She had found favor with God | Luke 1:30 |
| The shepherds | The glory of the Lord shining around them | Good news of great joy for all people | Luke 2:10 |
| The women at the tomb | An angel and an empty grave | Jesus was not there; He had risen | Matthew 28:5 to 6 |
| John on Patmos | He had fallen at the feet of the risen Christ | Christ is the first and the last | Revelation 1:17 |
Fear not, for: the shape of the promise
Look at the reasons in that table again. Almost none of them say the danger is not real. They say who is present in it.
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Isaiah 43:1 (KJV)
God spoke these words through Isaiah to a people who would be carried off to Babylon. He did not tell them exile was a small thing. He told them they belonged to Him. Calling someone by name is personal. God was not speaking to a crowd He could not tell apart; He knew them one by one. The answer to fear in the Bible is rarely an explanation. It is a relationship.
Three people who heard it at their lowest
Hagar, alone in the desert
Sent away with some bread and a bottle of water, Hagar wandered the wilderness of Beersheba until the water ran out. She laid her son in the shade of a bush and sat down a bowshot away, unable to bear the sight of his last hours. Then the angel of God called to her by name. God had heard the boy. He showed her a well, and the two of them lived.
Jacob, packing for Egypt
Jacob was an old man when he learned his son Joseph was alive and ruling in Egypt. Going meant leaving the land God had promised his family. On the way, at Beersheba, God spoke to him in the night and told him not to fear the move, and promised to go down with him and bring his family back up again.
Shepherds on the night shift
They were doing an ordinary job outside Bethlehem when the sky lit up. Luke says they were sore afraid, which means terrified. The first words they heard about the birth of Jesus were fear not. Then came the news: a Savior had been born that day, and the sign was a baby wrapped up and lying in a feed trough.
When Jesus said do not be afraid
Jesus said it too, often to His closest friends. When they saw Him walking on the water in the dark and thought He was a ghost, He called out, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
When a synagogue leader named Jairus heard that his little daughter had died, Jesus turned to him before he could fall apart and said, Be not afraid, only believe. Then He went to the house and raised her up.
And right after telling His followers not to worry about food and clothes, He gave them this:
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32 (KJV)
Two kinds of fear
The fear God tells you to drop
This is the cold dread that says you are on your own and something is about to undo you. It shrinks your world and makes every choice about staying safe. Paul told Timothy that God did not give us that spirit. He gave a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The fear that makes you brave
The fear of the Lord is different. It is the deep respect of knowing how great and holy God is. Strangely, it is the cure for the first kind. If God is the One you fear most, and He is for you, then I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Taking fear not into your own day
Most of the people in the table were told fear not right before they had to do something. Hagar had to get up and lift the boy. Joshua had to march back to Ai. Mary had to say yes. The words did not take away the task. They gave courage for it.
So when you read one of these verses, ask what step is in front of you. It may be a phone call, a doctor's appointment, a talk with your teenager or a first day at a new job. Say the verse, then take the step.
If fear has become constant and is wearing down your body or your sleep, talk with your doctor or a counselor. Fear that will not let go is not a sign that you are a poor Christian. It is a weight that God often lifts through people He puts beside you.
A prayer when you are afraid
God, I am afraid of this: (say it plainly). You told Hagar You heard her son. You told Jacob You would go with him. You told the shepherds the news was good. Say fear not to me today, and help me take the next step while You hold my hand.
Read them one at a time
Book One covers Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus, where God first says fear not to Abram, to Hagar in the desert, to Isaac and to Jacob on his way to Egypt. Every promise has a page with the King James verse, who it was spoken to, any condition and a prayer.