What Does Deuteronomy 7:21 Mean in the King James?

Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.

Deuteronomy 7:21 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The verse does not erase the threat; it reveals that the LORD is already in the midst of those facing it.

THE MEANING

The danger before you can feel immediate, yet the LORD your God is already in your midst, great and awe-inspiring. The verse holds threat and divine nearness in the same scene, so fear does not define all that is present.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

The threat before you is not the only presence with power in your life.

THE ROOT

נוֹרָא

noraʾ

GROWS FROM

ירא

y-r-ʾ

To fear, revere, or stand in awe.

English “terrible” can sound only threatening, but ⁨נוֹרָא⁩ (noraʾ) belongs to ⁨ירא⁩ (y-r-ʾ), a word family that holds both fear and awe. The verse places dread of human opponents beside awe of the LORD, so fear is real, but it is not the whole picture.

ALSO GROWS

yareʾ: To fear or be in awe.

יָרֵא

This verb names the fear-and-awe field behind the description of the LORD as noraʾ.

yirʾah: Fear, reverence, or awe.

יִרְאָה

Fear and awe share a Hebrew word family, bringing the verse’s contrasting responses into focus.

בְּקִרְבְּךָ

bəqirbəḵā

GROWS FROM

קרב

q-r-b

To approach or come near.

The word translated “among” comes from the ⁨קרב⁩ (q-r-b) family of nearness and approach. Its branch ⁨קֶרֶב⁩ (qerev) can mean the midst or inner part, so the verse’s assurance is a presence in the people’s midst, not a distant presence watching from elsewhere.

ALSO GROWS

qerev: The midst or inner part.

קֶרֶב

This is the word-family’s sense of being in the middle of something, reflected in the LORD being among the people.

qarov: Near.

קָרוֹב

This branch makes the nearness in “among you” audible beneath the English wording.

qorbān: Drawing near.

קָרְבָּן

The same root can describe an approach toward nearness, linking the LORD’s presence with the wider language of coming near.

THE PATTERN

The presence of God meets fear without pretending that danger is absent.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 · KJVThe threat of the valley remains in view, while the speaker’s fear is met by the presence of “thou art with me.”

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:10 · KJVFear and dismay are answered by the declaration “I am with thee” and the support that follows.

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Hebrews 13:6 · KJVThe threat of what people may do is held beside the Lord as helper.

THE THREAD

And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Exodus 34:9 · KJV

The same q-r-b word-family behind “among” appears in the plea for the LORD to go among the people. There, nearness is spoken alongside stubbornness and the need for pardon, deepening the assurance that divine presence meets people amid both danger and their own brokenness.

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