What Does Psalm 91:5 Mean in the King James?
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
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 names both danger and terror, yet separates them from the fear they might command in you.
THE MEANING
Night brings what you cannot see; day brings an arrow you can see coming. The verse speaks to you in both conditions, naming the danger while declaring that fear need not rule your response.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that real danger must have the final word inside you.
THE ROOT
תִּירָא
tîrāʾ
GROWS FROM
י־ר־א
y-r-ʾ
To fear, revere, or stand in awe.
English can make “afraid” and “terror” sound like points on one scale, but Hebrew uses separate roots: ירא (y-r-ʾ, fear or awe) names the response, while פחד (p-ḥ-d, dread) names the terror. The fear-word also carries awe, so its force depends on what you encounter.
ALSO GROWS
yirʾah: Fear, awe, or reverence.
יִרְאָה
This noun shares the root of “afraid” and shows that the same word family can describe fear or reverence, depending on its object.
noraʾ: Awe-inspiring or fearsome.
נוֹרָא
This form describes what evokes awe, including the LORD; the root holds more than a frightened reaction.
מִפַּחַד
mippaḥad
GROWS FROM
פ־ח־ד
p-ḥ-d
To dread or tremble with fear.
The word for terror comes from a root that can describe both dread and what is revered. Genesis uses פַּחַד יִצְחָק (paḥad Yitsḥaq, “the Fear of Isaac”) as a title for God; here, the same root names the terror confronting you at night.
ALSO GROWS
pāḥad: To dread or be terrified.
פָּחַד
The verb shares the root of the night terror, showing the fear response and the terror named in the verse belong to related but distinct words.
paḥad Yitsḥaq: “The Fear of Isaac,” a title for God in Genesis 31:42.
פַּחַד יִצְחָק
The same root used for terror here can name the one Isaac reveres, revealing a range from dread to awe.
THE PATTERN
A threat can be named clearly without being granted the final word over the heart.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.THE THREAD
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.Both verses use ירא (y-r-ʾ, fear or awe) for being afraid. Psalm 112 makes the inner steadiness explicit: the heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
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