Reverence

Reverence rev'-er-ens: In the Old Testament, "reverence" occurs as the translation of two Hebrew words, yare' and shachah. The root idea of the former is "fear." It is used to express the attitude toward God Himself, as in Ps 89:7 the King James Version; or toward His sanctuary, as in Lev 19:30, Lev 26:2. So the group of ideas there would be "fear," "awe," "reverence." The root idea of the second is "falling down," as prostration of the body. It is used to express the bearing toward another who is considered superior, as in 2Sa 9:6 the King James Version; 1Ki 1:31 the King James Version; Est 3:2, Est 3:5. The group of ideas here, therefore, is "honor," "obeisance," "reverence."

In the New Testament "reverence" occurs as the translation of three Greek words, aidos, phobeomai, and entrepomai. In the first, the idea is "modesty" (Heb 12:28; compare 1Ti 2:9). In the second, "fear" (Eph 5:33 the King James Version), though here it is used to set forth the attitude of proper subjection on the part of a wife toward her husband (compare 1Pe 3:2, 1Pe 3:5). In the third, the idea is that of the "self-valuation of inferiority," and so sets forth an attitude toward another of doing him honor (Mat 21:37, Mar 12:6, Luk 20:13, Heb 12:9).

In the Apocrypha entrepomai occurs in the Wisdom of Solomon 2:10; Wisdom of Sirach 4:22. In addition, proskuneo, "make obeisance," occurs in Judith 10:23, 14:7; thaumazo, "wonder," Wisdom of Sirach 7:29, and aischunomai, "be ashamed," Baruch 4:15.

"Reverend" occurs in the Old Testament in Ps 111:9, of the name of God (yare'), and in the Apocrypha in 2Macc 15:12, "a man reverend (aidemon, "modest") in bearing," and in the New Testament the Revised Version (British and American) has "reverent in demeanor" (hieroprepes) in Tit 2:3 and "reverend" in Php 4:8 margin (semnos).

E. J. Forrester