dread
pa.chad denotes fear or terror, whether imposed on others, anticipated as disaster, or felt before God.
The noun most often names fear as a threatening experience—something that comes upon a person, is anticipated, avoided, or met without retreat. It also describes dread that falls on peoples because of a person or group, and fear connected with the LORD or God that leads people to hide, tremble, or act with care.
Senses in use
-
Threatening fear or anticipated calamity · dominant
In Job 3:25, the noun names what Job says had come upon him; in Proverbs 1:26 the APB renders the clause "when your dread arrives," and Proverbs 1:27 places it alongside desolation, distress, and anguish. Isaiah 24:18 and Jeremiah 48:44 portray someone fleeing from the sound of terror before falling into a pit, while Song of Songs 3:8 links the fear of the night with armed readiness.
-
Dread falling on opponents or peoples · common
The construct noun is repeatedly attached to a person or people whose dread falls upon others. In Deuteronomy 2:25, the peoples hear Israel's report and tremble; in Esther 9:2, dread of the Jews prevents anyone from standing before them; and in 1 Chronicles 14:17, dread of David is placed upon all nations.
-
Fear in relation to God or the LORD · common
The construct noun can identify dread associated with the LORD or God. In Isaiah 2:10 the APB renders people hiding "from before the dread of the LORD," and Job 13:11 asks whether God's majesty and dread will fall upon the hearers; Psalm 119:120 connects this dread with bodily trembling and God's justice.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses the APB commonly uses "dread" and "terror," and at times uses "fear" or "terrors." Because it is a whole-verse translation, these renderings confirm the clauses' fearful setting without establishing a separate meaning for each English variation.