Fifteen verses where the psalms name a fear and answer it, grouped by what the writer was afraid of.
The psalms rarely tell anyone not to be afraid. Much more often the writer says it about himself: I will not be afraid. And almost every time, the fear has a name. It is an army, a crowd of enemies, slander, bad news, the ground giving way, or death. The verses below are grouped by that named fear, so you can find the one closest to yours. Several have headings that describe the danger the writer was in.
Start with the section that matches what you are afraid of. The last section covers the other fear in the psalms, the fear of the LORD, which is a different thing. Tick the verses that help and print them as one sheet. If fear is affecting your health, please also speak to a doctor. This page is scripture, not treatment.
The do not fear verses people look for. In the psalms these are almost always said in the first person, as a decision, rather than given as an order.
In God, I praise his word.In God, I put my trust.I will not be afraid.What can flesh do to me?
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
It follows straight on from verse 3, when I am afraid. The fear is admitted first, then answered with a question: what can flesh do to me. A near copy of the line comes back in verse 11.
Though an army should encamp against me,my heart shall not fear.Though war should rise against me,even then I will be confident.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
The writer imagines the worst case, an army camped against him and a war rising, and still says my heart shall not fear.
Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes,though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Here the fear is of the world itself coming apart, with mountains shaken into the sea. The psalm says we, so a whole group is speaking, not one person.
Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich,when the glory of his house is increased;
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
One of the few places where a psalm tells the reader directly: don't be afraid. The fear is of someone else growing rich, and the next verse gives the reason: he will carry nothing away when he dies.
Enemies, crowds, gossip and plots. Much of the fear in the psalms is fear of other people, and they name it plainly.
I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of peoplewho have set themselves against me on every side.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Tens of thousands on every side. The heading attributes the psalm to David when he fled from his son Absalom, and the verse before says he lay down and slept.
Hear my voice, God, in my complaint.Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
The prayer is to be kept from fear of the enemy, not only from the enemy. The weapons in this psalm are words: tongues sharpened like swords and deadly words aimed like arrows.
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side,while they conspire together against me,they plot to take away my life.
For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
Slander, plotting and terror on every side. The next verse answers it in six words: but I trust in you, LORD.
For bad news, sudden trouble, or the sense that everything solid is giving way.
He will not be afraid of evil news.His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
He will not be afraid of evil news. The reason is in the same line: his heart is steadfast. The psalm does not say bad news will never come.
Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,for my soul takes refuge in you.Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge,until disaster has passed.
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
The shelter is the shadow of God's wings, and it is meant to last until disaster has passed, so the psalm expects the danger to end. The heading places David in a cave, fleeing from Saul.
In the LORD, I take refuge.How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
Someone gives the obvious advice: flee as a bird to your mountain. The psalm refuses it, because it has already taken refuge in the LORD.
The fear under many other fears. These verses name death and darkness directly rather than talking around them.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for you are with me.Your rod and your staff,they comfort me.
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.
I will fear no evil, even in the valley of the shadow of death. The reason given is company, not escape: for you are with me.
My heart is severely pained within me.The terrors of death have fallen on me.
My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Not every psalm claims to be unafraid. This one says the terrors of death have fallen on me, and the next verse adds trembling and horror. It tells the truth about fear.
even the darkness doesn’t hide from you,but the night shines as the day.The darkness is like light to you.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For fear of the dark. The psalm says darkness hides nothing from God, and the night shines as the day.
The psalms also use fear to mean reverence toward God. It is a different thing from being frightened, and the psalms often set the two side by side.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.All those who do his work have a good understanding.His praise endures forever!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Here fear means taking God seriously, and the verse links it to understanding, not to panic.
The LORD’s angel encamps around those who fear him,and delivers them.
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
In Psalm 34 the two fears meet. Verse 4 says the writer was delivered from all my fears, and this verse says the LORD's angel encamps around those who fear him.
Not in so many words. In the King James Version the phrase fear not appears only twice in the Psalms, at 55:19 and 64:4, and both times it describes wicked people who are not afraid. What the psalms have instead is the first person: I will not be afraid, in 3:6, 56:4, 56:11 and 118:6, and my heart shall not fear in 27:3. The nearest thing to a direct command is 49:16, don't be afraid, and 91:5, you shall not be afraid of the terror by night.
Fear in the psalms usually has an object: an army, a plot, a report, death. Where a writer describes the restlessness itself, as in Psalm 55:2, I am restless in my complaint, it reads closer to anxiety. The psalms for anxiety page groups the verses for racing thoughts, sleeplessness and worry that does not lift.
Psalm 56 is the most direct. Verse 3 says when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you, and verse 4 answers the fear with a question: what can flesh do to me. Psalm 27 is the longer choice.
Psalm 23:4. In the King James Version it reads: yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.
Psalm 34:4 says I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. It is written as something that already happened.
Psalm 118:6: the LORD is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me. Hebrews 13:6 in the New Testament quotes it, and Psalm 56:11 asks the same question.
It means reverence rather than fright. Psalm 111:10 calls it the beginning of wisdom, and Psalm 34 places it beside being delivered from fear.
Psalms for Anxiety, Worry and StressPsalm Verses for ProtectionPsalms for Strength and CouragePsalms for Peace of Mind and ComfortPsalms for Sleep and Night PrayerPsalms About Strength