Loving and Fearing God

[DanaC]

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

Perhaps "respect" and "devotion"?

[it]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

well in the hebrew bible the word isn't "fear" its "yare", which sort of means "to awe"... so you'd be right.

but i am not sure if this kind of semantical differences are releavent for people who grow up on the english spoken version of their religion. if all your childhood you hear "to fear god" and you know that word 'fear' by how it is used today, wouldn't the way you think about it (and thus what you believe) be built around that?