Does the Bible Really Say "Fear Not" 365 Times? We Counted

It's on posters, on mugs and on the last slide of a hundred talks: the Bible says "do not be afraid" 365 times, one for every day of the year. It's a lovely thought, and the instinct behind it is right. But it isn't true in any English Bible anyone has counted, and not in the Hebrew or the Greek either. On Deep Made Simple we actually count it, out loud, with the version and the words named so you can check every number at home. In the NIV, "do not be afraid" appears in 70 verses, "don't be afraid" in 23 more and "do not fear" in 17, which comes to 108 different verses. In the King James, "fear not" appears in 62 verses, but five of those describe people who don't fear God, and the real total is roughly a hundred. Then the part the count can't show you. In Hebrew, al tira is the "don't" you say to someone standing right in front of you, not the "you shall not" of the Ten Commandments. In Greek, me phobou often means "stop being afraid." And when you sort every occurrence by who says it, and when, a pattern appears: God to Abram after a battle, the angel to Hagar in the desert, the Lord to Isaac and to Jacob at Beersheba, Moses at the edge of the sea, Joshua at the Jordan, Elijah to the widow of Zarephath, Isaiah to Hezekiah, the voice by the river to Daniel, Gabriel to Zechariah and to Mary, the angels to the shepherds, Jesus on the water, and the risen Christ to John on Patmos. Almost every time the fear comes first, the voice comes second, and the reason given is God Himself: I am with you. Your prayer has been heard. It is I. KEY VERSE "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41.10, NIV) IN THIS VIDEO ▸ The 365 claim, and why people share it ▸ The real count in the NIV and the King James ▸ Why the number keeps moving ▸ Al tira: the two Hebrew ways to say "don't" ▸ Me phobou, and the Hebrew word yare ▸ Abram, Hagar, Isaac and Jacob ▸ M