The Hebrew adjective/verb chared (חָרֵד) means to tremble, to be terrified, to quake with fear or reverence. It can describe terror before an enemy or, more profoundly, holy trembling before God's word and presence. Isaiah 66:2 uses it for the person whom God regards: 'But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles (chared) at my word.'
The concept of trembling before God is a mark of genuine faith in the Hebrew Scriptures. Chared is not the terror of a slave before a tyrant but the reverent awe of one who takes God's word with ultimate seriousness. Ezra gathered those who trembled at the commandment of God (Ezra 10:3). The prophetic community called the charedim — the tremblers — were those who feared God rather than men. This stands in sharp contrast to the dullness of a casual religious life. The New Testament parallel is the call to 'work out your salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12) — not anxious terror, but reverent, serious engagement with God's holy purposes.