The noun pachad denotes a strong, often sudden, overwhelming fear — a dread that causes trembling. It can be the terror of imminent danger (Job 4:14), the awe-inspiring fear of God (Isaiah 2:10, 19), or the dread that God sends upon enemies of his people (Exodus 15:16; Deuteronomy 2:25). The word oscillates between fear of destruction and reverential awe of the divine.
In Scripture, pachad functions on two levels. As human dread, it is the trembling before danger — the kind of fear that causes men's hearts to fail (Job 4:14; Isaiah 2:19). As divine attribute of response, it is the overwhelming, prostrating awe that God's presence or judgment inspires. Isaiah 2 describes people fleeing into rocks and caves because of the pachad of the LORD's majesty. Job describes the pachad of God (Job 31:23) as a restraint on sin. This healthy, reverential trembling before God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).