The Hebrew verb ragaz (רָגַז) covers a range of intense physical and emotional reactions: trembling, quaking, being agitated, being anxious, and even raging. It describes the fear-shaking response to God's power in nature (Habakkuk 3:7), the anxiety of the wicked before the righteous, the earth trembling at God's theophany, and human agitation in distress. The word encompasses both reverential awe-trembling and anxious fear.
The command "Be angry and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent [ragaz]" (Psalm 4:4) uses ragaz in a nuanced way — tremble in awe, be stirred, but channel that energy into holy silence before God rather than sin. Habakkuk's theophanic vision (Habakkuk 3:7) uses ragaz for the cosmic shaking at God's coming in judgment. The Psalms frequently portray creation trembling (ragaz) before Yahweh — mountains, seas, and nations quake at His approach. This cosmic trembling is the counterpart to human reverence: all creation acknowledges God's sovereign power.