The Hebrew noun behalah (בֶּהָלָה) denotes terror, sudden panic, or hasty confusion arising from great fear. Derived from bahal (to be terrified), it describes the overwhelming psychological response to threat or divine judgment.
God sends behalah upon His enemies as a weapon of war (Leviticus 26:16). Yet for the believer, even in terror, God is a refuge. The fear of God displaces all other fears (Isaiah 8:12–13). The peace of God that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) is the covenant answer to behalah — not the absence of danger, but the presence of the Prince of Peace.