Bible Dictionary
HORROR
Horror is intense fear, dread, or trembling. Scripture uses it for overwhelming darkness, terror, indignation, and the shuddering produced by calamity or judgment.
Definition
Horror is intense fear, dread, trembling, or shuddering. The term may also describe overwhelming darkness, burning indignation, or the disturbing effect of calamity and judgment.
Biblical Usage
In Genesis 15:12, “horror” describes a great darkness. The word is associated elsewhere with trembling, fearfulness, and hot indignation. In 2 Maccabees 3:17, it describes a man overcome by shuddering.
Historical Background
The English word represents several Hebrew terms with meanings including terror, trembling, and heat or glow. The Revised Version uses “trembling,” “fearfulness,” “hot indignation,” or “shuddering” in some of these passages.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>hor'-er ('emah, pallatsuth): In Ge 15:12 'emah (often rendered "terror") is translated "horror," "a horror of great darkness"; pallatsuth, "trembling," "horror" (Ps 55:5; Eze 7:18); zal`aphah, "glow," "heat" (Ps 119:53, the Revised Version (British and American) "hot indignation," margin "horror"); compare Ps 11:6; La 5:10. For "trembling" (Job 21:6) and for "fearfulness" (Isa 21:4) the Revised Version (British and American) has "horror." "Horror" does not occur in the New Testament, but in 2 Macc 3:17 we have "The man was so compassed with horror" (phrikasmos), the Revised Version (British and American) "shuddering."</p>