Luke 7:16Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited his people!"
The setting
Nain, Israel. A crowd that came to mourn now erupts in worship and fear. Word spreads like wildfire through Galilee...
The emotion here: overwhelmed by divine encounter beyond human comprehension
The original word
phobos (φόβος) — reverential fear, awe that makes you tremble before the divine
Why it matters
The phrase 'God has visited his people' echoes Zechariah's prophecy at John the Baptist's birth
Read with care
What most readers miss in Luke 7:16
They called Jesus a 'great prophet' — they hadn't yet recognized Him as Messiah
Common misconceptionPeople think this fear was negative, but it was holy awe. They weren't afraid OF Jesus, they were afraid because they recognized they were in the presence of divine power.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Luke 7:16
Bible Genome reading
Luke 7:16 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Luke 7:16 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to crowd. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is celebratory. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include awe, recognition. Notable phrases: Fear took hold; they glorified God; God has visited his people.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same worship
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:”
— Deuteronomy 6:4
“and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
— Deuteronomy 6:5
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
— John 14:6
“Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."”
— John 8:58
Your reflection
What does Luke 7:16 mean to you, today?
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