Does the "fear of death" in Hebrews 2:15 refer to the dread of physically dying, or to something else?

Question

In the Christian New Testament, we find the following:

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NASB)
¹⁴Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
¹⁵and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

At first glance, the context here seems to indicate that unbelievers are subject to the dread of physically dying, and therefore they are "subject to slavery all their lives." In other words, they live in this life dreading the prospect of their eventual physical death, and therefore they are slaves.

However, many unbelievers do not seem to exhibit such a dread. For example, one thinks of the kamikaze pilot in WWII, or perhaps the extremists of today, who commit violence and in the process end their own lives. For these people there is no fear or dread of dying, but rather an eager anticipation of perpetual honor and bliss.

So does the term "fear of death" here have a wider connotation that actually means something other than dread of physically dying? In other words, does the word "fear" connotate something more than fright (being scared)?

Answer 1

Short Answer: Yes, the "fear of death" refers to being afraid of physically dying, as shown by the context in which it is used. The point is that Christ's solidarity with His people gave His people hope, thereby freeing them up to live the life He was calling them to without concern for what it might cost them. The passage is not about unbelievers and whether they are willing to die for a cause.

Exegesis: Groundwork

Since you're asking this question on BiblicalHermeneutics.SE, let's put theology and personal observations on hold for the moment and just look at what the author was attempting to communicate in the text. (Aside from site restrictions, that is just good practice in general when interpreting a passage.)

In order to determine how the author is using this term "fear of death," we're going to want to pay careful attention to the clues from the context of this speech-act. I will start with the big-picture and move down through the layers of context to that specific instance of the term. (Since this is not a Christian site, I'll skip the context of Redemptive History, and of the complete canon.)

1. Purpose of the complete literary work

Hebrews was most likely written around AD 68 to Jewish Christians of Hellenistic influence. This was a time of great persecution and trials for those of the Christian faith. Hebrews was a "word of exhortation" (13:22) to these Christians to persevere and continue in their decision to follow Jesus no matter what it cost them.¹

2. Function of the passage in the literary work

The passage (2:10-18) serves to:

• (A) expand on v.9, which says that the Son was made lower (i.e. human) so that He might taste death for everyone, and

• (B) introduce the bulk of the work (Ch. 3-10), which presents Jesus as our High Priest.

3. Purpose of the passage:

The purpose of this passage is to show that it is was necessary for the Son to have solidarity with the people of God in order to be their High Priest. Here are a few examples from the passage:

since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death -14

He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest -17

since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. -18

In other words, the author is showing that it is because the Son become like the children of God that He is able to come to their aid.

It is important to note that the author is emphasizing that the Son became like the children of God -- not like unbelievers. For example, consider the author's choice of words in the following verses: "sons" in v.10, "brethren" in v.11, "brethren" and "congregation" in v.12, "children" in v.13 and v.14, "descendants of Abraham" in v. 16 (cf. Gal. 3:6-9), "brethren" and "the people" in v.17.

4. Function of v.15 in the passage:

The NLT does a good job of conveying the author's flow of thought in v.14-15:

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

What the author is saying here is that Jesus had to come in the flesh and die (thereby breaking the power of death) before He could free those who had lived their lives enslaved to the "fear of death." (Remember, the children are in view here, not the unbelievers in general.)

Exegesis: The referent

Keep in mind that Jesus died, and many of His closest followers also died. The author of Hebrews is well aware of this. This is not a claim that He set the children free from the expectation of physical death, but rather, that He set them free from the "fear of death." How did He "set them free from the fear of death"? Both the author and the readers were familiar with the Gospel message -- namely, that Jesus not only died, but also rose from the dead. This is a big deal to the NT authors. For example, at one point Paul exclaims:

if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. . . . If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. -1 Corinthians 15:16-20

. . . Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. -v.58

The NT writers held Jesus' resurrection from the dead as the reason for their willingness to live the Christian life of persecution and self-sacrifice. It is precisely because Jesus rose from the dead that the early Christians were not afraid to die. Likewise, the author of Hebrews is explaining that Jesus had to come in the flesh and die so that He could set the children free from their fear of death -- so that they could live a life of following Christ without concern for what it may cost them.

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What about those kamikazes and suicide bombers?

Though this is less of a hermeneutics question, there are several important notes to make about the exegesis of the passage as it relates to these two examples:

• The author of Hebrews is presenting the Son of God as one who became like the children of God so that He could help the children of God... the unbeliever is not in view here

• In this passage, the author of Hebrews focuses on Christ's ability to come to the aide of those children who face what He faced. There is no indication that the children will not face these things, or that they will not have to experience these things -- the indication is that Christ is able to aide the children when they face these things

• In this passage, the author of Hebrews is presenting Jesus' conquest as a means for helping the children. The point is not really that "everyone fears death" or even that "no follower of Christ will ever fear death." The point is that Christ is able to aide those children who are facing what He faced (e.g. death)

So, in summary, I don't know if every unbeliever is terrified of dying. What I do know is that the author of Hebrews wants his readers to know that the believer has nothing to fear when faced with death, because he can hope in Christ, since Christ also faced death and conquered it.

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_{1: Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Hebrews: 2013 Edition, http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm (accessed February 6, 2013), 1-4}

Answer 2

To an unbeliever, there are two deaths. First the physical death, then the eternal death. An unbeliever will not acknowledge the second and therefore can only fear the physical.

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death(Rev 21:8, KJV)."

To a believer, there are two deaths, but he will endure only one because he has been spared by Christ.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death(Rev 2:11, KJV)."

So the end result is the fear of death is physical in both cases.

Answer 3

The concept of "death" is a mystery, just like "time" - as St Augustine says: "when I do not ponder about it, I think I know what time is, but when I ponder and try to express, I am exasperated, for time does not exist: past - is already not; future - is not yet; now - is more fleeting than an eyewink, but "time" cannot be an eyewink". The similar mystery is death, for we think it is, but what it is? And when we are afraid of death, what are we afraid of? I may be afraid of fire, for it burns when it touches me, but is death something like a fire? Does it hurt when it touches me? - Impossible, for, as Epicurus says, "when I am, death is not, when death is, I am not, so we never meet". If so, then what are we afraid of? Of being deprived of our habitual surrounding - friends, loved ones, things, attachments - and being left alone? But alone where? In which new surrounding? We do not know and that frightens us? But will there still be "we" when death comes? Will we perceive anything and think of anything? Shall we be conscious after death? If not, then what are we afraid of? Of a total annihilation?

But does not the very idea of total annihilation make the meaning of life, goodness, virtue etc. obsolete? Because, it is totally unjust for the universe to treat both good and bad persons absolutely equally, that is to say, handing both eventual absolute annihilation, and moreover, granting to bad ones sometimes better fortune in the earthly life, which is the only life. But how can something unjust be also good? Thus, if the universe and its order is unjust, then it is not good. But we read that God is good. Then God is not unjust. If so, then, if total annihilation still is the destiny of all, then we can conclude that the universe does something unjust to us, while God is unable to do justice, even if He necessarily would tend to do so, for He is good, and as good, also just. But such a God cannot be a biblical God, for the biblical God is almighty and cannot be weaker than the universe which He created.

Thus, if the universe is subject to the good God, then it is false that the universe can annihilate us entirely, for God then would be tarnished by an idea that He left the evil-doing of the universe unattended in such a fundamental thing. Therefore, from a biblical perspective, total annihilation cannot exist and we have retribution for our deeds on the earthly life, and if so, then we must retain our consciousness also after death, but if so, then we must also retain life after death, for it is impossible for something not living to have consciousness, and if so then we have something in us that is not reduced to body but outlives its death. That something can be called "soul", "mind", "inner man", "self", "core of personality" - you name it! Both Christianity and other great religions and philosophies (some of them at least) tell us that the main concern is to preserve this undying core in us in a healthy state for the dimension of life, in which even body can be exempt. Thus, I think, there can be two sorts of fear of physical death, the first foolish and unphilosophical, the second wise and philosophical: the foolish fear is to fear total annihilation and deprivation of our life's attachments (or the second without the first, with a prospect of retaining consciousness in a totally alien and undesirable environment, which is even more foolish, I will not go to prove this self-evident thing), whereas the wise fear is to fear a damage of our core-personality, that does not die together with the body, but is to come to the presence of good God, and unless it is in a healthy state, this presence to God and of God can be perceived as unpleasant and undesirable, like, for instance, for a husband who cheated upon his wife, the presence of his loving wife can be perceived as totally unpleasant and shameful.

Now, let us discuss the first, foolish fear. This fear, the fear of sheer fact of physical death can be beaten by a greater fear. A soldier can risk his life if the alternative would be a public shame, which he would dread more. Or, a fear of loosing a political freedom and coming under a bondage of an enemy can also be a motivator for overcoming the fear of a physical death (and such people are praised by Aristotle as μεγαλοψυχοί /magnanimous/). Or, by fear of danger for life and safety of loved ones, as a loving father would rather die for his children's safety. Those instances of overcoming a fear of physical death by some other fear is called "courage".

But there is still another courage, of which Plato speaks: a courage to oppose one's evil inclinations and harmful passions. For instance, a married soldier courageous enough to sacrifice his life for the freedom of his city, but still not courageous enough to overcome his womanising urges and give up his frequent peccadilloes committed outside his marital union with wife, is not courageous in this second, Plato's sense, and even if he sacrifice his life for his city, his soul is not healed from this passion, but retains it even after the death of body; for, as to Plato, soul does not die together with a body and the health of soul and its post-body-mortem destiny depends on its being healthy, that is being liberated from harmful passions. You can be healthy as a trout, bodily, but still utterly ill in your soul, if you do not fight inner tyranny of passions through philosophy. But a true philosopher, with a healthy soul that is in love with the eternal, invisible good realities, should, in principle, not be afraid of the physical death, because he will know that physical death only will make his communion with the eternal and bliss-providing realities even more intensive and unhindered.

Christianity is close to Plato's intuitions, in this sense, for according to Christianity "the cause/sting of death is sin" (1 Cor. 15:56), but Christ came in order to deliver all humanity from iniquities, in order to destroy the power of sin and rescue humanity from its drive (cf. Romans 7:24), consequently, to destroy also the death which is grounded on the sin. But this death cannot be a physical death, for when we are "dead by sin" physically we are still alive. James says that the committed sin brings death to the one who committed it (James 1:15), but such "dead" people could be healthy as trouts! On the contrary, saints are more afraid of sin that brings this metaphoric death than of the physical death and if given a dramatic choice, choose the latter in order to avoid the sin and the metaphoric death. Because they are philosophical, aristocrats of Spirit, not plebeians of Spirit (such plebeians can be even kings and greatest earthly aristocrats), not foolish, but wise, knowing that there is incomparably greater danger in damage of our inner, body-surviving core of personality than even in the bodily sufferings and the bodily death, for "our light and momentary troubles, [and a physical death], are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor 4:17).

Thus, to answer your question: the Hebrews 2:14-15 can be understood in two ways:

1. Devil has power over humans, because humans know that only with Moses' Law (or Plato's philosophy) they cannot overcome the power of sin, and therefore also of metaphoric death of our inner core, i.e. the life deprived of the inner presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit, that is the result of the sin. Thus, they fear death and in order not to make its dominion too overwhelming, check sin through precepts of Law (or philosophical practice, if outside Jewish religion), but this does not liberate them, but rather indicates that they are under the fear of this metaphoric death that they cannot in fact beat.

2. Devil has power over humans, who fear physical death more than the metaphoric death of the inner core, of soul, who fear more physical death than sin. Those humans do not understand in their utter foolishness and mind-cloggedness that by accepting Christ in their lives they will be able to destroy the dominion of sin and the metaphoric death, and that this is incomparably more important and desirable than continuation of earthly life in the state of metaphoric death. Moreover, Christ, in difference from Plato, gives even greater liberation, for He promises with unfailing promise that not only our metaphoric death will be abolished through Him (which is the pivotal thing), but also our physical death, for He has a power and sovereign authority of resurrecting dead bodies also (cf. John 10:18), like He showed this authority by resurrecting Lazarus who was dead for four days, or resurrecting His own dead body after three days.

Answer 4

The context is under the idea that Christ assumed human nature in order to suffer death that sinners might be free from its bondage. In other words enabling us to say:

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.( The New International Version. 2011 (1 Co 15:55–57).)

This actually answers the question for the Devil having introduced sin into the world became the prince of death and sin. By his malice mankind fell under the penalty of death under God’s law making us horrified at the thought of entering into God’s holy and eternal judgment for our guilt through transgressions. Under God’s condemnation and sentence of death against sin, it has become the power of Satan to terrify and affright our conscience with the expectation and dread of it, bringing us into bondage. This Christ came to destroy. The fear of death is a trouble of mind which men have in the expectation of death to be inflicted on them, as a punishment due to their sins. This fear Christ has removed in dying for us.

John Owen explains well how although this ‘apprehension is common to all men’ and ‘arising from a general presumption that death is penal’ and that it is the ‘judgment of God’ that they which commit sin are worthy of death‚ as Rom. 1:32, 2:15 – yet not all men are sensible of it:

But sinners in their natural state fear death as it is penal, as an issue of the curse, as under the power of Satan, as a dreadful entrance into eternal ruin. There are, indeed, a thousand ways whereby this fear is for a season stifled in the minds of men. Some live in brutish ignorance, never receiving any full conviction of sin, judgment, or eternity. Some put off the thoughts of their present and future estate, resolving to shut their eyes and rush into it, whenas they can no longer avoid it. Fear presents itself unto them as the forerunner of death, but they avoid the encounter, and leave themselves to the power of death itself. Some please themselves with vain hopes of deliverance, though well they know not how nor why they should be partakers of it. But let men forego these helpless shifts, and suffer their own innate light to be excited with such means of conviction as they do enjoy, and they will quickly find what a judgment there is made in their own souls concerning death to come, and what effects it will produce. They will conclude that it is “the judgment of God, that they which commit sin are worthy of death,” Rom. 1:32; and then their own consciences do accuse and condemn them, Rom. 2:14, 15; whence unavoidably fear, dread, and terror will seize upon them. (Owen, J. (1854). Vol. 20: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Volume 3 (W. H. Goold, Ed.). Works of John Owen (441–442). Edinburgh: Johnstone and Hunter.)

Answer 5

It is a good question that gives a lot to think about.

For terrorists we must assume that their human ability to feel fear (and anticipate guilt) is narcoticized by blinded hatred and utter delusion about themselves. Paul wrote that there is a certain insensibilty of the heart which can darken a human's perceptiveness of his mind. So a terrorist (as any evil person) would not consciously feel the fear. But still he inflicts it on others, and by doing this he indulges in a feeling of superiority even more, knowing he causes fear (an anticipation of pain) to others.

Christ himself suffered fear unspeakable. He was not overcome by it. (So fear is not the object of critique. Even the most rightful one faced it.) It is the anxiousness that leads into a cowardice of wrongdoing which is to be feared more than death.

Answer 6

When Jonah was thrown overboard the boat, he had already embraced his fate, and of course he died when he was swallowed by the great fish. (Please click here or here.) When Job was in the midst of his suffering, he stated on many occasions his immanent expectation of entering Sheol without compunction. Even Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego had no assurance that the Lord would deliver them from the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar, and declared their resolve to die which only served to enrage Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:16-18). So there are examples in the Hebrew Bible of people who had no fear of physical death, but had in fact embraced their fate with stoic anticipation. Even the thief on the cross had accepted his immanent death with resolve before he was told by Jesus that he would be in paradise (Luke 23:41-43).

Of course there is no need here to demonstrate or document at this point that the same stoic resolve to embrace death exists today among both believers and unbelievers (for example, the terminally ill).

So, in the context of the Hebrews passage, what is "the fear of death," if there are examples in the Hebrew Bible of those who were not frightened by the prospect of their pending physical death? What kind of "fear" are we talking about?

Hebrews 2:14-16 (NASB)
¹⁴ Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

The passage at first blush may refer to sheer fright at the prospect of physical death, which makes perfect sense. But the mention of Satan and slavery forces us to the Book of Romans, where one encounters the relationship between fear and slavery in the context of death. In the following passage from Romans, the release from the slavery to "fear" stems from the liberty we receive from the Holy Spirit, who is eternal life.

Romans 8:12-15 (NASB)
¹² So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

In other words, the sons of God (Romans), or the children of God (Hebrews), are not slaves to "fear" because in context they are now freed from the domain of darkness, which is spiritual death. In the Hebrews passage, the children of God are set free from fear of the devil's power of spiritual death, and in Romans, the sons of God are made free from the power of the flesh, whose power has died. This freedom is from the power is spiritual death. That is, believers no longer live in the thrall of spiritual death, which is slavery. In other words, the "fear of death" is not talking about being frightened, but being a slave or living in thrall to the power of spiritual death.

Thus all unbelievers live in the thrall of spiritual death. That is, they live in "fear of death" because they are slaves to spiritual death, which is the power of the devil.

Revelation 21:8 (NASB)
⁸ But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The "cowardly" are those who live in the thrall of spiritual death, which is NOT limited to the idea of the fear of physically dying. (In the passage above, unbelievers are resurrected and appear before the last judgment only to suffer a second physical death upon entering the Lake of Fire.) In other words, an unbeliever who exists in the thrall of spiritual death may NOT necessarily live in the fear of physical death. In either case, existing in the thrall to spiritual death is living in the "fear of death," and thus one is a slave to sin.

Thus the biblical concept of fear not only means to be scared, but to be in thrall of some power, and thus the idea of slavery. (For example, "slavery to righteousness" is living in thrall to God's power according to Romans 6:16-22.) In both the Romans passages and the Hebrews passage, the idea is either to be in the thrall to spiritual death (Hebrews) or in the thrall to spiritual life (Romans passages), and thus the idea of slavery. In one case, the thrall is to the power of Satan (Hebrews 2:14) and on the other hand, the thrall is to the Spirit of God. As sons of God (or children of God), we are released from the power of spiritual death, and therefore no longer live in the thrall of that power, but live in the thrall of the Spirit, which is why we are "slaves" of righteousness, or even "bond servants" of Christ Jesus as the preface of so many New Testament epistles would indicate.

Answer 7

Romans 8:12-15 is a good Rosetta Stone for Hebrews 2:14-16. I agree with Joseph that Paul is using (and I do believe Paul wrote Hebrews) the terms death and fear in a similar fashion in the two passages of scripture. I am in agreement with Joseph on how the term death is being defined in these passages. However, Joseph's interpretation of fear seems to me to slightly miss the mark. The Bible makes it clear that when Adam and Eve sinned they became fearful (Gen 3:8-10). In Romans 8:12-15, that fear is removed when we are adopted back into the beloved family of God.

Christ could not free us from bondage, according to the passage, until he had rendered the Devil powerless, who is described as having the power of death. None of this relates to physical power and force less we forget who God is. Satan is nothing compared to the omnipotent God. But, Satan did successfully convince Adam and Eve to disobey God and plunge humanity into the curse of sin. It is then that we became in bondage and subject to Satan's power of deception. Our sins alienated us from light and truth. We were left to grope around in darkness fearing what we could not see. We were in league with the Devil.

But, the Bible promised us that one day Christ would wound the head of Satan and free us (Gen 3:15). Hebrews 2:14-16 indicates a promise kept.

Answer 8

Your thinking in human terms. It's referring to ego death, or the death of the false self which comes in many forms, and includes the body of course. Yes physical death is inevitable, but we fear failure, as society sees it, what others think about us, money issues and what ever fear seems to beset you at the moment, which are all about the false self that we create, far more than we do actual physical death. Jesus saw past all this illusion to what was real, the True Self that God created, the very core of identity, and knew who he really was. To know who you really are, the face you wore before you were born, as Jacob and Esau were given there identity before they were born, before doing anything good or bad, is the death of the small self(ego). To sum up, it is the death of our little egocentric self that we created out of fear that holds us in bondage.

Answer 9

It's not only the fear of death literally, but our fear of dying to self that keeps us in bondage. That is actually the real and pressing problem for all of Christianity, a refusal to die to our pride and ego in Christ. A refusal to die to sin, and its sin that causes death.

Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."