Holy Fear — Wholeness, Awe, and the Turning of Danger into Reverence

Day 3

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.”

— Hebrews 11 : 7

The phrase ‘in holy fear’ joins two ancient ideas: reverence and wholeness. In Greek it came from a single word, εὐλαβηθεὶς—to act with careful awe. In English, holy once meant ‘whole,’ and fear meant ‘danger.’ Together they describe the moment when peril becomes reverence—when awareness of risk gives way to wonder.

Photograph taken near Vile, on the western side of the Limfjord in northern Denmark.

Each word card set begins with an image that captures the theme of the word. The following cards trace its story: a main word card (or two, if extended), a junior version with a paler border, an etymological breakdown showing how the word travelled through time, and a list of sources. Some sets also include cards for related words or translations across other languages. Together they show where each word came from, how it changed, and what it still carries with it.