No one is saying that fear always means respect in Scripture, what we are saying is that fear had two meanings: being afraid, and having respect. If you think fear never meant respect (despite the definition in dictionaries that says it did), how do you explain these verses:
Psalm 33:8
Let all the earth
fear the Lord; let all the people of the world
revere him.
Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
Psalm 22:23
You who
fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
Exodus 18:21
But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
Proverbs 14:2
Whoever
fears the Lord walks uprightly, but those who despise him are devious in their ways.
Interesting how the opposite of fearing the Lord is "those who despise him." That would make sense if fear meant respect though.
Proverbs 1:28-33
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28 [/SUP]“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
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29 [/SUP]since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
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30 [/SUP]Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
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31 [/SUP]they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
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32 [/SUP]For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
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33 [/SUP]but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease,
without fear of harm.”
Note how both definitions are used here. It discusses those who choose not to fear the Lord. Then, in the end, he says those who listen to me will live without fear. This would not make any sense if you thought fear is only defined one way.
I'll close with this parting thought:
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
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2 [/SUP]turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
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3 [/SUP]indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
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4 [/SUP]and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
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5 [/SUP]
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God