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Mandate 7
1 Φοβήθητι, φησί, τὸν κύριον καὶ φύλασσε τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ.

φυλάσσων οὖν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ ἔσῃ δυνατὸς ἐν πάσῃ πράξει, καὶ ἡ πρᾶξίς σου ἀσύγκριτος ἔσται.

φοβούμενος γὰρ τὸν κύριον πάντα καλῶς ἐργάσῃ· οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ φόβος.

ὃν δεῖ σὲ φοβηθῆναι, καὶ σωθῆναι. 		"'Fear the Lord,' he says, 'and keep His commandments.

So by keeping the commandments of God you will be powerful in every act, and your act will be incomparable.

For by fearing the Lord you will work all things well; now this is the fear which you must fear, and be saved.
2 τὸν δὲ διάβολον μὴ φοβηθῇς· φοβούμενος γὰρ τὸν κύριον κατακυριεύσεις τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι δύναμις ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν.

ἐν ᾧ δὲ δύναμις οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ φόβος· ἐν ᾧ δὲ δύναμις ἡ ἔνδοξος, καὶ φόβος ἐν αὐτῷ.

πᾶς γὰρ ὁ δύναμιν ἔχων φόβον ἔχει· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων δύναμιν ὑπὸ πάντων καταφρονεῖται. 		But do not fear the devil; for by fearing the Lord you will master the devil, because there is no power in him.

Now in that which has no power, there is also no fear; but in that which has glorious power, there is also fear in it.

For everyone who has power inspires fear; but the one who has no power is despised by all.
3 φοβήθητι δὲ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι πονηρά ἐστι.

φοβούμενος οὖν τὸν κύριον οὐκ ἐργάσῃ αὐτά, ἀλλ' ἀφέξῃ ἀπ' αὐτῶν. 		Fear, however, the works of the devil, because they are evil.

By fearing the Lord, therefore, you will not work them, but will abstain from them.
4 δισσοὶ οὖν εἰσιν οἱ φόβοι· ἐὰν γὰρ θέλῃς τὸ πονηρὸν ἐργάσασθαι, φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον, καὶ οὐκ ἐργάσῃ αὐτό· ἐὰν δὲ θέλῃς πάλιν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργάσασθαι, φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἐργάσῃ αὐτό.

ὥστε ὁ φόβος τοῦ κυρίου ἰσχυρός ἐστι καὶ μέγας καὶ ἔνδοξος.

φοβήθητι οὖν τὸν κύριον, καὶ ζήσῃ αὐτῷ· καὶ ὅσοι ἄν φοβηθῶσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τηρήσωσι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ. 		Double, therefore, are the fears: for if you wish to work evil, fear the Lord, and you will not work it; and if again you wish to work good, fear the Lord, and you will work it.

So that the fear of the Lord is strong and great and glorious.

Fear the Lord, therefore, and you will live to Him; and as many as fear Him and keep His commandments will live to God.'
5 Διατί, φημί, κύριε, εἶπας περὶ τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· Ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ;

Ὅτι, φησίν, πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις φοβεῖται τὸν κύριον τὰς δὲ ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ οὐ φυλάσσει.

τῶν οὖν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν καὶ φυλασσόντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἐκείνων ἡ ζωή ἐστι παρὰ τῷ θεῷ· τῶν δὲ μὴ φυλασσόντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ ζωὴ ἐν αὐτῷ. 		'Why, Sir,' I say, 'did you say concerning those who keep His commandments: They will live to God?'

'Because,' says he, 'all creation fears the Lord, but it does not keep His commandments.

Of those, therefore, who fear Him and keep His commandments—their life is with God; but of those who do not keep His commandments, neither is there life in Him.'"
Summary
This section details Commandment 7 (Mandatum 7), presenting an analysis of the nature of divine fear (φόβος) in contrast to demonic powerlessness.

The Shepherd establishes that fear of God (φόβος κυρίου) is the foundational prerequisite for spiritual power and effective moral action. Crucially, the text dismantles fear of the devil: because the devil possesses no intrinsic divine power (δύναμις), he holds no rightful claim to human fear and can be easily mastered (κατακυριεύσεις) by those who fear God. However, believers must fear the devil’s evil works (τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου).

The Shepherd introduces a doctrine of "double fear" (δισσοὶ φόβοι): holy fear operates dual-functionally by restraining a person from committing evil and simultaneously impelling them to perform good. Finally, when Hermas queries the exact qualification for eternal life, the Shepherd clarifies that mere passive cosmic fear of God—shared by all creation—is insufficient; saving life (ζωὴ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ) is granted strictly to those who combine fear of the Lord with active obedience to His commandments.
Key Themes & Theological Insights
 The Powerlessness of the Devil: Demonic influence is stripped of terror by framing the devil as entirely lacking real authority (δύναμις). The believer's fear is reserved exclusively for the sovereign Creator.

 The "Double Fear" (δισσοὶ φόβοι): A psychological nuance showing how holy reverence acts as both a negative restraint (deterrent against sin) and a positive catalyst (prompt to virtue).

 Cosmic Reverence vs. Obedience: The passage makes a critical distinction between the automatic, ontological terror felt by creation before God and the voluntary, moral obedience of the elect.
Significant Greek Expressions
 δύναμις ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν: "There is no power in him." A decisive early Christian assertion of the functional weakness of the devil against the believer anchored in God.

 δισσοὶ οὖν εἰσιν οἱ φόβοι: "Double, therefore, are the fears." The Shepherd’s technical classification of the two directional movements of God-fearing discipline (turning from evil and doing good).

 ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων δύναμιν ὑπὸ πάντων καταφρονεῖται: "The one who has no power is despised by all." A proverbial principle applied to the adversary to embolden the Christian against demonic temptation.

 πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις φοβεῖται τὸν κύριον: "All creation fears the Lord." Highlights that natural, involuntary awe of God is universal across the cosmos, but does not equate to saving faith without covenantal obedience (φυλάσσειν τὰς ἐντολάς).

Hermas: The Shepherd
Book Two
Mandates or Commandments