Most Bible versions translate this as Awesome God, but not in the watered down sense that the word is used in certain parts of the world today - where anything from a pizza to a pair of shoes can be described as awesome. The original meaning of awesome was exactly what it sounds like: inspiring awe; giving you a jaw-dropping sense of amazement or reverence.
Older Bibles often translate yārē' as terrible or dreadful - words that have also changed their meaning and are more often used today to describe something really bad.
So what does it actually mean to say that God is awesome?
It means that he is totally worthy of respect and honour - that His splendour and holiness are take-your-breath-away amazing and awe-inspiring. Thesaurus alternatives to awesome are impressive, spectacular, magnificent and formidable. The dictionary defines formidable as, "inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful or capable."
Yārē' is used around 300 times in the Old Testament and, sure enough, sometimes it refers to when people were really afraid of someone or something; times when God stepped in to say, "Fear not; don't be afraid." But other times the word is used to mean reverence, honour or respect. God's people were regularly urged to "fear the Lord." (See, for example, 1 Samuel 12: 24.) That had nothing to do with fear, but was all about giving God the respect and reverence that He deserves.
Psalm 47: 2 - For the Lord most High is an Awesome God. He is the great King over all the earth.
1 Chron 16: 25 - Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared and honoured above all gods.
