10:26–31 This injunction to fear God and not people is perhaps a development of Is. 8:12, 13. It is supported by three arguments: first, the acts of the wicked will be shown for what they are; second, although people can kill the body, God can punish soul and body; and third, God orders everything, down to the fall of a sparrow and the number of hairs on the head. The Bible consistently teaches that fear and reverence are appropriate responses to God.