ISB ~ Hebrews 2 v15

fear of death:Human nature cowers from pain, privation, and death. This can overpower our desire to love and obey God in the face of suffering. Even Jesus feared death as a man; nevertheless, he gave consent to suffering and death out of a reverential fear of God (5:7). In this respect, he was prefigured by those saints of the OT who preferred persecution and martyrdom to apostasy (11:17-38). Such heroism speaks directly to the original readers, who had already endured hostility for their faith (10:32-39) and were edging closer to shedding their blood (12:4).