Heart
In the Bible, the heart does not just have a physical function, but also a spiritual one. It is the place in the body where the emotions, feelings, courage, insight, knowledge and wisdom can be found. The heart is the symbol for the inner person, in every respect.
The Heart in the Old Testament
The word “heart” (in Hebrew leb or lebab) occurs in every book of the Old Testament, except for Micah and Habakkuk. It can be found nearly 150 times in the book of Psalms alone.
The term “heart” is used in different ways, for example:
- meaning “breast” or “chest”, for which there is no separate word in Hebrew, for example in 2 Samuel 18:14
(ESV); - as a synecdoche for the entire person, for example in 1 Samuel 7:3
; - in a figurative sense for the centre of something, for example “the heart of the sea” in Jonah 2:3
(ESV).
The heart is, in many respects, of crucial importance to mankind. It is, for instance:
- the seat of wisdom (Proverbs 2:10
, ESV) and insight (Psalm 90:12 , ESV); - the centre of feelings and emotions (Lamentations 2:19
); - the organ of sexual power and longing (Proverbs 6:25
, ESV).
The word “heart” is also used for God, in a similar way as for humans. For example, concerning the connection between the heart and emotions:
“My heart will not let me do it! My love for you is too strong.” (Hosea 11:8
The Heart in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the word “heart” (kardia in Greek) can also be found in nearly every book. In certain places, heart is used to denote the central organ of the human body. In other places it represents the inner person, just as in the Old Testament, for example as:
- the place where we can find the emotions (for example John 16:22
); - the place where faith is accepted or rejected (for example Matthew 15:8
).
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