לֵבָב
lêbâb · H3824 · Hebrew · 252 occurrences
Meanings
-
heart
The organ located in the centre of the human body that pumps the blood through our circulatory system, seen as the seat of knowledge, human reasoning, planning, intelligence, skill, affection and hatred, desire and satisfaction, humility and pride, courage and fear, joy and grief
ExamplesJudges 19:8 Now on the fifth day he got up to go early in the morning, but the girl’s father said, “Please strengthen yourself, and wait until late afternoon”; so both of them ate.
Nahum 2:7 It is set: She is stripped, she is led away, And her slave women are sobbing like the sound of doves, Beating their breasts.
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heart, mind, attention, courage
Literally: heart; hence: the seat of knowledge, human reasoning, planning, intelligence, skill, affection and hatred, desire and satisfaction, humility and pride, courage and fear, joy and grief
ExamplesGenesis 20:5 “Did he himself not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”
Genesis 20:6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
Genesis 31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?
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sense, understanding
Literally: heart; hence: the ability to think for oneself as opposed to being easily swayed by what others say or do
ExamplesJob 12:3 “But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?
Job 34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
Job 34:34 “Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
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middle
Literally: heart; hence: a reference to the space right in the middle of something else, such as the sea, the heavens, or a tree
ExamplesJonah 2:3 “For You threw me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current flowed around me. All Your breakers and waves passed over me.
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
219 occurrences in 24 groups
- ךָyour 58
- הוּhis 38
- כֶםyour 38
- יmy 25
- הֶםtheir 24
- דָּוִדDavid 4
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
8 occurrences in 4 groups
- שָׁלֵםwhole, wholehearted 5
- זֶהthis 1
- עִקֵּשׁcrooked, perverse 1
- עָרֵלuncircumcised person 1
What it doesIt is the subject
50 occurrences in 27 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 7
- מָסַסto melt 6
- רָכַךְto be fainthearted, to be softened 5
- רוּםto be high, to raise, to lift up 4
- Other words · 23 groups that occur once or twice (29) 29
What is done to itIt is the object
47 occurrences in 22 groups
- יָדַעto know 6
- שׂוּםto put, to set, to place 6
- כּוּןto establish, to prepare 5
- נָטָהto stretch out, to incline 5
- נָתַןto give, to put, to set 4
- אָמַץto be strong 3
- Other words · 16 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
What it is said to bePredicate
6 occurrences in 6 groups
- בְּרִיתcovenant, treaty 1
- דַּוָּיstunned 1
- לֵבָבheart, mind 1
- מֵרַעevil, wickedness 1
- שָׁלֵםwhole, wholehearted 1
- נִיme 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
7 occurrences in 7 groups
- הוֹלֵלָהmadness 1
- יָגוֹןgrief 1
- יָשָׁרupright, right 1
- לֵבָבheart, mind 1
- מְסִלָּהhighway 1
- רַעevil, bad 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
112 occurrences in 9 groups
- בin/on/with 114
- עִםwith 32
- עַלon, upon, over, against 11
- כlike/as 11
- אֵלto, toward 6
- לto/for 4
- Other words · 3 groups that occur once or twice (4) 4
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
35 occurrences in 23 groups
- תֹּםintegrity 5
- יֹשֶׁרuprightness 3
- שִׂמְחָהjoy 3
- Other words · 20 groups that occur once or twice (24) 24
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 3 words
- καρδία kardía · G2588 · heart, inner self, mind
- Greek καρδία is the standard Septuagint rendering of Hebrew לֵבָב, both denoting the heart as the seat of thought, emotion, and will, with identical figurative extensions to mind, understanding, and innermost being.
- διάνοια diánoia · G1271 · mind, way of thinking, disposition
- Greek διάνοια emphasizes the faculty of understanding and the exercise of cognitive function (deep thought, mental disposition), while Hebrew לֵבָב encompasses both cognitive and affective dimensions of the inner person (heart, mind, courage, understanding) with less specialized focus on purely intellectual activity.
- νοῦς noûs · G3563 · mind, way of thinking, disposition
- Greek νοῦς emphasizes the intellect and rational mind faculty, while Hebrew לֵבָב encompasses the inner person more holistically (including emotion, will, and moral center alongside thought).
Semantic domains 4 entries
- People001001003
- Like לֵב (lêb, H3820) immediately above, this word can stand for the whole person by synecdoche, so it belongs among terms for people.
- Think002004002013
- This word is likewise the standing Hebrew term for the seat of thought, understanding, and intention, so it belongs among words for thinking.
- Wise002001002029
- The word is frequently associated with wisdom and understanding, so it also belongs among words for wisdom.
- Spatial Referents003002005
- The word is likewise used spatially for the middle or midst of something (e.g., "the heart of the earth," Matthew's Greek equivalent notwithstanding, or "the heart of the sea" in the Hebrew idiom), so it belongs among spatial reference terms.
Word family 7 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3824. lebab לֵבָב251 noun masculinePsa 104:15 inner man, mind, will, heart; — absolute…
לֵבָב251 noun masculinePsa 104:15 inner man, mind, will, heart; — absolute ׳ל Deu 28:28 Deu 28:31t.; construct לִבַב Deu 20:8 22t.; suffix לְבָבִי Isa 21:4 24t.; לְבָֽבְךָ Deu 4:29 Deu 4:35t.; לְבָבֶ֑ךָ Deu 4:39 Deu 4:21t.; לְבָבֵךְ 1Sa 1:8 1Sa 1:3t.; לְבָבוֺ Deu 2:30 Deu 2:37t.; לְבָבָהּ Zep 2:15 Zep 2:3t.; לִבָבֵנוּ Deu 1:28 Deu 1:3t.; לְבַבְכֶם Deu 10:16 37t.; לְבָבָם Lev 26:41 Lev 26:22t.; plural with suffix לִבְבֵהֶן Nah 2:8 (Sta§ 353 a reads לְבַבְהֶן, but see Köii. 78); plural לְבָבוֺת 1Ch 28:9. — The inner, middle, or central part:
I. seldom of things יַמִּים בִּלְבַב in the Midst of the seas Jon 2:3 (poetry); השׁמים לבב עד unto the midst of heaven Deu 4:11 (so ⅏ but לב ᵑ0).
II. usually of men:
1 the inner man in contrast with the outer, ולבבי שׁארי כלה my flesh and my heart (soul) doth fail Psa 73:26; antithesis with garments Joe 2:13; hands Psa 73:13; Lam 3:41 ?; eyes Num 15:39 (H) 1Sa 16:7; ears Eze 3:10; mouth Deu 30:14; speech Psa 28:3; Psa 78:18; עַללִֿבְבֵהֶן מְתֹפֲפֹת tabering upon their breasts Nah 2:7 (inner for outer).
2 the inner man, indefinite the soul, comprehending mind, affections and will, or, in connection with certain verbs, having more specific reference to some one of them. ובכלנֿפשׁ בכללֿבב with all the heart and with all the soul Deu 4:29; Deu 6:5; Deu 10:12; Deu 11:13; Deu 13:4; Deu 26:16; Deu 30:2, Deu 30:6, Deu 30:10; Jos 22:5; Jos 23:14; 1Ki 2:4; 1Ki 8:48 (= 2Ch 6:38 לב ?) 2Ki 23:25; 2Ch 15:12; 2Ch 34:31 ( = 2Ki 23:3 לב ?) Jer 32:41; abbreviated בכללֿבב 1Sa 7:3; 1Sa 12:20, 1Sa 12:24; 1Ki 14:8; 2Ki 10:31; 2Ch 15:5; 2Ch 22:9; 2Ch 31:21; Psa 86:12; Psa 111:1; Jer 29:13; Joe 2:12; בלבב אשׁר what is in the heart (mind) Deu 8:2; 1Sa 9:19; 1Sa 14:7; 2Sa 7:3 ( = 1Ch 17:2) 2Ki 10:30; 2Ch 32:31; compare Job 10:13; Psa 84:6 (?); לבב עם with the heart (mind), with ידע Deu 8:5, שִׂיחַ Psa 77:7, usually with היה, of a thought or purpose, Deu 15:9; Jos 14:7; 1Ki 8:17-18, (twice in verse) ( = 2Ch 6:7-8, (twice in verse)) 2Ch 10:2 ( = 2Ch 9:1) 1Ch 22:7; 1Ch 28:2; 2Ch 1:11; 2Ch 29:10 (compare 2Ch 24:4 לב); כלבב according to the heart 1Sa 13:14; 1Sa 14:7; Psa 20:7. We may add Deu 5:26; Deu 11:16, Deu 11:18; Deu 17:17; 1Sa 2:35; 2Sa 19:15; 1Ki 8:39 (twice in verse) ( = 2Ch 6:30 (twice in verse)) 2Ch 11:2-3, (לב an error) 2Ch 11:4; 2Ch 11:9; 1Ch 12:17; 1Ch 22:19; 1Ch 28:9; Psa 62:9; Psa 86:11; Psa 139:23; Isa 7:2; Dan 11:27-28,.
3 specific reference to mind (characteristic of לבב):
a. לֵבָב אַנְשֵׁי men of mind Job 34:10, Job 34:34; לבב לי גם I also have a mind Job 12:3; בִּל ׳הוֺלֵלוֺת madness is in (their) mind Ecc 9:3 (?); ,לְבָבִי וַתִּגְנֹב and thou didst steal my mind Gen 31:26 (E, the לֵב of Gen 31:20 should be corrected to לבב compare 'steal me' Gen 31:27).
b. knowledge, with ידע Deu 8:5; Deu 23:14; 1Ki 2:44; הבין Isa 6:10; Isa 32:4; לֵבָב חֲכַם wise of mind Job 9:4; חָכְמָה לְבַב mind of wisdom Psa 90:12.
c. thinking, reflection, with חשׁב Isa 10:7; Zec 7:10; Zec 8:17; (שׂיּח Psa 77:7 above); ל מחשׁבות ׳יצר conception of thoughts of mind 1Ch 29:18; ל ׳מַשְׂכִּיּוֺת imaginations of (their) mind Psa 73:7; ל ׳מוֺרָשֵׁי possessions (thoughts) of (my) mind Job 17:11; לבב שׂם set the mind, consider Hag 2:15, Hag 2:18 (twice in verse), with לְ Deu 32:46, על Hag 1:5, Hag 1:7.
d. of memeory בלבב שׂם lay up in the mind 1Sa 21:13; Job 22:22; ל אל ׳השׁיב lay to heart, call to mind Deu 4:39; Deu 30:1; 2Ch 6:37 ( = 1Ki 8:47 לב ?); ל על ׳עלה come upon the mind Jer 51:50; Eze 38:10 (compare לֵב 3d); מל ׳סוּר depart from the mind Deu 4:9; ל בתוך ׳שׁמר keep in the midst of (thy) mind Pro 4:21; ל ׳על upon the mind Deu 6:6.
4 specific reference to inclinations, resolutions determinations of the will (characteristic of ׳ל): ל ׳הכין set the mind, with אֶל 1Sa 7:3; 1Ch 29:18, לְ2Ch 20:33 לדרשׁ2Ch 19:3; 2Ch 30:19; Ezr 7:10; ל אֶל׳הטה Jos 24:23 (E) 1Ki 8:58; ל ׳נתן לדרשׁ 1Ch 22:19, compare 2Ch 11:16; ׳ל מעם פנה mind turn away from Deu 29:17; Deu 30:17; ל ׳יֵהָפֵךְ ׳פ Pharaoh's mind was changed Exo 14:5 (E).
5 specific reference to conscience לבבי יחרף לא my heart (conscience) shall not reproach me Job 27:6.
6 specific reference to moral character (characteristic of ׳ל): God tries the ׳ל 1Ch 29:17:
a. ל ׳ישֶׁר uprightness of heart Deu 9:5; 1Ch 29:17; Psa 119:7 (?); ל ׳יִשְׁרֵי2Ch 29:34; ל ׳יִשְׁרַת 1Ki 3:6; ׳ל יָשָׁר 2Ki 10:15 (3 t. in verse); ׳תָּסלֿ integrity of heart Gen 20:5-6, (E) 1Ki 9:4; Psa 78:72; Psa 101:2; ׳ל (עִםׅ שָׁלֵם heart perfect (with) 1Ki 8:61; 1Ki 11:4; 1Ki 15:3, 1Ki 15:14 (= 2Ch 15:17) 2Ki 20:3 (= Isa 38:3 לֵב ?) 1Ch 12:39; 1Ch 29:19; 2Ch 16:9; 2Ch 19:9; 2Ch 25:2; ׳בַּרלֿ pure in heart Psa 24:4; ל ׳בָּרֵי Psa 73:1. We may add 2Ki 22:19 2Ch 34:27; Neh 9:8; Jer 32:40.
b. it is the seat of naughtiness 1Sa 17:28 (?), erring Psa 95:10; is forward Psa 101:4.
c. seat of pride, Psa 101:5; Isa 9:8; Isa 10:12; Isa 60:5 (?) Eze 28:5-6, (?) Dan 8:25; ל ׳רָם heart is lifted up Deu 8:14; Deu 17:20; Eze 31:10; Dan 11:12.
d. is circumcised Deu 10:16; Deu 30:6; Jer 4:4, or uncircumcised Lev 26:41 (H); is hardened ל ׳אמּץ Deu 2:30; Deu 15:7; 2Ch 36:13; ל ׳כבּד 1Sa 6:6 (?); ל ׳הקשׁה Psa 95:8.
7 = the man himself (meaning characteristic of נֶפֶשׁ) בל ׳אמר say in the heart (to oneself) Deu 7:17; Deu 8:17; Deu 9:4; Deu 18:21; Psa 4:5; Isa 14:3; Isa 47:8; Isa 49:21; Jer 5:24; Jer 13:22; Zep 1:12; Zep 2:15; ללבב Hos 7:2 (?); בל ׳דבר Psa 15:2; בל ׳ברכו Job 1:5; בל ׳התברך Deu 29:18; לְבַבְכֶם יְחִי let your heart (you yourselves) live Psa 22:27; Psa 69:33 (compare Psa 119:175).
8 specifically as the seat of the appetites (for which usually נֶפֶשׁ) ל ׳סעד stay the heart (with food) Psa 104:15; Jdg 19:8 (?); לְבָבֶ֑ךָ יִיטַב that thine heart may be merry (with wine) Jdg 19:9 (?); ל ׳יְשַׂמַּח יַיִן wine gladdens the heart Psa 104:15.
9 specifically of seat of the emotions and passions (for which usually נפשׁ):
a. of joy Isa 30:29; Jer 15:16; Eze 36:5, gladness Deu 28:47, desire Pro 6:25 (?); ל ׳על דבּר speak into the heart (comfortably) 2Ch 32:6 (elsewhere לֵב).
b. of trouble 1Ki 8:38; Psa 25:17; Psa 73:21; weakness, faintness Lev 26:36 (H) Deu 20:3, Deu 20:18; 2Ch 13:7; Isa 1:5; Isa 7:4; Jer 51:46, grief Deu 15:10; 1Sa 1:8 sorrow Psa 13:3, fear Deu 28:67, dismay Isa 21:4, astonishment Deu 28:28, anger Deu 19:6, hate Lev 19:16 (H); ל ׳ימּס the heart melteth Deu 20:8; Jos 2:11; Jos 5:1; Jos 7:5 (all D) Isa 13:7; Isa 19:1; ל ׳המס Deu 1:28 (so read probably also Jos 14:8, where לֵב error).
10 seat of courage (for which usually רוּחַ), וּלְבָבוֺ כֹּחוֺ יָעֵר stir up his power and his courage Dan 11:25; לְבַבְכֶם יַאֲמֵץ let your heart take courage Psalm 31:25.
לְבַב noun masculineDan 4:13 heart (see Biblical Hebrew; so Egyptian Aramaic S-CB 12+); — construct ׳ל Dan 4:13; Dan 7:4; suffix לִבְבָח Dan 2:30; Dan 5:22, בֵהּ- Dan 4:13; Dan 5:20-21,.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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