lev · heart

What it means

lev (לֵב) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “heart”.

In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The deepest part of a person: where they think, feel and decide.
2. The mind: "lacking heart" means foolish.
3. Feelings: joy, sadness, courage or fear.
4. What one wants; the conscience.
5. The middle of something: "the heart of the sea".

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the seat of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills. BDB notes that it is used very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect, and also for the center of anything. לֵבָב (H3824) is another form of the same word.

• What a person thinks and plans Genesis 6:5
• What a person feels: pain, sorrow, joy Genesis 6:6
• The will, which can become obstinate Exodus 7:13Proverbs 4:23
• Understanding: “a heart that listens”; “lacking sense” 1 Kings 3:9Proverbs 7:7
• The center of something: “the heart of the sea” Exodus 15:8

How we translate it

“Heart” 572 times, “hearts” 5, “sense” 14 (in “lacking sense”, literally “lacking heart”). Elsewhere the image is kept even where English would say something else: “the wise of heart” (Exodus 31:6). In the story of Pharaoh his heart “became obstinate”, is “insensitive” (literally “heavy”) or is “hardened”: these are three different Hebrew verbs, and the translation keeps them different (Exodus 7:13, 14, 3).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• heart ×572
• sense ×14
• hearts ×5
• Leb-kamai ×1
• brokenhearted ×1
• deceived ×1
• pay attention ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×13
• Exodus×46
• Numbers×4
• Deuteronomy×4
• Joshua×2
• Judges×14
• Ruth×2
• 1 Samuel×16
• 2 Samuel×18
• 1 Kings×14
• 2 Kings×6
• 1 Chronicles×8
• 2 Chronicles×16
• Ezra×2
• Nehemiah×6
• Esther×4
• Job×20
• Psalms×100
• Proverbs×93
• Ecclesiastes×41
• Song of Songs×3
• Isaiah×31
• Jeremiah×58
• Lamentations×9
• Ezekiel×41
• Daniel×2
• Hosea×9
• Amos×1
• Obadiah×2
• Nahum×1
• Zephaniah×1
• Zechariah×4
• Malachi×4

• Genesis 6:5

  And YHWH saw that the wickedness of the human being was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the day.

• Genesis 6:6

  And YHWH was sorry that he had made the human being on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.

• Genesis 8:21

  And YHWH smelled the pleasing aroma, and YHWH said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human being, for the inclination of the heart of the human being is evil from his youth; and I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done.

• Genesis 17:17

  Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a son be born to one who is a hundred years old? And Sarah, will she, at ninety years, give birth?”

• Genesis 18:5

  And I will bring a morsel of bread, and refresh your hearts; after that you may go on, since that is why you have come by your servant.” They said, “Do so, as you have said.”

• Genesis 24:45

  Before I had finished speaking in my heart, look, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

• Genesis 27:41

  Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill Jacob my brother.”

• Genesis 31:20

  And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.

• Genesis 34:3

  But his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke to the heart of the young woman.

• Genesis 42:28

  He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned; and look, it is even in my bag!” Their hearts failed, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that Elohim has done to us?”

• Genesis 45:26

  They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is indeed ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them.

• Genesis 50:21

  So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.

• Exodus 4:14

  Then the anger of YHWH burned against Moses, and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can surely speak. And look, he is also coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

• Exodus 4:21

  YHWH said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your hand. But I will make his heart obstinate, and he will not let the people go.

• Exodus 7:3

  But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

• Exodus 7:13

  Yet the heart of Pharaoh became obstinate, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had said.

• Exodus 7:14

  YHWH said to Moses, “The heart of Pharaoh is insensitive; he refuses to let the people go.

• Exodus 7:22

  But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; and the heart of Pharaoh became obstinate, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had said.

• Exodus 7:23

  Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.

• Exodus 8:15

  But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he made his heart insensitive and did not listen to them, as YHWH had said.

• Exodus 8:19

  Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of Elohim.” But the heart of Pharaoh became obstinate, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had said.

• Exodus 8:32

  But Pharaoh made his heart insensitive this time also, and he did not let the people go.

• Exodus 9:7

  Pharaoh sent, and look, not even one of the livestock of Israel had died. But the heart of Pharaoh was insensitive, and he did not let the people go.

• Exodus 9:12

  But YHWH made the heart of Pharaoh obstinate, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had spoken to Moses.

• Exodus 9:14

  For this time I am sending all my plagues against your heart, and on your servants and on your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

• Exodus 9:21

  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of YHWH left his servants and his livestock in the field.

• Exodus 9:34

  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and made his heart insensitive, he and his servants.

• Exodus 9:35

  So the heart of Pharaoh became obstinate, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, as YHWH had spoken through Moses.

• Exodus 10:1

  YHWH said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart and the heart of his servants insensitive, in order to put these signs of mine in their midst,

• Exodus 10:20

  But YHWH made the heart of Pharaoh obstinate, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

• Exodus 10:27

  But YHWH made the heart of Pharaoh obstinate, and he was not willing to let them go.

• Exodus 11:10

  Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but YHWH made Pharaoh’s heart obstinate, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

• Exodus 14:4

  I will make Pharaoh’s heart obstinate, and he will pursue them, and I will gain glory over Pharaoh and over all his army; and the Egyptians will know that I am YHWH.” And they did so.

• Exodus 14:8

  YHWH made the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt obstinate, and he pursued the sons of Israel, while the sons of Israel were going out with hand raised.

• Exodus 14:17

  And I, look, I am making the heart of the Egyptians obstinate, so that they will go in after them; and I will gain glory over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.

• Exodus 15:8

  By the breath of your nostrils the waters piled up; the streams stood up like a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

• Exodus 25:2

  “Speak to the sons of Israel, that they take for me a contribution; from every man whose heart moves him you shall take my contribution.

• Exodus 28:3

  And you shall speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, that they make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him to serve as priest for me.

• Exodus 28:29

  Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the Holy Place, as a memorial before YHWH continually.

• Exodus 28:30

  You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on the heart of Aaron when he goes in before YHWH; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the sons of Israel on his heart before YHWH continually.

And 555 more times.