Word Studies¶

Hebrew Key Terms¶

H1285 בְּרִית (beriyth) -- "covenant"¶

Root meaning: From the root sense of "cutting" -- a compact made by passing between pieces of flesh (Gen 15:10,17).
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 284 occurrences.
Semantic range: Covenant, compact, confederacy, league.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:31: "I will make a new covenant (berith chadashah) with the house of Israel"
Jer 31:32: "Not according to the covenant (berith) that I made with their fathers...which my covenant they brake"
Jer 31:33: "This shall be the covenant (berith) that I will make"
Deu 4:13: "He declared unto you his covenant (beritho), which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments"
Exo 34:28: "the words of the covenant, the ten commandments"
LXX equivalent: G1242 διαθήκη (diatheke) -- count: 246, PMI score: 34.58. The Greek diatheke carries both "covenant" and "testament/will" senses (Heb 9:16-17).
Observation: Deu 4:13 explicitly equates "his covenant" with "the ten commandments." This equation is the basis for identifying the covenant content in the new covenant promise.

H3789 כָּתַב (kathab) -- "write"¶

Root meaning: Primitive root; to grave, engrave, write, inscribe, prescribe, describe.
Part of speech: Verb. 223 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:33: "I will write it (ekhtavenah) in their hearts" -- Qal imperfect 1cs with 3fs suffix (referring to torah, feminine)
Exo 31:18: "tables of stone, written with the finger of God"
Exo 32:15: "tables written on both their sides"
Deu 9:10: "two tables of stone written with the finger of God"
Deu 10:4: "he wrote on the tables...the ten commandments"
Psa 40:7: "in the volume of the book it is written of me"
Pro 3:3: "write them upon the table of thine heart"
Pro 7:3: "write them upon the table of thine heart"
Jer 17:1: "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron...upon the table of their heart"
LXX equivalents: G1125 γράφω (grapho, count: 185, score: 34.64); G1924 ἐπιγράφω (epigrapho, count: 4, score: 10.87)
Observation: The same verb kathab is used for God writing the Decalogue on stone (Deu 10:4) and for God writing His law on hearts (Jer 31:33). The verb carries the sense of engraving/inscribing. The LXX renders kathab as both grapho and epigrapho, with the latter appearing in Heb 8:10 and 10:16.

H8451 תּוֹרָה (torah) -- "law/instruction"¶

Root meaning: From yarah (to throw, shoot, point out, direct); instruction, direction, precept, statute.
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 219 occurrences.
Semantic range: Law, instruction, direction; used specifically for the Decalogue, the Pentateuch, or instruction more broadly.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:33: "I will put my law (torati = my torah) in their inward parts" -- 1st person singular possessive suffix
Psa 40:8(9): "Thy law (toratekha) is within my heart"
Psa 37:31: "The law (torat) of his God is in his heart"
Psa 119:11: "Thy word have I hid in mine heart"
Psa 119:97: "O how love I thy law (toratekha)"
Isa 51:7: "the people in whose heart is my law (torati)"
LXX equivalent: G3551 νόμος (nomos) -- count: 188, PMI score: 33.81. Also rendered as G1785 ἐντολή (entole, "commandment," count: 23).
Observation: In Jer 31:33 the possessive suffix "my" (torati = "my torah/my law") identifies the law as God's pre-existing law, not a new or different law. The same construction "my torah" appears in Isa 51:7 describing the people "in whose heart is my law."

H3820 לֵב (leb) / H3824 לֵבָב (lebab) -- "heart"¶

Root meaning: The heart; used figuratively for the feelings, will, intellect, and center of the person.
Part of speech: Masculine noun. H3820: 593 occurrences. H3824: 252 occurrences.
Semantic range: Heart, mind, understanding, will, courage, midst, inner person.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:33: "write it in their hearts (libbam)" -- H3820 leb + 3mp suffix
Eze 11:19: "I will give them one heart (leb)" and "I will take the stony heart (leb) out of their flesh and give them a heart (leb) of flesh"
Eze 36:26: "A new heart (leb) will I give you...the stony heart (leb)...a heart (leb) of flesh"
Deu 5:29: "O that there were such an heart (lebab) in them"
Deu 6:5-6: "love the LORD thy God with all thine heart (lebab)...these words shall be in thine heart (lebab)"
Deu 30:6: "circumcise thine heart (lebab)"
Psa 51:10: "Create in me a clean heart (leb)"
LXX equivalent: G2588 καρδία (kardia) -- count: 436, PMI score: 29.17. Also G1271 διάνοια (dianoia, "mind/understanding," count: 20).
Observation: Both leb and lebab appear in heart-law passages. The heart in Hebrew thought is the seat of the will, intellect, and moral judgment -- not merely emotion. The new covenant promise targets this center of human decision-making.

H7130 קֶרֶב (qereb) -- "inward part/midst"¶

Root meaning: Properly, the nearest part, the center; used of the interior of the body or figuratively the inner person.
Part of speech: Masculine noun. 227 occurrences.
Semantic range: Among, before, bowels, inward (part/thought), midst, within self.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:33: "I will put my law in their inward parts (b'qirbam)" -- preposition b' + qereb + 3mp suffix
Eze 36:26-27: "a new spirit will I put within you (b'qirbkhem)"
Eze 11:19: "a new spirit within you (b'qirbkhem)"
Psa 51:10(12): "renew a right spirit within me (b'qirbi)"
Psa 103:1: "all that is within me (q'rabay), bless his holy name"
Observation: Qereb refers to the deepest interior of the person. In Jer 31:33 it is used in parallel with "heart" (leb), indicating that the law-writing penetrates to the core of human identity. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah use this term for the location where God places His spirit and law.

H7307 רוּחַ (ruach) -- "spirit/wind/breath"¶

Root meaning: Wind; by resemblance breath; figuratively, life, spirit (of a rational being).
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 378 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Eze 36:26: "a new spirit (ruach) will I put within you"
Eze 36:27: "I will put my spirit (ruchi = my ruach) within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes"
Eze 11:19: "I will put a new spirit (ruach) within you"
Eze 37:14: "I shall put my spirit (ruchi) in you, and ye shall live"
Psa 51:10: "renew a right spirit (ruach) within me"
Psa 51:11: "take not thy holy spirit (ruach) from me"
Isa 44:3: "I will pour my spirit (ruchi) upon thy seed"
Joel 2:28: "I will pour out my spirit (ruchi) upon all flesh"
Observation: The Spirit is the agent who causes obedience to God's statutes (Eze 36:27). The new covenant promise links the Spirit's indwelling with law-obedience. This is God's own Spirit ("my spirit"), paralleling "my law" in Jer 31:33.

H2319 חָדָשׁ (chadash) -- "new"¶

Root meaning: From the root meaning "to be new, fresh."
Part of speech: Adjective. 53 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Jer 31:31: "I will make a new (chadashah, feminine form) covenant"
Eze 11:19: "I will put a new (chadashah) spirit within you"
Eze 18:31: "make you a new (chadash) heart and a new (chadashah) spirit"
Eze 36:26: "A new (chadash) heart...and a new (chadashah) spirit"
Isa 42:9: "new things do I declare"
Isa 43:19: "I will do a new thing"
Isa 65:17: "new heavens and a new earth"
Observation: The "newness" in the new covenant concerns the arrangement (location, mechanism, mediator), not the content of the law. Eze 36:26 uses chadash for both "heart" and "spirit" -- new containers for the same law.

Greek Key Terms¶

G1242 διαθήκη (diatheke) -- "covenant/testament"¶

Root meaning: From diatithemi (to put apart, dispose); a disposition, contract, testament.
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 33 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:6: "mediator of a better covenant (diatheke)"
Heb 8:8: "I will make a new covenant (diatheken kainen)"
Heb 8:9: "Not according to the covenant (diatheken) that I made with their fathers...because they continued not in my covenant (diatheke)"
Heb 8:10: "This is the covenant (diatheke) that I will make"
Heb 9:15: "the mediator of the new testament (diatheke)"
Heb 10:16: "This is the covenant (diatheke) that I will make"
2 Cor 3:6: "able ministers of the new testament (diatheke)"
2 Cor 3:14: "the reading of the old testament (diatheke)"
Luk 22:20: "This cup is the new testament (diatheke) in my blood"
Heb 13:20: "the blood of the everlasting covenant (diatheke)"
Hebrew source: H1285 beriyth (covenant)
Observation: Diatheke carries both "covenant" (mutual agreement) and "testament/will" (unilateral disposition) senses. Heb 9:16-17 exploits the "will" sense, while Heb 8:8-10 uses the "covenant" sense. The LXX consistently renders beriyth as diatheke.

G3551 νόμος (nomos) -- "law"¶

Root meaning: From nemo (to parcel out, distribute); a law, principle, regulation.
Part of speech: Masculine noun. 197 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:10: "I will put my laws (nomous mou) into their mind" -- accusative plural, first-person possessive
Heb 10:16: "I will put my laws (nomous mou) into their hearts"
Rom 2:14: "Gentiles, which have not the law (nomon), do by nature the things contained in the law (nomou)"
Rom 2:15: "the work of the law (nomou) written in their hearts"
Rom 7:12: "the law (nomos) is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good"
Rom 7:14: "the law (nomos) is spiritual"
Rom 8:3-4: "what the law (nomos) could not do...that the righteousness of the law (nomou) might be fulfilled in us"
Rom 3:31: "Do we make void the law (nomon) through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law (nomon)"
Hebrew source: H8451 torah (count: 188 in LXX)
Observation: In Heb 8:10 and 10:16, nomos appears in the plural (nomous, "laws") with the possessive "my" (mou). This is the content that is written on hearts. Paul affirms the law is "holy, just, good, spiritual" (Rom 7:12,14) while also stating it could not achieve righteousness "through the flesh" (Rom 8:3). The Spirit enables what the law alone could not.

G1449 ἐγγράφω (engrapho) -- "inscribe/engrave"¶

Root meaning: From en (in) + grapho (write); to engrave, inscribe, write in.
Part of speech: Verb. Only 2-3 NT occurrences (Luk 10:20; 2 Cor 3:2; 3:3).
Key uses in study passages:
2 Cor 3:2: "Ye are our epistle written (engegrammmene, perfect passive participle) in our hearts"
2 Cor 3:3: "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ....written (engegrammene) not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God"
Observation: The perfect passive participle indicates a completed action with lasting results. The inscription has been done (by God/Spirit) and remains in effect. The prefix en- ("in") emphasizes internality -- the writing is engraved within, not merely applied on the surface.

G1924 ἐπιγράφω (epigrapho) -- "write upon/inscribe"¶

Root meaning: From epi (upon) + grapho (write); to inscribe, write upon.
Part of speech: Verb. 5 NT occurrences (Mrk 15:26; Acts 17:23; Heb 8:10; 10:16; Rev 21:12).
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:10: "write them (epigrapso) in their hearts" -- future active indicative 1st singular
Heb 10:16: "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write (epigrapso) them"
Other NT uses:
Mrk 15:26: "the superscription of his accusation was written over" (the inscription on the cross)
Acts 17:23: "I found an altar with this inscription" (the Athenian altar)
Rev 21:12: "names written thereon" (on the gates of New Jerusalem)
LXX use: Pro 7:3 "write them upon the table of thine heart" -- rendering of Hebrew kathab
Observation: Epigrapho carries the specific sense of formal inscription, as seen in its use for the cross inscription (Mrk 15:26), the Athenian altar (Acts 17:23), and the New Jerusalem gates (Rev 21:12). When Hebrews uses this verb for God's heart-writing, it connotes a permanent, authoritative inscription -- not casual or temporary writing. The LXX use of epigrapho in Pro 7:3 to translate kathab in the context of "write them on the table of thine heart" directly connects this verb to the heart-law tradition.

G2588 καρδία (kardia) -- "heart"¶

Root meaning: Prolonged from kar (Latin cor); the heart.
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 160 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:10: "write them in their hearts (kardias)"
Heb 10:16: "I will put my laws into their hearts (kardias)"
2 Cor 3:2: "written in our hearts (kardiais)"
2 Cor 3:3: "fleshy tables of the heart (kardias)"
2 Cor 3:15: "the vail is upon their heart (kardian)"
Rom 2:15: "the work of the law written in their hearts (kardiais)"
Rom 2:29: "circumcision is that of the heart (kardias), in the spirit"
Rom 5:5: "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts (kardiais) by the Holy Ghost"
Rom 10:8-10: "the word is...in thy heart (kardia)...with the heart (kardia) man believeth unto righteousness"
Acts 7:51: "uncircumcised in heart (kardiais) and ears"
Acts 15:9: "purifying their hearts (kardias) by faith"
Acts 16:14: "the Lord opened [Lydia's] heart (kardian)"
Hebrew source: H3820 leb (count: 436 in LXX), H3824 lebab
Observation: Kardia in the NT carries the Hebrew leb's full semantic range -- the center of thought, will, moral judgment, and affection. It is not merely the seat of emotion but the whole inner person.

G4151 πνεῦμα (pneuma) -- "spirit"¶

Root meaning: From pneo (to breathe); breath, breeze, spirit.
Part of speech: Neuter noun. 385 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
2 Cor 3:3: "written...with the Spirit (pneumati) of the living God" -- dative of instrument
2 Cor 3:6: "not of the letter, but of the spirit (pneumatos): for the letter killeth, but the spirit (pneuma) giveth life"
2 Cor 3:8: "the ministration of the spirit (pneumatos)"
2 Cor 3:17-18: "the Lord is that Spirit (pneuma)...by the Spirit (pneumatos) of the Lord"
Rom 2:29: "circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit (pneumati)"
Rom 5:5: "by the Holy Ghost (pneumatos)"
Rom 8:2: "the law of the Spirit (pneumatos) of life"
Rom 8:4: "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (pneuma)"
Rom 8:9-16: extensive use -- Spirit indwells, leads, testifies, helps
Gal 5:16-25: "Walk in the Spirit (pneumati)...fruit of the Spirit (pneumatos)...led of the Spirit (pneumati)"
Eze 36:27 (LXX): "my spirit (pneuma mou)"
Hebrew source: H7307 ruach
Observation: The Spirit is the agent of the new covenant writing. In 2 Cor 3:3, the Spirit replaces ink as the writing instrument. In Rom 8:4, the Spirit enables fulfillment of the law's righteousness. In Gal 5:22-23, the Spirit produces fruit (love, joy, peace, etc.) against which "there is no law" -- i.e., the Spirit's work naturally aligns with what the law requires.

G2537 καινός (kainos) -- "new (in quality)"¶

Root meaning: New, especially in freshness/quality (contrasted with neos, which emphasizes newness in time).
Part of speech: Adjective. 44 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:8: "I will make a new (kainen) covenant"
Heb 8:13: "In that he saith, A new (kainen) covenant, he hath made the first old"
Heb 9:15: "the mediator of the new (kaines) testament"
2 Cor 3:6: "ministers of the new (kaines) testament"
2 Cor 5:17: "if any man be in Christ, he is a new (kaine) creature"
Eph 4:24: "put on the new (kainon) man, which after God is created in righteousness"
Rev 21:1-2,5: "a new (kainon) heaven and a new (kainen) earth...the new (kainen) Jerusalem...I make all things new (kaina)"
Hebrew source: H2319 chadash
Observation: Kainos emphasizes qualitative newness -- fresh, superior, renewed -- rather than merely chronological newness. The "new covenant" is new in quality (better promises, better mediator, Spirit-empowerment) while retaining the same moral content.

G1271 διάνοια (dianoia) -- "mind/understanding"¶

Root meaning: From dia (through) + nous (mind); deep thought, faculty of thinking.
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 13 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:10: "I will put my laws into their mind (dianoian)"
Heb 10:16: "in their minds (dianoian) will I write them"
Mat 22:37: "love the Lord thy God with all thy....mind (dianoia)"
Mrk 12:30: "love the Lord thy God with all thy....mind (dianoias)"
Luk 10:27: "love the Lord thy God with all thy....mind (dianoia)"
1 Jn 5:20: "hath given us an understanding (dianoian)"
Hebrew source: H3820 leb (in LXX, count: 20)
Observation: Heb 8:10 uses both dianoia (mind) and kardia (heart), whereas Jer 31:33 uses qereb (inward parts) and leb (heart). The NT rendering expands the location to include both the cognitive faculty (dianoia) and the volitional/affective center (kardia). The same term appears in the Shema command to love God with all the "mind" (Mat 22:37).

G4109 πλάξ (plax) -- "tablet"¶

Root meaning: A flat surface, moulding-board, tablet.
Part of speech: Feminine noun. 3 NT occurrences: 2 Cor 3:3 (2x); Heb 9:4.
Key uses in study passages:
2 Cor 3:3: "not in tables (plaxin) of stone, but in fleshy tables (plaxin) of the heart"
Heb 9:4: "the ark of the covenant...and the tables (plakes) of the covenant"
Observation: Plax refers specifically to the flat stone tablets on which the Decalogue was inscribed. In 2 Cor 3:3, Paul contrasts "plaxin lithinais" (stone tablets) with "plaxin kardiais sarkinais" (fleshy heart-tablets). Since only the Decalogue was written on stone tablets (Exo 31:18; Deu 9:10), the "tables of stone" reference identifies the content as the Decalogue.

G4560 σάρκινος (sarkinos) -- "fleshy/made of flesh"¶

Root meaning: From sarx (flesh); similar to flesh, soft, made of flesh.
Part of speech: Adjective. Rare (1-4 occurrences depending on text).
Key uses in study passages:
2 Cor 3:3: "fleshy (sarkinais) tables of the heart"
Other uses: Rom 7:14; 1 Cor 3:1; Heb 7:16
Observation: Sarkinos describes the material quality -- "made of flesh" as opposed to made of stone. The contrast is between dead stone and living flesh, echoing Eze 36:26 ("I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh"). The new covenant medium is living, responsive human tissue rather than inert stone.

G1303 διατίθεμαι (diatithemai) -- "make/dispose covenant"¶

Root meaning: Middle voice of diatithemi (to put apart, dispose); used specifically for making or establishing a covenant.
Part of speech: Verb. 7 occurrences.
Key uses in study passages:
Heb 8:10: "the covenant that I will make (diathesomai)" -- future middle indicative 1st singular
Heb 10:16: "the covenant that I will make (diathesomai)"
Luk 22:29: "I appoint (diatithemi) unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed (dietheto) unto me"
Acts 3:25: "the covenant which God made (dietheto) with our fathers"
Hebrew source: H3772 karath (to cut [a covenant])
Observation: The middle voice emphasizes that God Himself is the one making/disposing the covenant -- it is His initiative and His action, not a bilateral negotiation. The same verb connects to Luk 22:29 where Christ disposes a kingdom.

Word Study Connections¶

The Writing Verb Chain¶

Three Greek verbs for "writing" appear in the heart-law passages, each with distinct nuances: 1. G1924 ἐπιγράφω (epigrapho) -- "write upon/inscribe" (Heb 8:10; 10:16). Formal inscription; used for the cross inscription (Mrk 15:26) and altar inscription (Acts 17:23). Renders Hebrew kathab in LXX Pro 7:3. 2. G1449 ἐγγράφω (engrapho) -- "engrave within/inscribe" (2 Cor 3:2-3). Perfect passive participle indicates completed, lasting inscription. Only 2-3 NT uses. 3. G1125 γράφω (grapho) -- "write/grave" (general). Primary LXX equivalent of Hebrew kathab (H3789, count: 185).

All three share the root grapho (write/engrave), with prefixes modifying the nature of the writing: epi- (upon), en- (in/within), or no prefix (general). The Hebrew kathab is also used for God's writing on stone (Exo 31:18; Deu 10:4) and God's writing on hearts (Jer 31:33).

Heart/Mind Terminology¶

The Hebrew uses two pairs of terms for the inner person: 1. H3820 leb / H3824 lebab -- heart (will, intellect, moral center) 2. H7130 qereb -- inward parts (deep interior)

The Greek renders these as: 1. G2588 kardia -- heart (primary equivalent of leb) 2. G1271 dianoia -- mind/understanding (secondary rendering of leb)

In Heb 8:10, both dianoia and kardia appear ("into their mind...in their hearts"), comprehensively covering the cognitive and volitional faculties. The law-writing reaches every aspect of the inner person.

Stone vs. Flesh Contrast¶

The stone/flesh contrast appears in both testaments: - OT: Eze 36:26 -- "stony heart" (leb ha-eben, H3820+H68) vs. "heart of flesh" (leb basar, H3820+H1320) - NT: 2 Cor 3:3 -- "tables of stone" (plaxin lithinais, G4109+G3035) vs. "fleshy tables of the heart" (plaxin kardiais sarkinais, G4109+G2588+G4560)

Both passages contrast dead, unresponsive stone with living, responsive flesh. The medium changes; both texts identify the same content being written/placed.

The Possessive "My" Pattern¶

Both testaments use divine possessive pronouns for the law/statutes: - Jer 31:33: "MY law" (torati = H8451 + 1cs suffix) - Eze 36:27: "MY statutes" (chuqqotai = H2706 + 1cs suffix) and "MY judgments" (mishpatai = H4941 + 1cs suffix) - Heb 8:10: "MY laws" (nomous mou = G3551 + G1473) - Heb 10:16: "MY laws" (nomous mou)

The possessive "my" identifies the law as God's pre-existing law, not a new or different law introduced with the new covenant.