WG: Heart (Hebrew Inner-Person Cluster)¶
Overview¶
The Hebrew concept of "heart" is carried by a tight family of words sharing the same root and meaning. Together they dominate the inner-person vocabulary of the OT, covering what English splits into "heart," "mind," "will," and "understanding."
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H3820 | לֵב | lêb | masc. noun | 550 | Core form — the directing inner center (emotion, will, intellect) | H3820-leb.md |
| H3824 | לֵבָב | lêbâb | masc. noun | 230 | Emphatic/fuller form — same range; preferred in covenantal "with all the heart" | TODO(need H3824 study) |
| H3826 | לִבָּה | libbâh | fem. noun | 7 | Feminine form — rare; same meaning | TODO(need H3826 study) |
| H5315 | נֶפֶשׁ | nephesh | fem. noun | 682 | Whole living person/soul — broader than lêb; occasionally shares "heart/mind" translation | H5315-nephesh.md |
| H7307 | רוּחַ | rûwach | fem. noun | 348 | Wind/breath/spirit — overlaps lêb in a few contexts (hardening, spirit of man) | TODO(need H7307 study) |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots¶
- H3820 lêb, H3824 lebab, H3826 libbah — all from the same lamed-bet root; lêb is the short form, lebab the full, libbah the feminine
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| H3820 lêb | H3824 lebab | 7 | Both in same verse — intensive emphasis on the heart (Deut 29:19) |
| H3824 lebab | H5315 nephesh | 27 | "with all your heart and with all your soul" — covenantal devotion formula |
| H3820 lêb | H5315 nephesh | 20 | Heart-and-soul pairings (Gen 34:3; 2 Chr 6:38) |
| H3820 lêb | H7307 ruach | 23 | "spirit" and "heart" combined — hardening, stirring, melting contexts |
| H3824 lebab | H7307 ruach | 5 | Same heart+spirit pairings |
Anchor passage (all three leb-forms + nephesh): - 1 Chr 28:9 — "serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind (leb + lebab + nephesh)" — David's charge to Solomon
LXX Overlaps¶
| Hebrew Words | Shared Greek | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lêb + lebab + libbah | all → καρδία (G2588) | The entire leb-family converges on a single Greek word |
| lêb + lebab | both → διάνοια (G1271) | When the cognitive/intellectual function is foregrounded |
| nephesh | → ψυχή (G5590) | Different Greek word — the LXX keeps leb/kardia and nephesh/psyche distinct |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Core term: lêb (H3820) — the standard word for heart across prose, poetry, and wisdom
- Emphatic form: lebab (H3824) — intensified/fuller form; favored in Deuteronomy's "with all your heart and all your soul" and in Chronicles
- Feminine form: libbah (H3826) — rare alternate spelling; same meaning
- Wider inner person: nephesh (H5315) — the whole living being; frequently paired with lêb in devotion formulas
- Dynamic power: ruach (H7307) — the animating force; lêb is the stable seat, ruach the moving energy
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Deut 6:5 — "love the LORD thy God with all thine heart (lebab) and with all thy soul (nephesh) and with all thy might" — the Shema uses lebab, not lêb
- 1 Chr 28:9 — "serve him with a perfect heart (lêb) and with a willing mind (lebab + nephesh)" — all three leb-words in near proximity
- 2 Chr 6:38 — "return to thee with all their heart (lêb) and with all their soul (nephesh)" — the covenantal pair
- Jer 32:41 — (implied promise) — God will give them one heart/lêb and ruach to fear him
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-02