# H3820 - lev **Strong's:** [H3820](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3820/) (lev) · [H3824](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3824/) (levav) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** lave (lev); lay-vawb' (levav) **Part of speech:** masculine nouns; the two forms are functionally synonymous (*levav* is the older / more poetic form; *lev* is the more common prose form). **Frequency:** ~860 occurrences combined (~600 *lev* + ~260 *levav*), extremely common; distributed throughout the Hebrew Bible, with concentrations in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets. **LXX equivalent:** καρδία (*kardia*), direct correspondent. See [G2588 - kardia](/codex/g2588-kardia/). ## Semantic range (Brown-Driver-Briggs) The Hebrew *lev* / *levav* is *significantly broader* than the modern English "heart." It denotes the **integrating center of the inner person**, encompassing functions modern English distributes across multiple terms (mind, will, conscience, emotions, character, memory). 1. **The physical heart / chest**, the bodily organ; rare; mostly figurative even in literal-anatomy contexts. 2. **The seat of cognition / thought / understanding**, *lev* as *mind*. "What you have *in your heart*" = "what you are thinking" ([Gen 17:17](/codex/genesis-17-17/), Abraham *said in his heart*; the Hebrew idiom for "thought to himself"). Wisdom is "in the heart" ([Prov 2:10](/codex/proverbs-2-10/); 14:33). "A heart to know" ([Deut 29:4](/codex/deuteronomy-29-4/)). 3. **The seat of will / decision / intention**, *lev* as *the choosing self*. "Set your *lev* to" = "decide to" / "commit to." Pharaoh's *hardening of heart* ([Ex 7](/codex/exodus-7/)-14) is a will-and-choice phenomenon, not merely an emotion. 4. **The seat of conscience / moral awareness**, *lev* as the *ethical-self*. David's *lev* "smote him" after the census ([2 Sam 24:10](/codex/2-samuel-24-10/)); his *lev* smote him after cutting Saul's robe ([1 Sam 24:5](/codex/1-samuel-24-5/)). 5. **The seat of memory**, *lev* as where things are *kept* / *stored*. "Lay up in your heart" ([Deut 11:18](/codex/deuteronomy-11-18/)); Mary "kept all these things, pondering them in her *lev* / *kardia*" ([Luke 2:19](/codex/luke-2-19/), [51](/codex/luke-2-51/), Greek-NT activation). 6. **The seat of emotion**, *lev* as feeling: joy, sorrow, fear, love, hatred. The dominant English "heart" sense is here, but it is *one* of many in Hebrew, not the primary one. 7. **The seat of character / disposition**, *lev* as *who one fundamentally is*. "A man after His own *lev*" ([1 Sam 13:14](/codex/1-samuel-13-14/), David). "Pure of *lev*" ([Pss 24:4](/codex/psalms-24-4/); 51:10; 73:1; [Matt 5:8](/codex/matthew-5-8/)). 8. **The "inner person" / "self"**, by extension, *lev* sometimes simply means *one's inmost self*. ## Theological force, the integrating center of the human person The Hebrew *lev* is the **dominant biblical anthropology term**. Other anthropology-words ([H5315 - nephesh](/codex/h5315-nephesh/), [H7307 - ruach](/codex/h7307-ruach/), [H1320 - basar](/codex/h1320-basar/)) describe humans from particular angles; *lev* describes the *integrating center*, the place where thought, will, emotion, memory, conscience, and character converge and from which action flows. ### Stream 1, The heart's primacy as the moral seat **[Proverbs 4:23](/codex/proverbs-4-23/)**, "watch over your *lev* with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." Wisdom literature consistently treats the *lev* as the *source* of one's life-direction. The deeper-than-actions-seat, the place where the moral self is formed and from which actions emerge. **[Deuteronomy 6:5](/codex/deuteronomy-6-5/) / the Shema Yisrael**, "you shall love the LORD your God with all your *lev* (*levav*) and with all your *nephesh* and with all your *meod*." The *lev* leads the triplet, the *integrating center* of love-of-God; the others (life-energy, capacity) are subordinate. Jesus quotes this in [Matt 22:37](/codex/matthew-22-37/) / [Mark 12:30](/codex/mark-12-30/) / [Luke 10:27](/codex/luke-10-27/), expanded in the NT to four-fold (heart, soul, *strength* / capacity, *mind* / cognitive function), recognizing that NT Greek's *kardia* needs supplementation by *dianoia* / *ischus* to capture what the OT *lev* held in one term. ### Stream 2, Hardness of heart and circumcision of heart The OT develops two contrasting heart-conditions: *hardened lev* (the rebellious-unbelieving condition) and *circumcised lev* (the redeemed condition). **Hardness of heart:** - [Ex 4:21](/codex/exodus-4-21/); 7:3, 13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34, 35; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17, Pharaoh's heart-hardening across the Exodus narrative - [Deut 29:19](/codex/deuteronomy-29-19/) ("walking in the stubbornness of my *lev*"); [1 Sam 6:6](/codex/1-samuel-6-6/) - [Ezek 11:19](/codex/ezekiel-11-19/); 36:26, promise of *removing the heart of stone* and giving *a heart of flesh* **Circumcision of heart:** - [Deut 10:16](/codex/deuteronomy-10-16/), "circumcise your *lev*" - [Deut 30:6](/codex/deuteronomy-30-6/), "the LORD your God will circumcise your *lev*", divine action enabling - [Jer 4:4](/codex/jeremiah-4-4/), "circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your *lev*" - [Rom 2:28-29](/codex/romans-2-28-29/), Paul's NT activation: "true circumcision is of the *kardia*, by the Spirit, not by the letter" The *lev*-circumcision tradition is the OT-Hebrew prefiguration of NT regeneration. The **[New Covenant](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/)** in [Jeremiah 31:33](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/), "I will put My law within them and on their *lev* I will write it", pairs with [Ezekiel 36:26](/codex/ezekiel-36-26/) ("a new heart will I give you") to anchor the NT doctrine of regeneration / new birth (cf. [John 3:1-15](/codex/john-3-1-15/); [Titus 3:5](/codex/titus-3-5/)). ### Stream 3, Heart as covenantal-personal commitment To love / serve / fear God *with all your heart* (*be-khol-levavcha*) is to *integrate the whole-self* in covenantal commitment. This is the OT-Hebrew anti-fragmentation doctrine: God is not satisfied with external observance, ritual conformity, or partial allegiance, He demands the *integrating center* of the person. - [Deut 4:29](/codex/deuteronomy-4-29/); 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 26:16; 30:2, 6, 10 - [1 Sam 7:3](/codex/1-samuel-7-3/); 12:20, 24 - [1 Kgs 8:23](/codex/1-kings-8-23/), [48](/codex/1-kings-8-48/); [2 Kgs 23:3](/codex/2-kings-23-3/), [25](/codex/2-kings-23-25/) - [2 Chr 6:14](/codex/2-chronicles-6-14/); 15:12, 15; 22:9; 31:21; 34:31 - [Ps 9:1](/codex/psalms-9-1/); 86:12; 111:1; 119:2, 10, 34, 58, 69, 145 - [Jer 24:7](/codex/jeremiah-24-7/); 29:13 - [Joel 2:12](/codex/joel-2-12/), "return to Me with all your *lev*" ## Notable verses ### The Shema and full-heart commitment - **[Deuteronomy 6:5](/codex/deuteronomy-6-5/)**, the Shema's love-the-LORD command - **[Deuteronomy 30:6](/codex/deuteronomy-30-6/)**, divine circumcision of the *lev* - **[Joel 2:12-13](/codex/joel-2-12-13/)**, "return to Me with all your *lev*" ### Hardness of heart - **[Exodus 7](/codex/exodus-7/)-14**, Pharaoh's heart-hardening (~20 occurrences) - **[Deuteronomy 29:18-20](/codex/deuteronomy-29-18-20/)**, covenant warning - **[Ezekiel 11:19](/codex/ezekiel-11-19/); 36:26**, heart-of-stone vs heart-of-flesh ### [New Covenant](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/) heart-promise - **[Jeremiah 31:33](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/)**, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it" - **[Ezekiel 36:26-27](/codex/ezekiel-36-26-27/)**, "a new heart will I give you" - **[Romans 2.28-29](/codex/romans-2-28-29/)**, true circumcision of the heart ### Wisdom, heart as moral source - **[Proverbs 4:23](/codex/proverbs-4-23/)**, "watch over your heart with all diligence" - **[Proverbs 3:1](/codex/proverbs-3-1/), [5](/codex/proverbs-3-5/); 7:3; 23:7, 26; 27:19** - **[Ecclesiastes 7:2](/codex/ecclesiastes-7-2/); 8:5; 10:2** ### Heart-cleansing / repentance - **[Psalms 51:10](/codex/psalms-51-10/)**, "create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" - **[Psalms 24:4](/codex/psalms-24-4/)**, "he who has clean hands and a pure heart" - **[Psalms 73:1](/codex/psalms-73-1/)**, "God is good... to those who are pure in heart" - **[Matthew 5:8](/codex/matthew-5-8/)**, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" ### Heart as understanding / cognition - **[1 Kings 3:9](/codex/1-kings-3-9/), [12](/codex/1-kings-3-12/)**, Solomon's request for "an understanding *lev*" - **[Genesis 17:17](/codex/genesis-17-17/); 24:45**, "said in his heart" - **[Proverbs 2:10](/codex/proverbs-2-10/); 14:33**, wisdom in the heart - **[Isaiah 6:10](/codex/isaiah-6-10/)**, "make the *lev* of this people insensitive" (the hardening-prophecy quoted in [Matt 13:14-15](/codex/matthew-13-14-15/); [John 12:40](/codex/john-12-40/); [Acts 28:26-27](/codex/acts-28-26-27/)) ### NT activation - **[Mark 7:21](/codex/mark-7-21/)**, "from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts..." - **[Romans 10.9-10](/codex/romans-10-9-10/)**, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and *believe in your heart* that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved... with the *kardia* a person believes, resulting in righteousness" - **[Luke 6:45](/codex/luke-6-45/)**, "the good man out of the good treasure of his *kardia* brings forth what is good" - **[2 Corinthians 3:3](/codex/2-corinthians-3-3/)**, "you are a letter of Christ... written... on tablets of human hearts" - **[Hebrews 8:10](/codex/hebrews-8-10/); [Hebrews 10:16](/codex/hebrews-10-16/)**, [Jeremiah 31:33](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/) quotations ## Patristic / scholarly note The biblical *lev* / *kardia* is one of the most theologically loaded anthropology terms. **Augustine** (*Confessions* 10.27, "Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new... You were within me, but I was outside, and there I sought You"), develops the *cor inquietum* (restless heart) tradition that has shaped Christian piety since. **Calvin** (*Institutes* III.3.5, "the work of repentance"; III.7.1, self-denial), emphasizes the *lev* as the seat of the regenerated will. The Reformed *ordo salutis* (regeneration → faith → repentance → sanctification) is *heart*-centered: the Spirit's work is on the *lev* / *kardia*, not merely on intellect or behavior. **Pascal** (*Pensées*), "the heart has its reasons that reason knows not of", captures the integrating-center / pre-rational dimension of *lev* / *kardia*. Pascal's tradition has shaped the Christian apologetic engagement with reason-and-affection in modernity. In modern Reformed scholarship, **Hans Walter Wolff** (*Anthropology of the Old Testament*, 1974), the standard treatment of OT anthropological terminology, with extensive discussion of *lev* / *levav*. **G.K. Beale** (*A New Testament Biblical Theology*, 2011), develops the *new-heart-promise* trajectory from [Jer 31](/codex/jeremiah-31/) / [Ezek 36](/codex/ezekiel-36/) to NT regeneration. The **regeneration-as-new-heart** tradition is the canonical anchor for the Reformed doctrine of monergistic regeneration. *Lev*-of-stone cannot become *lev*-of-flesh by its own self-effort; only the divine circumcision-of-heart can do that. This *lev*-as-passive-recipient-of-divine-action is one of the strongest OT supports for the Reformed *sola gratia* tradition. ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ Anchors: [Deuteronomy 6:5](/codex/deuteronomy-6-5/) (the Shema), [Jeremiah 31:33](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/) ([New Covenant](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/) heart-promise), [Ezekiel 36:26-27](/codex/ezekiel-36-26-27/) (heart of flesh), [Proverbs 4:23](/codex/proverbs-4-23/) (the heart's primacy), [Psalms 51.10](/codex/psalms-51-10/) (clean heart), [Matthew 5:8](/codex/matthew-5-8/) (pure in heart), [Romans 10.9-10](/codex/romans-10-9-10/) (heart-belief). ## See also - [G2588 - kardia](/codex/g2588-kardia/), *kardia* (heart), Greek correspondent - [H5315 - nephesh](/codex/h5315-nephesh/), *nephesh* (soul / life-as-living-being) - [H7307 - ruach](/codex/h7307-ruach/), *ruach* (spirit / breath) - [G3563 - nous](/codex/g3563-nous/), *nous* (mind), companion in NT - [Repentance](/codex/g3341-metanoia/), concept hub the *lev*-circumcision tradition supports - [Sanctification](/codex/sanctification/), the Spirit's continuing work on the *lev* - Passages: [Deuteronomy 6:5](/codex/deuteronomy-6-5/), [Jeremiah 31:33](/codex/jeremiah-31-33/), [Ezekiel 36:26-27](/codex/ezekiel-36-26-27/), [Romans 10.9](/codex/romans-10-9/), [Proverbs 4:23](/codex/proverbs-4-23/), [Matthew 5:8](/codex/matthew-5-8/)