לֵב
heart
also: inner man, mind, will, understanding fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H3820 appears in the Book of Jeremiah — 51 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jeremiah
- Jeremiah 3:10 לִבָּ֑/הּ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3fs Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not returned to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 3:15 כְּ/לִבִּ֑/י prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
- Jeremiah 3:16 לֵ֑ב n c ms It shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says Yahweh, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Yahweh; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.
- Jeremiah 3:17 לִבָּ֥/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Yahweh; and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
- Jeremiah 4:9 לֵב וְ/לֵ֣ב n c ms cs conj + n c ms cs It shall happen at that day, says Yahweh, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
- Jeremiah 4:14 לִבֵּ/ךְ֙ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
- Jeremiah 4:18 לִבֵּֽ/ךְ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs Your way and your doings have procured these things to you; this is your wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reaches to your heart.
- Jeremiah 4:19 לִבִּ֛/י לִבִּ֖/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can't hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
- Jeremiah 5:21 לֵ֑ב n c ms Hear now this, foolish people, and without understanding; who have eyes, and don't see; who have ears, and don't hear:
- Jeremiah 5:23 לֵ֖ב n c ms But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
- Jeremiah 7:24 לִבָּ֣/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp But they didn't listen nor turn their ear, but walked in [their own] counsels [and] in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
- Jeremiah 7:31 לִבִּֽ/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I didn't command, neither came it into my mind.
- Jeremiah 8:18 לִבִּ֥/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! my heart is faint within me.
- Jeremiah 9:14 לִבָּ֑/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them;
- Jeremiah 9:26 לֵֽב n c ms Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners [of their hair] cut off, who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.
- Jeremiah 11:8 לִבָּ֣/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp Yet they didn't obey, nor turn their ear, but walked everyone in the stubbornness of their evil heart: therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they didn't do them.
- Jeremiah 11:20 וָ/לֵ֑ב conj + n c ms But, Yahweh of Hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, I shall see your vengeance on them; for to you have I revealed my cause.
- Jeremiah 12:3 לִבִּ֖/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs But you, Yahweh, know me; you see me, and try my heart toward you: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
- Jeremiah 12:11 לֵֽב n c ms They have made it a desolation; it mourns to me, being desolate; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.
- Jeremiah 13:10 לִבָּ֔/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing.
- Jeremiah 14:14 לִבָּ֔/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp Then Yahweh said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I didn't send them, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them: they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.
- Jeremiah 16:12 לִבּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms and you have done evil more than your fathers; for, behold, you walk every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that you don't listen to me:
- Jeremiah 17:1 לִבָּ֔/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, [and] with the point of a diamond: it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars;
- Jeremiah 17:5 לִבּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Thus says Yahweh: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 17:9 הַ/לֵּ֛ב ptcl def.art + n c ms The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?
- Jeremiah 17:10 לֵ֖ב n c ms I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
- Jeremiah 18:12 לִבּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms But they say, It is in vain; for we will walk after our own devices, and we will do everyone after the stubbornness of his evil heart.
- Jeremiah 19:5 לִבִּֽ/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn't command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
- Jeremiah 20:9 בְ/לִבִּ/י֙ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs If I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I can't [contain].
- Jeremiah 20:12 וָ/לֵ֑ב conj + n c ms But, Yahweh of Hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance on them; for to you have I revealed my cause.
- Jeremiah 22:17 וְ/לִבְּ/ךָ֔ conj + n c ms cs + sfx pers 2ms But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
- Jeremiah 23:9 לִבִּ֣/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of Yahweh, and because of his holy words.
- Jeremiah 23:16 לִבָּ/ם֙ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, Don't listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 23:17 לִבּ/וֹ֙ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms They say continually to those who despise me, Yahweh has said, You shall have peace; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come on you.
- Jeremiah 23:20 לִבּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms The anger of Yahweh shall not return, until he has executed, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly.
- Jeremiah 23:26 בְּ/לֵ֥ב לִבָּֽ/ם prep + n c ms cs n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart?
- Jeremiah 24:7 לֵ֜ב לִבָּֽ/ם n c ms n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Yahweh: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
- Jeremiah 30:21 לִבּ֛/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to me: for who is he who has had boldness to approach to me? says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 30:24 לִבּ֑/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms The fierce anger of Yahweh shall not return, until he has executed, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days you shall understand it.
- Jeremiah 31:21 לִבֵּ֔/ךְ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs Set up road signs, make guideposts; set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went: turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities.
- Jeremiah 31:33 לִבָּ֖/ם n c ms cs + sfx pers 3mp But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:
- Jeremiah 32:35 לִבִּ֔/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] to Molech; which I didn't command them, neither did it come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
- Jeremiah 32:39 לֵ֤ב n c ms and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
- Jeremiah 32:41 לִבִּ֖/י n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
- Jeremiah 44:21 לִבּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, didn't Yahweh remember them, and didn't it come into his mind?
- Jeremiah 48:29 לִבּֽ/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms We have heard of the pride of Moab, [that] he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.
- Jeremiah 48:36 לִבִּ֤/י וְ/לִבִּ/י֙ n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs conj + n c ms cs + sfx pers 1cs Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like pipes, and my heart sounds like pipes for the men of Kir Heres: therefore the abundance that he has gotten is perished.
- Jeremiah 48:41 לֵ֞ב כְּ/לֵ֖ב n c ms cs prep + n c ms cs Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
- Jeremiah 49:16 לִבֶּ֔/ךָ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2ms As for your terror, the pride of your heart has deceived you, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill: though you should make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 49:22 לֵ֞ב כְּ/לֵ֖ב n c ms cs prep + n c ms cs Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread out his wings against Bozrah: and the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
- Jeremiah 51:1 לֵ֣ב n Proper Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against those who dwell in Lebkamai, a destroying wind.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“heart” is the headline sense of the Hebrew noun לב (lêb). First canonically at Genesis 6:5, it enters the text early. It turns up in 552 verses across 33 books, one of the most common footprint. Not a single-sense word: its full sense range also takes in “inner man”, “mind”, and “will”. From the same root come לבב, לבב and לב. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3820 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 552
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 552 distinct verses.
- 33 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 33 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #81
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 81 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 552 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 552 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 293 verses · 53%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 198 verses · 36%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 61 verses · 11%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Heart 392×, Hearts 16×, Own heart 12×
- American Standard Version†: Heart 347×, 's heart 26×, Own heart 14×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Heart 307×, Hearts 70×, Mind 28×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Heart 433×, Heart of 87×, Hearts 26×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3820 across 577† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 69 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 16 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3820 across 577† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 101 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3820 across 526† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 52 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 67 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3820 across 610† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 31 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
22 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 22 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
לב I קַמְבֻּלָּי people of Gambulai SarowskyZAW 1912, 150–1 Je 51
לב II
- I. seldom of things, בְּלֶב־יָם in the midst of the sea Ex 15:8 Pr 23:34; 30:19; בְּלֵב יַמִּים ψ 46:3; Ez 27:4, 25, 26, 27; 28:2, 8 בלב האלה 2 S 18:14; בְּלֵב אֹיְבֵי in the midst of the enemies of ψ 45:2 (v. BrMP in loco; AV RV al. in the heart of). e.g. Exodus 15:8
- II. elsewhere of men:
- 1. the inner man in contrast with outer לבי ובשׂרי ירננו my heart and my flesh cry out ψ 84:3; ‖ מעים ψ 22:15 Je 4:19, the inner for outer מעים Je 49:22; as within the breast על לב Ex 28:3, 29, 30(×2) (P); מלב 2 K 9:24; בלב ψ 37:15 2 S 18:14; סְגוֹר לִבָּם Ho 13:8; antithesis with בָּשָׂר Pr 14:30 Ec 2:3; head Is 1:5, face Ez 14:3, 4, 7; arm Ct 8:6; hands Ez 22:14; bones ψ 102:5; eyes 1 K 9:3 (= 2 Ch 7:16) Je 22:17; ear Pr 22:17; 23:12; mouth ψ 55:22; lips Is 29:13; אֲנִי יְשֵׁינָה וְלִבִּי עֵר I slept but my heart waked Ct 5:2. e.g. Psalms 84:3
- 2. the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will, with occasional emphasis of one or the other by means of certain verbs: † בכל לב 1 K 8:23 (= 2 Ch 6:14) ψ 9:2; 119:2, 10, 34, 58, 69, 145; 138:1 Pr 3:5 Je 3:10; 24:7; †עם לב 2 Ch 24:4 (see לבב 2); † כלב 2 S 7:21 (= 1 Ch 17:19) Je 3:15; תַּעֲלֻמוֹת לֵב secrets of the heart ψ 44:22; לֵב מְלָכִים אֵין חֵקֶר the heart of kings is unsearchable Pr 25:3; הַיֹּצֵר יַחַד לִבָּם ψ 33:15 etc. e.g. 1 Kings 8:23
- 3. specific reference to mind:
- a. †מִלֵּב of one’s own mind Nu 16:28; 24:13 (JE) 1 K 12:33; Ne 6:8; Ez 13:2, 17; †חֲסַר לֵב destitute of mind Pr 6:32; 7:7; 9:4, 16; 10:13, 21; 11:12; 12:11; 15:21; 17:18; 24:30; לִבּוֹ חָסֵר Ec 10:3; אֵין לֵב Je 5:21 Ho 7:11; לב אין Pr 17:16; קנה לב get a mind Pr 15:32; 19:8; כֹּחַ לב power of mind Jb 36:5; רֹחַב לב breadth of mind 1 K 5:9, גנב לב 2 S 15:6; Gn 31:20 (E? see לבב 3 a). e.g. Numbers 16:28
- b. knowledge, c. †ידע Dt 29:3; Pr 14:10; 22:17; Ec 1:17; 7:22, 25; 8:5, 16; Je 24:7; ראה ψ 66:18 Ec 1:16; חָכַם לב mind is wise Pr 23:15; †לֵב חָכָם wise mind 1 K 3:12; Pr 16:23; Ec 8:5; †חֲכַם לֵב Ex 31:6; 35:10; 36:1, 2, 8 (P) Pr 10:8; 11:29; 16:21; †חַכְמֵי לֵב Ex 28:3 (P) Jb 37:24; †חכמת לב Ex 35:25, 35 (P); לב חכמים Ec 7:4; 10:2; לב כסילים Pr 12:23; 15:7 Ec 7:4; 10:2; c. חכמה Ex 36:2 (P) 1 K 10:24 (= 2 Ch 9:23) Pr 2:10; 17:16; Ec 2:3; †לֵב נָבוֹן intelligent mind Pr 14:33; 15:14; 18:15; with הבין Pr 8:5; תְּבוּנָה Pr 2:2; שָׂ֑כֶל Jb 17:4 etc. e.g. Deuteronomy 29:3
- c. thinking, reflection, c. חשׁב ψ 140:3 Pr 16:9; מחשׁבות Gn 6:5 (J) ψ 33:11 Pr 6:18; 19:21 cf. Gn 8:21 (J); הגה muse, study Pr 15:28; 24:2; Is 33:18; 59:13; הגיון ψ 19:15; הָגוּת ψ 49:4; †שׂם לב set the mind, consider Is 41:22; Ez 44:5, c. לְ 1 S 9:20; Ez 40:4; 44:5; אֶל Ex 9:21 (J) 1 S 25:25; 2 S 18:3(×2) Jb 2:3; 34:14; עַל Jb 1:8; † שׁת לב ψ 62:10; Pr 22:17; 24:32, c. לְּ Ex 7:23 (JE) 1 S 4:20; 2 S 13:20; ψ 48:14; Pr 27:23; Je 31:21 אֶל Jb 7:17. e.g. Psalms 140:3
- d. memory †השׁיב אל לב call to mind Is 44:19; La 3:21; על לב Is 46:8; †עלה על לב come into mind (occur to one) Is 65:17; Je 3:16; 7:31; 19:5; 32:35 (cf. Acts 7:23), so בא על לב 2 Ch 7:11; †שׂם על לב lay to heart Is 42:25; 47:7; 57:1, 11; Je 12:11 Mal 2:2(×2) Dn 1:8; אל לב 2 S 13:33; 19:20 כתב על לב Je 31:33; קשׁר על לב Pr 6:21; † לוּחַ לֵב tablet of the memory Pr 3:3; 7:3 Je 17:1; נִשְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵת מִלֵּב I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind ψ 31:13. e.g. Isaiah 44:19
- 4. spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will; †הכין לב set the mind 2 Ch 12:14 ψ 10:17; 78:8; Jb 11:13; †נכון לב ψ 57:8(×2) (= 108:2) 78:37; 112:7; †נתן לב לְ Ec 1:13, 17; 7:21; 8:9, 16; Pr 23:26 Dn 10:12; † נתן אל לב Ec 7:2; 9:1; Ne 2:12; 7:5 differ from Ec 7:2; 9:1 (the ‘heart’ here not being the subject’s). בלב Ex 35:34 (P) Ezr 7:27 Ec 3:11; †אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ whose heart stirred him up Ex 35:21; 36:2 cf. 35:26 (all P); †נְדִיב לֵב willing of mind Ex 35:5, 22 (P) 2 Ch 29:31 cf. Ex 25:2; 35:29 (P): †אחרי נטה לב inclined to follow Ju 9:3 ψ 119:112; Pr 2:2; †הטה לב 1 K 11:3 ψ 119:36; 141:4 cf. 2 S 15:13:—גְּדֹלִים חִקְקֵי־לֵב great resolves of heart Ju 5:15 etc. e.g. 2 Chronicles 12:14
- 5. spec. ref. to conscience, וַיַּךְ לֵב דָּוִד אֹתוֹ and David’s heart (conscience) smote him 1 S 24:6; מִכְשׁוֹל לֵב offence of conscience 1 S 25:31; cf. Ec 7:22. e.g. 1 Samuel 24:6
- 6. spec. ref. to moral character, God tries the heart ψ 17:3 Je 12:3; sees the heart and reins Je 20:12, tries them ψ 7:10 Je 11:20, refines them ψ 26:2; searches the heart and tries the reins Je 17:10. e.g. Psalms 17:3
- a. ישֶׁר־לִבִּי Jb 33:3; †יִשְׁרֵי לֵב ψ 7:11; 11:2; 32:11; 36:11; 64:11 (all c. דָּוִד in title), 94:15; 97:11; †לֵב שָׁלֵם 1 Ch 28:9; 29:9 Is 38:3 (all originally לבב, see לבב 6 a); נִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵב broken of heart ψ 34:19 Is 61:1; לֵב־נִשְׁבָּר ψ 51:19; שְׁבוּרֵי לֵב ψ 147:3; לֵב נִדְכָּאִים Is 57:15; לֵב טָהוֹר clean heart ψ 51:12; †לֵב חָדָשׁ new heart Ez 18:31; 36:26 (prob. also 11:19 for אֶהָד see Co) etc. e.g. Job 33:3
- b. לֵב רָע evil heart Pr 26:23; חַנְפֵי־לֵב godless in heart Jb 36:13; עקּשׁ(י) לב perverse in heart Pr 11:20; 17:20; †תַּרְמִת לִבָּם deceit of their heart Je 14:14; 23:26; בלב ולב with a double heart ψ 12:3 etc. e.g. Proverbs 26:23
- c. seat of pride Pr 21:4; Je 48:29; 49:16; Ho 13:6; Ob 3 גְּבַהּ־לֵב Pr 16:5; גֹּבַהּ לב 2 Ch 32:26; †גָּבַהּ לֵב 2 Ch 17:6; 26:16; 32:25 ψ 131:1; Pr 18:12; Ez 28:2, 17. e.g. Proverbs 21:4
- d. the heart is uncircumcised Je 9:25 Ez 44:7, 9 and hardened: † חזּק לב Ex 4:21; 10:20, 27 (E), 9:12; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17 (P), Jos 11:20 (D2 ?); †יֶהֱזַק לֵב Ex 7:13, 22; 8:15; 9:35 (P); חִזְּקֵי־לֵב Ez 2:4; † הקשׁה לב Ex 7:3 (P) Pr 28:14; קְשֵׁי־לֵב Ez 3:7; הכביד לב Ex 8:11, 28; 9:34; 10:1 (J); כָּבֵד לב Ex 7:14; 9:7 (J); כּבּד לב 1 S 6:6; הַשְׁמֵן לֵב־הָעָם הַזֶה make the heart of this people fat Is 6:10 (?); † שְׁרִ(י)רוּת לֵב Dt 29:18 ψ 81:13 after Je 3:17; 7:24; 9:13; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17; †לב האבן the heart of stone Ez 11:19; 36:26 etc. e.g. Jeremiah 9:25
- 7. for the man himself, † אמר בלב Gn 17:17 (P), 27:41 (JE), 1 K 12:26 Est 6:6 ψ 10:6, 11, 13; 14:1 (= 53:2) 35:25; 74:8; Ec 2:1, 15; 3:17, 18; Is 47:10; Ob 3; Zc 12:5; אֶל־לב Gn 8:21 (J) 1 S 27:1; † דבּר בלב Ec 2:15; אֶל־לב Gn 24:45 (J); עַל לב 1 S 1:13 (?); עִם לב Ec 1:16; נְאֻם־פֶּשַׁע לָרָשָׁע בְּקֶרֶב לִבִּי ψ 36:2. e.g. Genesis 17:17
- 8. as seat of appetites, סְעַד לב stay the heart (with bread) Gn 18:5 (J) Ju 19:5 ψ 104:15. e.g. Genesis 18:5
- 9. as seat of the emotions and passions:
- a. of joy and gladness, in various combinations of †טוב, Ju 16:25; 18:20; 19:6, 22; Ru 3:7; 1 S 25:36; 2 S 13:28;1 K 8:66 (= 2 Ch 7:10) 21:7; Est 1:10; 5:9; Pr 15:15 Ec 7:3; 9:7; 11:9; Is 65:14; various combinations of † שׂמח, Ex 4:14 (J) 1 Ch 16:10 (= ψ 105:3) ψ 4:8; 16:9; 19:9; 33:21; Pr 15:13, 30; 17:22; 27:9, 11 Ec 2:10(×2); 5:19; Ct 3:11; Is 24:7; Zc 10:7; שׂושׂ ψ 119:111; Is 66:14; La 5:15; עלץ 1 S 2:1; עלז ψ 28:7 Zp 3:14; רנן Jb 29:13; גיל ψ 13:6 Pr 24:17 Zc 10:7; of desire, ψ 21:3; 37:4; † דבּר עַל לֵב speak unto the heart (kindly) Gn 34:3; 50:21 (JE) Ju 19:3; 2 S 19:8; 2 Ch 30:22; Is 40:2; Ho 2:16; Ru 2:13. e.g. Judges 16:25
- b. of trouble 2 K 6:11; Is 65:14, sorrow Ne 2:2; Pr 14:13, pain ψ 55:5, vexation Ec 11:10, trembling Dt 28:65 (?) 1 S 28:5, faintness La 5:17; it is wounded ψ 109:22, dies within one out of fear 1 S 25:37 etc.; † לב נמס the heart melteth (in fear) 2 S 17:10 ψ 22:15 Ez 21:12; Na 2:11. e.g. 2 Kings 6:11
- 10. seat of courage: יַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ let thine heart take courage ψ 27:14; אַמִּיץ לִבּוֹ Am 2:16; אַבִּירֵי לֵב stout-hearted ψ 76:6; Is 46:12; לִבּוֹ יָצוּק כְּמוֹ־אֶבֶן his heart as firm as a stone Jb 41:16; לִבּוֹ כְּלֵב הָאַרְיֵה his heart as the heart of the lion 2 S 17:10; cf. אֶת־לִבּוֹ מָצָא 2 S 7:27, מְלָאוֹ לִבּוֹ לְ׳ Est 7:5 (cf. Ec 8:11). e.g. Psalms 27:14
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. קַמְבֻּלָּי people of Gambulai SarowskyZAW 1912, 150–1 Je 51:1.
I. v. sub לבב infr.
II. לֵב599 n.m. Pr 23:15 (†f. Pr 12:25, from influence of נֶפֶשׁ v. De Now) inner man, mind, will, heart, abs. and cstr. לֵב Gn 8:21 + 239 times; לֶב־ Ex 15:8 + 15 times; sf. לִבִּי Gn 24:45 + 102 times; לִבְּךָ Ex 9:14 + 28 times; לִבֶּ֑ךָ Ju 19:6 + 25 times; לִבֵּךְ Is 47:7 + 7 times; לִבּוֹ Gn 6:5 + 93 times; לִבָּהּ Ju 19:3 + 7 times; לִבֵּנוּ Is 41:22 + 5 times; לִבְּכֶם Gn 18:5 + 2 times; לִבָּם Gn 42:28 + 56 times; לִבָּן Ex 35:26; לִבְּהֶן Ez 13:17; pl. לִבּוֹת ψ 7:10 Pr 15:11 + 3 times Pr.; sf. לִבֹּתָם Is 44:18; לִבּוֹתָם ψ 125:4—inner part, midst:
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from לבב (lêbâb) (H3824) — heart.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
לֵב
- [innermost,] heart, bosom; thought, inclination, mind &c. Sot. I, 5 היה לִבָּהּ נאה if her bosom was handsome (inciting the senses). Shebu. 26ᵃ לִבְּךָ אנסך thy heart has carried thee away against thy will, i.e. you were under the impression that you told the truth. Nidd. 3ᵇ, a. fr. לִבּוֹ נוקפו, v. נָקַף I. Men. 79ᵇ, a. e. לב ב"ד מתנה עליהן the authorities (in receiving materials for offerings) accept them with a condition at heart (that they may dispose at their discretion of what has not been used for sacrifices).—לבו גס, v. גּוּס I.—Midr. Till. to Ps. IX, 1 לבו עליו his heart is against him, he bears him a grudge.—Zeb. 21ᵃ להוציא מִלִּבָּן של צדוקים to remove (the false opinion) out of the heart of the Sadducees, i.e. to demonstrate, by practice, the rejection of their opinion; Ḥag. 23ᵃ (Ms. M. מפני הצדוקים); Yoma 2ᵃ (Ms. M. מפני הצ׳, v. Par. III, 7). Gen. R. s. 87, end (in a gloss) להוציאה מלבן של הבריות in order to remove (the bad opinion about) her out of the hearts of men, i.e. to save her reputation.—Ned. 20ᵇ, v. גָּרוּשׁ; a. v. fr.—Trnsf. a) the marrow of trees, the sap-wood. Meg. 14ᵃ; Succ. 45ᵇ as the palm-tree אין לו אלא לב אחד וכ׳ has only one ‘heart’ (sap-cells only in the stem but none in the branches), so has Israel one heart directed to his Father &c.—b) centre, central portion. Lev. R. s. 30, end לולב לִבָּהּ של וכ׳ a Lulab which is the central stalk of the palm tree, v. לוּלָב.—Pl. f. לִבּוֹת. Midr. Till. to Ps. VII ממה שאתה בוחן ל׳ וכ׳ from the fact that thou examinest hearts and reins &c.—V. לֵבָב.
לֵב ²
- Targ. Gen. VI, 5. Targ. I Chr. XII, 38; a. fr.—Ab. Zar. 55ᵃ לִבִּי ולִבָּךְ ידע myself and thyself are convinced &c. Midr. Till. to Ps. VII (ref. to תשמרם, ib. XII, 8) נטר אורייתא בלִבְּהוֹן וכ׳ guard the Law in their hearts. Midr. Till. to Ps. XXVIII, end (ref. to Gen. XXXVII, 4) מה דבל׳ הוי בפומא as they thought so did they speak, but there (II Sam. XIII, 22) מה דבל׳ לא בפומא he did not speak out what was in his heart; Gen. R. s. 84 די בלִיבְּהוֹן בפומהון; די בלִיבֵּיה בליביה what was in his heart remained there. Snh. 35ᵃ [read:] נהי דפומא כתבין ל׳ דאינשי אינשי although they (the secretaries) record the word of mouth (the vote of each judge), the heart (the impressiveness of the argument), once forgotten, remains forgotten (cannot be recalled several days after; v. Rashi in Rabb. D. S. a. l. note). Ḥull. 59ᵃ, a. fr.—אַלִּ׳ ריקנא on an empty stomach; a. v. fr.—אַלִיבָּא ד־ (אַלִּיבֵּיה), v. אַלִּיבָּא.—Pl. לִבַּיָּא, לִיבַּ׳, לְבָבַיָּא, לִבְבַיָּא, לִבְבִין, לִבְבֵי, לִי׳. Targ. Prov. XXVII, 19 לִבַּיָּא (ed. Lag. לִבֵּיהוֹן). Targ. Jer. XII, 3. Targ. II Esth. V, 1; a. fr. e.g. Genesis 37:4
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 169 distinct written forms H3820 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 109 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3820, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 501 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 552 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 6:5
- Exodus 4:14
- Numbers 16:28
- Deuteronomy 4:11
- Joshua 11:20
- Judges 5:9
- Ruth 2:13
- 1 Samuel 1:13
- 2 Samuel 6:16
- 1 Kings 3:9
- 2 Kings 5:26
- 1 Chronicles 12:33
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
