Reference: Heart
Easton
According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. "Heart" and "soul" are often used interchangeably (De 6:5; 26:16; comp. Mt 22:37; Mr 12:30,33), but this is not generally the case.
The heart is the "home of the personal life," and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1Ki 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps 24:4; Mt 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Ge 20:5-6; Ps 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Lu 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word "soul" could not be substituted for "heart."
The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Ro 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Ge 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Mt 12:34; 15:18; comp. Ec 8:11; Ps 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Eze 36:26; 11:19; Ps 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.
The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Ps 95:8; Pr 28:14; 2Ch 36:13). "Hardness of heart evidences itself by light views of sin; partial acknowledgment and confession of it; pride and conceit; ingratitude; unconcern about the word and ordinances of God; inattention to divine providences; stifling convictions of conscience; shunning reproof; presumption, and general ignorance of divine things."
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And LORD smelled the sweet savor. And LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again any more smite everything
Did he not himself say to me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this. And God said to him in the dream, Yes, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou have done this. And I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow thee to touch her.
And thou shall love LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
This day LORD thy God commands thee to do these statutes and ordinances. Thou shall therefore keep and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.
behold, I have done according to thy word. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like thee.
For, lo, the wicked bend the bow. They make ready their arrow upon the string that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
He who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. read more. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation. [And] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than heart could wish.
So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, as the day of trial in the wilderness,
Happy is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart shall fall into mischief.
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,
I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
But the things coming out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things defile the man.
And Jesus said to him, Thou shall love Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.
and thou shall love Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and from thy whole soul, and from thy whole mind, and from thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
And to love him from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
But those in the good ground, these are those who in an good and right heart, having heard the word, hold it firm, and bring forth fruit in perseverance.
Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, testifying of their conscience, and their thoughts amidst each other accusing or also defending them
Fausets
Often including the intellect as well as the affections and will; as conversely the "mind" often includes the feeling and will as well as the intellect. Ro 1:21, "their foolish heart was darkened." Eph 1:18, "the eyes of your understanding (the Vaticanus manuscript; but the Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus manuscripts 'heart') being enlightened." Thus, the Scripture implies that the heart and the head act and react on one another; and in men's unbelief it is the will that perverts the intellectual perceptions. Joh 7:17, "if any man be willing to (Greek) do, he shall know." "Willingness to obey" is the key to spiritual knowledge. See Jer 17:9; Ho 7:11, "Ephraim is like a silly dove without heart," i.e. "moral understanding".
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The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
And Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.
If any man wants to do his will, he will know about the doctrine, whether it is from God, or I speak from myself.
Because, although knowing God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful, but became vain in their reasonings and their heart was darkened without understanding.
having the eyes of your heart enlightened. For you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the sanctified.
Hastings
1. Instances are not wanting in the OT of the employment of this word in a physiological sense, though they are not numerous. Jacob, for example, seems to have suffered in his old age from weakness of the heart; a sudden failure of its action occurred on receipt of the unexpected but joyful news of Joseph's great prosperity (Ge 45:26). A similar failure proved fatal in the case of Eli, also in extreme old age (1Sa 4:13-18; cf. the case of the exhausted king, 1Sa 28:20). The effect of the rending of the pericardium is referred to by Hosea as well known (1Sa 13:8); and although the proverb 'a sound (Revised Version margin 'tranquil') heart is the life of the flesh' (Pr 14:30) is primarily intended as a psychological truth, the simile is evidently borrowed from a universally recognized physiological fact (cf. Pr 4:23). The aphorism attributed to 'the Preacher' (Ec 10:2) may be interpreted in the same way; the 'right hand' is the symbol of strength and firmness, and the left of weakness and indecision (cf. Ec 2:14). Nor does it appear that OT writers were ignorant of the vital functions which the heart is called on to discharge. This will be seen by their habit of using the word metaphorically as almost a synonym for the entire life (cf. Ps 22:26; 69:32; Isa 1:5, where 'head' and 'heart' cover man's whole being).
2. The preponderating use of the word is, however, psychological; and it is in this way made to cover a large variety of thought. Thus it is employed to denote the centre of man's personal activities, the source whence the principles of his action derive their origin (see Ge 6:5; 8:21, where men's evil deeds are attributed to corruption of the heart). We are, therefore, able to understand the significance of the Psalmist's penitential prayer, 'Create in me a clean heart' (Ps 51:10), and the meaning of the prophet's declaration, 'a new heart also will I give you' (Eze 36:26; cf. Eze 11:19). The heart, moreover, was considered to be the seat of the emotions and passions (De 19:6; 1Ki 8:38; Isa 30:29; cf. Ps 104:15, where the heart is said to be moved to gladness by the use of wine). It was a characteristic, too, of Hebraistic thought which made this organ the seat of the various activities of the intellect, such as understanding (34/10/type/acv'>Job 34:10,34; 1Ki 4:29), purpose or determination (Ex 14:5; 1Sa 7:3; 1Ki 8:48; Isa 10:7), consciousness (Pr 14:10, where, if English Version be an accurate tr of the original text, the heart is said to be conscious both of sorrow and of joy; cf. 1Sa 2:1), imagination (cf. Lu 1:51; Ge 8:21), memory (Ps 31:12; 1Sa 21:12; cf. Lu 2:19,51; 1:66). The monitions of the conscience are said to proceed from the heart (Job 27:6), and the counterpart of the NT expression 'branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron' (1Ti 4:2 RV) is found in the OT words 'I will harden his heart' (Ex 4:21; cf. De 2:30; Jos 11:20 etc.). Closely connected with the idea of conscience is that of moral character, and so we find 'a new heart' as the great desideratum of a people needing restoration to full and intimate relationship with God (Eze 18:31; cf. De 9:5; 1Ki 11:4). It is, therefore, in those movements which characterize repentance, placed in antithesis to outward manifestations of sorrow for sin, 'Rend your heart and not your garments' (Joe 2:13).
3. Moving along in the direction thus outlined, and not forgetting the influence of the Apocryphal writings on later thought (cf. e.g. Wis 8:19; Wis 17:11, Sir 42:18 etc.), we shall be enabled to grasp the religious ideas enshrined in the teaching of the NT. In the recorded utterances of Jesus, so profoundly influenced by the ancient writings of the Jewish Church, the heart occupies a very central place. The beatific vision is reserved for those whose hearts are 'pure' (Mt 5:8; cf. 2Ti 2:22; 1Pe 1:22 Revised Version margin). The heart is compared to the soil on which seed is sown; it containsmoral potentialities which spring into objective existence in the outward life of the receiver (Lu 8:15; cf., however, Mr 4:15-20, where no mention is made of this organ; see also Mt 13:18, in which the heart is referred to, as in Isa 6:10, as the seat of the spiritual understanding). Hidden within the remote recesses of the heart are those principles and thoughts which will inevitably spring into active life, revealing its purity or its native corruption (Lu 6:45; cf. Mt 12:34 f., Mt 15:18 f.). It is thus that men's characters reveal themselves in naked reality (1Pe 3:4). It is the infallible index of human character, but can be read only by Him who 'searcheth the hearts' (Ro 8:27; cf. 1Sa 16:7; Pr 21:2; Lu 16:15). Human judgment can proceed only according to the unerring evidence tendered by this resultant of inner forces, for 'by their fruits ye shall know them' (Mt 7:20). The more strictly Jewish of the NT writers show the influence of OT thought in their teaching. Where we should employ the word 'conscience' St. John uses 'heart,' whose judgments in the moral sphere are final (1Jo 3:20 f.). Nor is St. Paul free from the influence of this nomenclature. He seems, in fact, to regard conscience as a function of the heart rather than as an independent moral and spiritual organ (Ro 2:15, where both words occur; cf. the quotation Heb 10:16). In spite of the fact that the last-named Apostle frequently employs the terms 'mind,' 'understanding,' 'reason,' 'thinkings,' etc., to express the elements of intellectual activity in man, we find him constantly reverting to the heart as discharging functions closely allied to these (cf. 'the eyes of your heart,' Eph 1:18; see also 2Co 4:6). With St. Paul, too, the heart is the seat of the determination or will (cf. 1Co 7:37, where 'steadfast in heart' is equivalent to will-power). In all these and similar cases, however, it will be noticed that it is man's moral nature that he has in view; and the moral and spiritual life, having its roots struck deep in his being, is appropriately conceived of as springing ultimately from the most essentially vital organ of his personal life.
J. R. Willis.
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And LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And LORD smelled the sweet savor. And LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again any more smite everything
And LORD smelled the sweet savor. And LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again any more smite everything
And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them.
And LORD said to Moses, When thou go back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled. And the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as at this day.
Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, do thou go in to possess their land, but for the wickedness of these nations LORD thy God drives them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which LO
Lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally, whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past.
For it was of LORD to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them as LORD commanded Moses.
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults in LORD. My horn is exalted in LORD. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in thy salvation.
And when he came, lo, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What does the noise of this tumult mean? And the man hastened, and came and told Eli. read more. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. And the man said to Eli, I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army. And he said, How did the matter go, my son? And he who brought the news answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. And thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that [Eli] fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate. And his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty year
And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed], but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him.
But LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For [LORD sees] not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but LORD looks on the heart.
Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was greatly afraid because of the words of Samuel, and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live.
Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding. Far be it from me to sin before LORD, and pervert righteousness before the Almighty.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise LORD who seek after him. Let your heart live forever.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind. I am like a broken vessel.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
The meek have seen it, and are glad. Ye who seek after God, let your heart live.
and wine that makes glad the heart of man, [and] oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man's heart.
The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not intermeddle with its joy.
A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rottenness of the bones.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but LORD weighs the hearts.
The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.
A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left.
Why will ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and be healed.
However he does not so reason, nor does his heart so think, but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.
Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as he who goes with a pipe to come to the mountain of LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,
Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit. For why will ye die, O house of Israel?
I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn to LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents of the evil.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
But the things coming out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things defile the man.
And these are those by the path where the word is sown. And whenever they may hear, straightaway Satan comes, and takes away the word that has been sown in their hearts. And these in like manner are those being sown upon the rocky places, who, whenever they may hear the word, straightaway receive it with joy. read more. And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution develops because of the word, straightaway they are caused to stumble. And these are those being sown in the thorns, who hear the word, and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the cravings about other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And these are those that were sown upon the good ground, who hear the word and receive it, and bear fruit, one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred.
He did a mighty work by his arm. He scattered the proud in the mentality of their heart.
And all who heard stored up in their heart, saying, What then will this child be? For the hand of Lord was with him.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth the good, and the bad man out of the bad treasure of his heart brings forth the bad, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
But those in the good ground, these are those who in an good and right heart, having heard the word, hold it firm, and bring forth fruit in perseverance.
And he said to them, Ye are those who declare yourselves righteous in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. Because what is lofty among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, testifying of their conscience, and their thoughts amidst each other accusing or also defending them
And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mentality of the Spirit, because he appeals to God for the sanctified.
But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has power based upon his own will, and has decided this in his heart, to keep his own celibacy, does well.
Because it is God who said, Out of darkness light is to shine, who shone in our hearts for an enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the presence of Jesus Christ.
having the eyes of your heart enlightened. For you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the sanctified.
speaking lies in hypocrisy, their own conscience having been seared with a hot iron,
And flee juvenile impulses, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
This is the covenant that I will ordain with them after those days, says Lord, giving my laws on their hearts, and on their minds I will write them,
but the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible, of the meek and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Because if our heart should condemn us, that God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
Morish
The heart is often referred to in scripture as the seat of the affections and of the passions, also of wisdom and understanding
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And LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And LORD smelled the sweet savor. And LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again any more smite everything
For from inside the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
But those in the good ground, these are those who in an good and right heart, having heard the word, hold it firm, and bring forth fruit in perseverance.
that if thou will confess with thy mouth, Lord Jesus, and will believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou will be saved.
But the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and non-hypocritical faith.
Watsons
HEART. The Hebrews regarded the heart as the source of wit, understanding, love, courage, grief, and pleasure. Hence are derived many modes of expression. "An honest and good heart," Lu 8:15, is a heart studious of holiness, being prepared by the Spirit of God to receive the word with due affections, dispositions, and resolutions. We read of a broken heart, a clean heart, an evil heart, a liberal heart. To "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers," Mal 4:6, signifies to cause them to be perfectly reconciled, and that they should be of the same mind. To want heart, sometimes denotes to want understanding and prudence: "Ephraim is like a silly dove, without heart," Ho 7:11. "O fools, and slow of heart," Lu 24:25; that is, ignorant, and without understanding. "This people's heart is waxed gross, lest they should understand with their heart," Mt 13:15; their heart is become incapable of understanding spiritual things; they resist the light, and are proof against all impressions of truth. "The prophets prophesy out of their own heart," Eze 13:2; that is, according to their own imagination, without any warrant from God.
The heart is said to be dilated by joy, contracted by sadness, broken by sorrow, to grow fat, and be hardened by prosperity. The heart melts under discouragement, forsakes one under terror, is desolate in affliction, and fluctuating in doubt. To speak to any one's heart is to comfort him, to say pleasing and affecting things to him. The heart expresses also the middle part of any thing: "Tyre is in the heart of the seas," Eze 27:4; in the midst of the seas. "We will not fear though the mountains be carried into the heart (middle) of the sea," Ps 46:2.
The heart of man is naturally depraved and inclined to evil, Jer 17:9. A divine power is requisite for its renovation, Joh 3:1-11. When thus renewed, the effects will be seen in the temper, conversation, and conduct at large. Hardness of heart is that state in which a sinner is inclined to, and actually goes on in, rebellion against God.
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Therefore we will not fear, though the earth changes, and though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas,
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say thou to those who prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of LORD.
Thy borders are in the heart of the seas. Thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
And Ephraim is like a silly dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.
And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
For this people's heart became fat, and their ears hear heavily, and their eyes are shut, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn, and I will heal them.
But those in the good ground, these are those who in an good and right heart, having heard the word, hold it firm, and bring forth fruit in perseverance.
And he said to them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets spoke.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou have come a teacher from God, for no man can do these signs that thou do if God is not with him. read more. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to thee, If any man is not begotten from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus says to him, How can a man be begotten, being old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's belly, and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to thee, If any man is not begotten from water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is begotten from the flesh is flesh, and that which is begotten from the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to thee, ye must be begotten from above. The wind blows where it will, and thou hear the sound of it, but know not from where it comes, and where it goes. So is every man who is begotten from the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things happen? Jesus answered and said to him, Thou are the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to thee, we speak that which we know, and testify of what we have seen, and ye do not accept our testimony.