'Hearts' in the Bible

He said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of Mine among them,

I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen.

Both men and women came; all who had willing hearts brought brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry—everyone who waved a presentation offering of gold to the Lord.

And all the women whose hearts were moved spun the goat hair by virtue of their skill.

So the Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts prompted them to bring something for all the work that the Lord, through Moses, had commanded to be done.

“I will put anxiety in the hearts of those of you who survive in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a wind-driven leaf will put them to flight, and they will flee as one flees from a sword, and fall though no one is pursuing them.

and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled, and if they will pay the penalty for their sin,

Therefore, circumcise your hearts and don’t be stiff-necked any longer.

“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.

The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers’ hearts won’t melt like his own.’

The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.

The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people’s hearts melted and became like water.

For it was the Lord’s intention to harden their hearts, so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

My brothers who went with me caused the people’s hearts to melt with fear, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God.

“Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, didn’t they send Israel away, and Israel left?

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for a settlement. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Then an informer came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

so that He causes us to be devoted to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors.

On the fifteenth day he sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home to their tents rejoicing and with joyful hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.

Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.”

Honor His holy name;let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and confirm their hearts toward You.

On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, rejoicing and with happy hearts for the goodness the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

Those from every tribe of Israel who had determined in their hearts to seek Yahweh their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.”

However, the high places were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.

Hezekiah concluded, “Now you are consecrated to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord’s temple.” So the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts brought burnt offerings.

Whenever a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children and purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought: Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts. This was Job’s regular practice.

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;You will strengthen their hearts.You will listen carefully,

They lie to one another;they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.

The humble will eat and be satisfied;those who seek the Lord will praise Him.May your hearts live forever!

Do not drag me away with the wicked,with the evildoers,who speak in friendly ways with their neighborswhile malice is in their hearts.

He alone shapes their hearts;He considers all their works.

For our hearts rejoice in Himbecause we trust in His holy name.

Do not let them say in their hearts,“Aha! Just what we wanted.”Do not let them say,“We have swallowed him up!”

Their swords will enter their own hearts,and their bows will be broken.

Our hearts have not turned back;our steps have not strayed from Your path.

Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;the peoples fall under you.

No, you practice injustice in your hearts;with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;pour out your hearts before Him.God is our refuge.Selah

Their eyes bulge out from fatness;the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

They said in their hearts,“Let us oppress them relentlessly.”They burned down every place throughout the landwhere God met with us.

their hearts were insincere toward Him,and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

So I gave them over to their stubborn heartsto follow their own plans.

Happy are the people whose strength is in You,whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

Teach us to number our days carefullyso that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,as on that day at Massah in the wilderness

For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation;I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray;they do not know My ways.”

Honor His holy name;let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

whose hearts He turned to hate His peopleand to deal deceptively with His servants.

Their hearts are hard and insensitive,but I delight in Your instruction.

Do what is good, Lord, to the good,to those whose hearts are upright.

who plan evil in their hearts.They stir up wars all day long.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,but those who promote peace have joy.

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord—how much more, human hearts.

A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,and the Lord is the tester of hearts.

for their hearts plan violence,and their words stir up trouble.

If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”won’t He who weighs hearts consider it?Won’t He who protects your life know?Won’t He repay a person according to his work?

As the heaven is high and the earth is deep,so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live—after that they go to the dead.

When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind.

The Lord said:Because these people approach Me with their mouthsto honor Me with lip-service—yet their hearts are far from Me,and their worship consists of man-made ruleslearned by rote—

Why, Yahweh, do You make us stray from Your ways?You harden our hearts so we do not fear You.Return, because of Your servants,the tribes of Your heritage.

At that time Jerusalem will be called, Yahweh’s Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;remove the foreskin of your hearts,men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fireand burn with no one to extinguish itbecause of your evil deeds.

But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.They have turned aside and have gone away.

Instead, they followed the stubbornness of their hearts and followed after the Baals as their fathers taught them.”

These evil people, who refuse to listen to Me, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who have followed other gods to serve and worship—they will be like this underwear, of no use at all.

The sin of Judah is writtenwith an iron stylus.With a diamond pointit is engraved on the tablet of their heartsand on the horns of their altars,

“Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put fear of Me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from Me.

Look! It will be like an eagle soaring upward, then swooping down and spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.

צ TsadeThe hearts of the people cry out to the Lord.Wall of Daughter Zion,let your tears run down like a riverday and night.Give yourself no reliefand your eyes no rest.

Let us lift up our hearts and our handsto God in heaven:

Joy has left our hearts;our dancing has turned to mourning.

Then your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are taken captive, how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did, their detestable practices of every kind.

But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for detestable things and practices, I will bring their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put sinful stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?

so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from Me because of their idols.

because they rejected My ordinances, profaned My Sabbaths, and did not follow My statutes. For their hearts went after their idols.

I have appointed a sword for slaughterat all their gates,so that their hearts may meltand many may stumble.Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;it is drawn for slaughter.

“‘Son of man, know that on the day I take their stronghold from them, their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their hearts, as well as their sons and daughters,

I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,when I bring about your destructionamong the nations,in countries you do not know.

So My people come to you in crowds, sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest profit.

The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.

For they—their hearts like an oven—draw him into their oven.Their anger smolders all night;in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

They do not cry to Me from their hearts;rather, they wail on their beds.They slash themselves for grain and new wine;they turn away from Me.

Their hearts are devious;now they must bear their guilt.The Lord will break down their altarsand demolish their sacred pillars.

When they had pasture,they became satisfied;they were satisfied,and their hearts became proud.Therefore they forgot Me.

I will attack themlike a bear robbed of her cubsand tear open the rib cage over their hearts.I will devour them there like a lioness,like a wild beast that would rip them open.

Tear your hearts,not just your clothes,and return to the Lord your God.For He is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger, rich in faithful love,and He relents from sending disaster.

Desolation, decimation, devastation!Hearts melt,knees tremble,loins shake,every face grows pale!

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.

They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the Lord of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of Hosts.

Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate all this”—this is the Lord’s declaration.

Ephraim will be like a warrior,and their hearts will be glad as if with wine.Their children will see it and be glad;their hearts will rejoice in Yahweh.