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לֵבָב

𐤋𐤁𐤁

lêbâb

H3824 noun

SILEX Entry

Root לבב inner part, core, heart (literal and figurative), center, thinking, feeling

Definition

The inner being or core of a person, often rendered as 'heart,' encompassing the seat of intellect, will, emotions, moral character, and inner motivations; also refers metaphorically to insight, understanding, and consciousness. In physical contexts, denotes the physical organ, but far more commonly represents psychological, intellectual, and moral faculties as the locus of thought, desire, emotion, and intent.

Semantic Range

inner person, heart (physical organ), seat of thought, seat of feeling, will, desire, courage, conscience, understanding, intention, the center or midst of something, memory or recall, moral character, emotional or psychological state

Root / Etymology

From the root לבב, which is connected with notions of being inside, enclosed, or the inner core. While לֵבָב and the closely related לֵב both derive from this root, לֵבָב is often a poetic or emphatic variant. The derivation highlights the concept of the inner or central part, which came to denote both the anatomical heart and, more significantly, the figurative center of feeling, thought, and intention.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, לֵבָב (lêbâb) is commonly used in poetry and formal prose, often paralleling לֵב (lêb), which serves as the more frequently encountered prose term for 'heart' or 'inner self.' While both terms carry overlapping meanings, לֵבָב sometimes conveys stylistic emphasis or depth, especially in didactic or emotive passages (e.g., Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs). The concept of 'heart' in ancient Israelite literature represents not merely emotion but the whole inner life—thought, will, moral discernment, and intention. The term can refer to understanding, resolve, courage, or anxiety, depending on context. English translations often render both לֵב and לֵבָב as 'heart,' but this can obscure the broader semantic field, occasionally reducing the sense to 'emotion' when 'mind,' 'will,' 'conscience,' or 'understanding' is closer to the Hebrew nuance. The word may denote individual or collective inner resolve (e.g., the 'heart' of a nation), and its meaning can shift slightly in wisdom literature, prophetic texts, and late biblical writings. There is no evidence that the term should be narrowly equated with later theological concepts of the 'soul' or 'spirit.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from לָבַב; used also like לֵב; the heart (as the most interior organ); [phrase] bethink themselves, breast, comfortably, courage, ((faint), (tender-) heart(-ed), midst, mind, [idiom] unawares, understanding.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לבב (l-b-b) — inner part, core, heart, center, thinking, feeling

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3820 לֵב in the inner core of
H3821 לֵב in my inner core
H3823 לָבַב you have heart-stirred me
H3825 לְבַב your inner-self
H3826 לִבָּה in their hearts

Word Forms

39 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3824-16 לְבַ֨ב levav HNcmsc heart heart of 43
H3824-19 לְבָבְ/ךָ֙ levavekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your heart your inner core 38
H3824-21 לְבַבְ/כֶם֙ levavekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your heart your inner core 35
H3824-24 לְבָב֔/וֹ levavo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his heart his inner heart 26
H3824-23 לְבָבִ֛/י levavi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my heart my inner being 21
H3824-18 לְבָבָ/ם֙ levavam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their heart their inner core 14
H3824-05 בִּ/לְבָבֶ֑/ךָ bilevavekha HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms in your heart in your inner core 13
H3824-04 בִּ/לְבָבָ֔/ם bilevavam HR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp in their hearts in their inner-core 8
H3824-09 בִּ/לְבָב֤/וֹ bilevavo HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms in his heart in his inner core 5
H3824-33 וּ/לְבָב֥/וֹ ulevavo HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and his heart and his inner-core 4

Occurrences in Scripture

252 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3824-23 Genesis 20:5 לְבָבִ֛/י levavi HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my heart my inner being
H3824-19 Genesis 20:6 לְבָבְ/ךָ֙ levavekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms of your heart your inner core
H3824-23 Genesis 31:26 לְבָבִ֑/י levavi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my heart/mind my inner being
H3824-16 Exodus 14:5 לְבַ֨ב levav HNcmsc the heart heart of
H3824-05 Leviticus 19:17 בִּ/לְבָבֶ֑/ךָ bilevavekha HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms in-your-heart in your inner core
H3824-04 Leviticus 26:36 בִּ/לְבָבָ֔/ם bilevavam HR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp into their hearts in their inner-core
H3824-18 Leviticus 26:41 לְבָבָ/ם֙ levavam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their heart their inner core
H3824-21 Numbers 15:39 לְבַבְ/כֶם֙ levavekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your heart your inner core
H3824-22 Deuteronomy 1:28 לְבָבֵ֜/נוּ levavenu HNcmsc/Sp1cp our heart our inner core
H3824-24 Deuteronomy 2:30 לְבָב֔/וֹ levavo HNcmsc/Sp3ms his heart his inner heart
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