Biblical Word Studies Class 2
Ya Gotta Have Heart

C. Michael Holloway
20 September 1998

  1. Opening & prayer.

  2. Before we get into the subject of this morning, which is the word heart, I'll review very briefly what we discussed last week.
    1. I stated my basic teaching philosophy, which is Never tell someone something he can learn for himself. And I explained how I planned to work out that philosophy in this class.
    2. After that, I explained the basic goal and approach of the class. Can someone tell me what those are?
      1. The basic goal of the class is to increase our understanding of the meaning of certain words used in the Bible.
      2. The basic approach is to concentrate on determining the meaning of certain English words as they appear in the New American Standard translation.
    3. After that, I gave you the opportunity to help decide the topics we'll study in some future weeks. There were quite a few suggestions made, including several after class was over. My tentative plan is to cover the following words in the coming weeks, not necessarily in this order:
      1. knowledge, understanding, & wisdom
      2. soul, spirit, flesh, & nature
      3. gossip, slander, & similar words
      4. humility & submission
      5. judge
      6. grace & mercy
      7. all & world
      8. love & hate
    4. We saw how a popular explanation of the meaning of Greek word agapao isn't supported by Scripture.
    5. And I also took a poll of how often people thought that the Bible uses the word heart to refer to emotions, with the choices being always, usually, sometimes, rarely, and never. As I recall, each of these choices received at least one vote, except for always.

  3. That leads us directly to your homework assignment. Someone tell me what the assignment was for this week.

  4. Now, before we start looking at verses in detail, I'm going to give you a few facts about the word heart.
    1. A modern English dictionary will give quite a few different possible meanings for heart. These include
      1. The hollow, muscular organ that pumps the blood throughout the body ...
      2. The seat of one's inmost thoughts and secret feelings; soul; mind. He told us everything that was in his heart.
      3. Moral sense; conscience. He knew in his heart that he was wrong. This is really just a subset of the previous definition, I think.
      4. The source of the emotions, especially of love or affection; devotion. He gave his heart to her.
      5. Courage; enthusiasm; determination. Don't lose heart.
      6. Kindness; sympathy. Have you no heart?
      7. The innermost part; middle; center. in the heart of the forest
      8. The main part; vital or important part; essence. Let's get to the heart of the matter.
    2. And there are some others, too. As you can see, the semantic range of the English word heart is quite wide.
    3. In the New American Standard Bible, the word heart and its variants such as hearts and heart's occur 855 times in 792 verses. 627 of these verses are in the Old Testament, 165 are in the New Testament. Just for information, the New King James translators chose to use the word a bit more often. It occurs 988 times in 913 verses (742 in the OT and 171 in the New).
    4. In both translations, the first verse in which the word appears is Genesis 6:5: Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So, it is a good thing that no one said last week that heart always refers to emotions, because this verse alone would refute him.
    5. In both translations, the last verse in which the word appears is Revelation 18:7: "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.'
    6. In the Old Testament, in the vast majority of cases, heart is used as the translation of the same basic Hebrew word (leb [labe] or lebab [lay-bawb]). The situation in the New Testament is similar: the majority of times, heart translates the same basic Greek word (kardia).
    7. Our approach of concentrating on the English word used in the NASB is well justified here, because the primary words in both the Hebrew and the Greek have wide semantic ranges very similar to that of our English word.
    8. Are there any questions about these basic facts?

  5. OK, now its time to look at all 792 verses. Just kidding, we don't have time to do that, but we will look at quite a few of them. We'll take care of the easy cases first.
    1. The first two passages we'll look at are 2 Samuel 18:14 and 2 Kings 9:24. Will the folks who I've asked to read those, please do so now?
      1. 2 Samuel 18:14 Then Joab said, "I will not waste time here with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
      2. 2 Kings 9:24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart, and he sank in his chariot.
      3. What does heart mean here? It is referring to the physical organ. There are a few other passages that use the word in this way, but not very many. Usually, this meaning is pretty easy to see.
    2. Now, will the readers of Exodus 15:8 and Matthew 12:40, please read those passages for us?
      1. Exodus 15:8 And at the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
      2. Matthew 12:40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
      3. What does heart mean in these passages? These passages are using the word in the sense of 'the innermost part, middle, or center'. Again, there are some other passages with a similar sense; these, too, are fairly easy to see.
    3. Let's go on to another set of passages: 2 Samuel 17:10, Galatians 6:0, and Colossians 3:21. Readers, please read.
      1. 2 Samuel 17:10 "And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men.
      2. Galatians 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
      3. Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
      4. What's the meaning in these verses? The sense here seems to be along the lines of 'courage, enthusiasm, and determination,' don't you think? This sense occurs more often than either of the other two we've looked at -- it occurs about 30 times -- but like the other two, it is fairly easy to recognize.
    4. Let's look at one more use of heart that appears fairly infrequently in the Scripture. That use is with the sense of 'kindness or sympathy'. Consider these two passages.
      1. Colossians 3:12-13 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
      2. Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
    5. Now, we've pretty much taken care of the easy part. Before we go on, are there any questions or comments?

  6. Let's now consider the question of how often the Bible uses heart to refer to emotions.
    1. I'm going to read to you 30 passages that use the word heart (or one of its variants). If I read one that you think uses the word to refer to emotions, raise your hand. I'll record the results.
      1. Psa 4:4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
      2. *Psa 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
      3. Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
      4. Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
      5. *Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
      6. Psa 53:1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.
      7. Psa 119:2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.
      8. Psa 119:11 Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee.
      9. Prov 2:2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;
      10. Prov 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;
      11. Prov 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
      12. Prov 11:20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their walk are His delight.
      13. Prov 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.
      14. Prov 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
      15. *Prov 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
      16. Prov 20:5 A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out.
      17. Isa 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Neither be dismayed at their revilings.
      18. Jer 3:15 "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.
      19. Mat 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
      20. Luke 5:22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
      21. *Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
      22. Luke 24:25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
      23. *John 16:6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
      24. Acts 8:22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
      25. Rom 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
      26. 2 Cor 3:15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
      27. 2 Cor 9:7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
      28. Eph 6:5-6 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
      29. 1 Th 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
      30. 1 Pet 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
    2. If these passages are representative of the use of the word heart in the entire Bible, and if anything, the emotional use occurs here more frequently than it does in the Bible as a whole, then what can we conclude about the frequency of the word referring to emotions? ... It is rather rare.

  7. What, then does, heart most often mean in the Bible? ... Most often the word heart expresses the totality of a person's nature and character and includes all 3 of the traditional personality functions of man: emotion (or affections), thought, and will.
    1. In many places, the emphasis is on the intellect, and the word mind is almost a synonym. Many of the uses of heart in Proverbs are of this variety. An example passage where heart is used in this way is Proverbs 15:28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. It's interesting to note that in the Old Testament, the word mind appears 88 times. In 44 of those times, the Hebrew word that mind is translating is either labe or lay-bawb, the same word that is most often the basis of heart. Some of the difference in the word counts between the NASB and the NKJV come from the NASB using mind where the NKJV uses heart.
    2. In many places also, the emphasis is on the will, and the word will is a synonym. An example passage of this type is Acts 8:22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
    3. But, most often, I believe, the Bible uses heart in such a way that it seems to include the intellect, the emotions, and the will, without differentiating between them or emphasizing one over the other. In cases such as these, the word soul is nearly synonomous. The majority of the passages we just read are of this type.
    4. As an example, consider Psa 119:11 Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee. Certainly, this must include the intellect, because that is what we use to learn and understand the word. But, the idea of treasuring certainly involves the emotions, and the will is involved, too, because not sinning necessarily requires making choices.

  8. In closing, let me suggest three applications of what we've studied this morning.
    1. First, given the prevailing attitude of our culture, which emphasizes emotions above all else, be very careful about using the word heart. If you're not careful, someone is likely to think you talking about having warm, fuzzy feelings. I am certain there are people who buy the book Training a Child's Heart expecting to find advice on how to make a child feel good.
    2. Second, when you hear others using the word heart, make sure you know what they mean before you either agree or disagree with them. What one person means by, for example, knowing in his heart he's saved, may correspond to Biblical teaching, or it may correspond to nothing more than a nice feeling inside. Make people explain what they mean, don't just assume you know.
    3. Third, and perhaps most importantly, cultivate a Biblical psychology, one that recognizes that the intellect, the affections, and the will form an integrated whole, not separate parts. Although occasions arise in which it may be helpful to talk about, the will by itself or the intellect by itself, always remember that neither the will, nor the intellect, nor the emotions exist by themselves. They are all essential parts of the same thing, namely the soul. In the real world, there are no Vulcans.

  9. That's all for today. My current plan for next week is to look at knowledge, understanding, & wisdom. But I reserve the right to change my mind, or, to put it in terms more appropriate to what we've just discussed, I reserve the right to have a change of heart. Thanks for coming.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright by The Lockman Foundation.