Heart (03820) (leb - note that this discussion also includes the closely related noun lebab -03824) sometimes refers to a literal heart (Ex 28:29, 1Sa 25:37, 2Ki 9:24), but most often is used figurative to refer to what I term the "control center" of our being. Think of an Air Traffic Controller and how dysfunctional, even destructive it is when the controllers fail to function as they should.
See New Testament word study on Heart = kardia
Just as a healthy human heart is at the center of the body and absolutely essential for physical life and health, so too a healthy spiritual heart (intellect, emotion, will) is at the center of one's inner being (soul) and is vital for a healthy soul, serving as the "fountain" of all moral attitudes and actions. Our spiritual heart thus controls out actions and our actions determine our habits, which in turn determine our character. When God measures the ''worth'' of a man's life He puts the measuring tape around his heart, not around his head. Be a man after God's Own heart (Acts 13:22) We must continually "post a guard" at the doorway of our heart, so that every avenue for sin's entry is blocked.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4-Spurgeon's note)
(See study "Delight yourself in the Lord")
John MacArthur - The “heart” commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason (Pr 3:3; 6:21;7:3), but also includes the emotions (Pr 15:15, 30), the will (Pr 11:20; 14:14), and thus, the whole inner being (Pr 3:5). The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech (Pr 4:24), sight (Pr 4:25), and conduct (Pr 4:26, 27). (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word )
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
(Psalm 4:7-Spurgeon's note)
John Kitto - All the phrases, more or less metaphorical, in which this word occurs, are rendered intelligible, without detailed examples, when we are told that the heart was, among the Hebrews, regarded poetically not only as the seat of the passions and emotions, as of love, pleasure, and grief, but also of the intellectual faculties—the mind, the understanding. In the original Scriptures, as well as in the English and other translations, the word 'heart' therefore, constantly occurs where 'mind' is to be understood, and would be used by a modern English writer. We say modern, because the ancient usage of the English word 'heart' was more conformable than the present to that of the Hebrews. (Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature)
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
will tell of all Thy wonders.
(Psalm 9:1-Spurgeon's note)
Richard Watson - The Hebrews regarded the heart as the source of wit, understanding, love, courage, grief, and pleasure… 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," Ezekiel 27:4; in the midst of the seas. "We will not fear though the mountains be carried into the heart (middle) of the sea," Psalms 46:2 .The heart of man is naturally depraved and inclined to evil, Jeremiah 17:9 . A divine power is requisite for its renovation, John 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.
I have trusted in Thy lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.
(Psalm 13:5-Spurgeon's note)
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Both Old and New Testaments speak repeatedly of the heart as the centre of a person’s inner life. An examination of the hundreds of references to the heart in the Bible will show that the word is not limited in its meaning to one particular part of a person. ‘Heart’ may refer to a person’s whole inner life – what the person really is (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalms 22:26; Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 22:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:4); or it may refer to attributes of human personality such as a person’s understanding (1 Kings 3:9; Proverbs 2:10; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 1:18), desires (Deuteronomy 24:15; Proverbs 6:25;Matthew 6:21; Romans 1:24), feelings (Judges 19:6; Proverbs 14:10; Proverbs 15:30; John 14:27; James 3:14), determination (Exodus 8:15; 1 Kings 8:58; Romans 6:17; Colossians 3:22), or character (1 Samuel 13:14; Jeremiah 5:23; Romans 2:29; 2 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Peter 3:4). Sometimes ‘heart’ is used as another word for a person’s spirit (Psalms 51:10; Psalms 51:17; Ezekiel 36:26), soul (Deuteronomy 4:29; Proverbs 2:10; Acts 4:32) or mind (1 Samuel 2:35; Ephesians 1:18; Hebrews 8:10; cf. Matthew 22:37). The heart is what is sometimes referred to as ‘the inner being’, and is the source of all the wrong that a person does (Proverbs 6:14; Proverbs 6:18; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 1:24-25; Ephesians 4:18; see SIN). Therefore, the heart must be cleansed to bring forgiveness; or, to use another picture, it must be re-created to bring new spiritual life. Only God can bring about this cleansing or re-creation (Psalms 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26; Acts 8:21-22; Ephesians 3:16; Hebrews 10:22). Since the heart determines actions, a person must be careful to have right attitudes of heart at all times (Leviticus 19:17; Psalms 4:4; 1 Timothy 1:5; James 3:14). God sees the inner condition and judges the person accordingly (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalms 44:21; Matthew 5:8; Revelation 2:23 (Bridgeway Bible Dictionary)
The heart is the source of whatever affects life and character (Mt 12:35;15:19).
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
(Psalm 15:2-Spurgeon's note)
Dictionary Discussions of Heart:
Heart - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Good Summary
Heart - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Heart - Holman Bible Dictionary
Heart (includes OT allusions) - Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Heart (primarily discusses "kardia") - Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery writes that "In the Bible heart encompasses more than what we mean by mind (for which there is no word in biblical Hebrew). The heart is the center of the being, where the will, affections, thoughts, purposes and imagination reside. Human emotions are more frequently associated with the lower organs."
In the context of Proverbs 4, watching over one's heart involves guarding what is said (Pr 4:24, and the heart affects what is said, Mt 12:34), what is seen (Pr 4:25, Job 31:7, Mt 5:28), and what is done (Pr 4:26, 27).
Charles Wood writes that "In Hebrew the heart is the “kernel of the nut;” the internal citadel of the soul."
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.
(Psalm 31:24-Spurgeon's note)
Oswald Chambers has an interesting thought on heart explaining that "The Bible term “heart” is best understood if we simply say “me,” it is the central citadel of a man’s personality. The heart is the altar of which the physical body is the outer court, and whatever is offered on the altar of the heart will tell ultimately through the extremities of the body. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Chambers, O. The moral foundation of life : A series of talks on the ethical principles of the Christian life. Hants UK: Marshall, Morgan & Scott)
Leb and its synonym lebab (03824) appear 860 times in the OT. The law, prophets, and Psalms often speak of the heart. Heart is used first of man in Ge 6:5. In Ge. 6:6 leb is used of God. “Heart” may refer to the organ of the body (Ex. 28:29, 2Sa 18:14; Ps. 38:10). Leb may also refer to the inner part or middle of a thing (Ex 15:8;Dt. 4:11; Pr. 23:34).
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
(Psalm 19:8-note)
Lebab (03824) means heart, mind or the inner man, contrasted to the outer man (See Dt. 30:14: Joel 2:13;1Sa 16:7). Lebab is often compounded with “soul” for emphasis, as in 2Chr 15:12 (cf. 2 Chr 15:15). Baker writes that lebab primarily "describes the entire disposition of the inner person that God can discern (1Sa 16:7); be devoted to the Lord (1Kgs 15:3); seek the Lord (2Chr 11:16); turn against people (Ex. 14:5); be uncircumcised (Lev. 26:41); be hardened (1 Sam. 6:6); be totally committed to the Lord (Deut. 6:5; 2 Chr. 15:15). It is also used to describe the place where the rational, thinking process occurs that allows a person to know God’s blessings (Josh. 23:14); to plan for the future (1 Kgs. 8:18); to communicate (2 Chr. 9:1); and to understand God’s message (Isa. 6:10). Like our English usage, it often refers to the seat of emotions, whether it refers to joy (Deut. 28:47); discouragement (Josh. 2:11); comfort (Judg. 19:8); grief (1 Sam. 1:8); sorrow (Ps. 13:2[3]); or gladness (Isa. 30:29). (Ibid) Leb can be used of the man himself or his personality: (Ge 17:17 Eccl 1:16). Leb is also used of God in this sense (Jer. 3:15).
The seat of desire, inclination, or will can be indicated by heart (Ex. 7:14); (Ex. 35:5; 21, 29); (Ps. 86:12). Leb is also used of God in this sense "with my whole heart and with my whole soul” (Jer. 32:41). Two people are said to be in agreement when their “hearts” are right with each other (2Ki10:15). In 2Chr 24:4 Joash “had in his heart”.
The “heart” is regarded as the seat of emotions: (Deut. 6:5; Ex 4:14; 1Sa 2:1). So there are “merry” hearts (Jdg. 16:25), “fearful” hearts (Isa. 35:4), and hearts that “trembled” (1Sa 4:13).
The “heart” could be regarded as the seat of knowledge and wisdom and as a synonym of “mind.” This meaning often occurs when “heart” appears with the verb “to know” (Dt. 8:5;. 29:4). Solomon prayed, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart” (1Ki 3:9;. 4:29). Memory is the activity of the “heart,” as in Job 22:22.
The “heart” may be the seat of conscience and moral character. How does one respond to the revelation of God and of the world around him? (Job = Job 27:6, David = 2Sa 24:10).
The “heart” is the fountain of man’s deeds (Ge 20:5-6). David walked “in uprightness of heart” (1Ki 3:6) and Hezekiah “with a perfect heart” (Isa 38:3) before God. Only the man with “clean hands, and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4) can stand in God’s presence.
Leb may refer to the seat of rebellion and pride (Ge 8:21; Tyre in Ezek. 28:2). They all become like Judah, whose “sin… engraved upon the tablet of their heart.” (Jer. 17:1).
God controls the “heart.” Because of his natural “heart,” man’s only hope is in the promise of God to receive a new heart (Ezek. 36:26 = New Covenant). So David the sinner prays “Create in me a clean heart (Ps. 51:10), "unite my heart [give me an undivided heart] to fear thy name” (Ps 86:11).
God tries the heart (1Chr 29:17). Hence God’s people seek His approval: test "my heart” (Ps. 26:2).
The “heart” stands for the inner being of man, the man himself. As such, it is the fountain of all he does (Pr 4:4). All his thoughts, desires, words, and actions flow from deep within him. Yet a man cannot understand his own “heart” (Jer. 17:9). As a man goes on in his own way, his “heart” becomes harder and harder. But God will circumcise (cut away the uncleanness of) the “heart” of His people, so that they will love and obey Him with their whole being (Dt. 30:6).
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones,
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
(Psalm 32:11-Spurgeon's note)
Adam Clarke writes "Above all keeping," guard thy heart. He who knows any thing of himself, knows how apt his affections are to go astray.
Spurgeon writes that "Some of your hearts are not worth keeping. The sooner you get rid of them the better. They are hearts of stone. Do you feel today that you have a stony heart? Go home, and I pray the Lord hear my desire that your polluted heart may be removed. Cry unto God and say, “Take away my heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh;” (Ezek 11:19-note, Ezek 36:26-note) for a stony heart is an impure heart, a divided heart, an unpeaceful heart. It is a heart that is poor and poverty–stricken, a heart that is void of all goodness, and you can neither bless thyself nor others, if your heart be such. (Proverbs 4:23 The Great Reservoir)
The Heart of Prayer is the Heart! - The status of one's heart determines the power of one's prayers - Notice that the Lord will not listen to you, if you cherish sin in your heart!
Ps 66:18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
Comment: There are a number of reasons why our prayers may seem to go unanswered and the presence of unconfessed and unforsaken sin is often the cause (see also Pr 28:13-note). This possibility must always be considered with all honesty before seeking another reason (Consider frequently praying Ps 139:23, 24!) Note also that the Hebrew word for "regard" means "to look with favor upon" or even to "plan". One picture is that of a heart which is making "provision" for sin (as in Ro 13:14-note). Notice in Ro 13:14, that the "antidote" for "making provision" is that we first "put on (aorist imperative - Do this now - it is urgent!) the Lord Jesus Christ." When we have obeyed (by the Spirit) that command, then (and only then) can we obey the second command to "make (present imperative = continually = your "new" lifestyle in Christ, clothed with Christ!) no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." But be careful -- don't "invert" this verse! In other words, don't think by not making provision for the strong desires of the flesh that you are putting on the Lord Jesus Christ! To reverse the order is to fall into the subtle trap of legalism! And so the order is vitally important and is paralleled by a similar order in Galatians 5:16-note where Paul commands us to continually (only possible as the Spirit gives us the desire and the power - Php 2:13NLT-note) "walk (present imperative = continually conduct your life) by the Spirit, and you will (absolutely) not carry out the desire of the flesh." Another aspect of regarding wickedness in our heart is when we compromise with sin rather than demonstrate a Spirit enabled holy aversion to it. The sanctified believer must have the same attitude toward sin which God has. A clear conscience, devoid of a desire for sin, is necessary for effectual prayer (see esp 1Jn 3:20,21-note). Avoid nullifying your prayers by planning, harboring, or entertaining sin or wickedness in your heart. As an aside it is interesting to note that the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew word "regard" with the Greek verb theoreo (derived from theorós = spectator who looks at things with interest and purpose, careful observation of details) which conveys the picture of one giving rapt contemplation of a vision (the sense in Jn 2:23). It is also notable that theoreo in the Septuagint translation is in the present tense which depicts an intentional, continuous contemplation of an object (in Ps 66:18 the object is wickedness!) which remains before the spectator! Little wonder that Jehovah will not hear the prayers of such a man or woman whose heart harbors these thoughts!
Matthew Henry: "If I have favorable thoughts of it, if I love it, indulge it, and allow myself in it, if I treat it as a friend and bid it welcome, make provision for it and am loathe to part with it, if I roll it under my tongue as a sweet morsel, though it be but a heart sin that is thus countenanced and made much of, if I delight in it after the inward man, God will not hear my prayer, will not accept it, nor be pleased with it, nor can I expect an answer of peace to it.’’
Adam Clarke: ""If I have seen iniquity in my heart," if I have known it was there, and encouraged it; if I pretended to be what I was not; if I loved iniquity, while I professed to pray and be sorry for my sin; the Lord."
John Bunyan: "Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer."
Illustration - After moving to a rural area, I discovered that my fax machine would transmit messages but could not receive them. Every incoming message was cut off and labeled with the frustrating words: "Communication Error. Line disconnected during reception." "Too much resistance and noise on your telephone line," the repairman said. After 2 hours of searching, splicing, and tightening connections, he had solved the problem. I have continued to ponder this situation as an illustration of my communication with God. It's easy to transmit my requests to Him, but much more difficult to receive His messages to me. My natural focus is on what I want to say rather than what I need to hear. If I allow the "resistance" of sin and the "noise" of the cares of life to build up, they disrupt my attention as I read the Bible, hear a sermon, or remain silent in prayer. When Jesus told a story about listening and responding to God's Word, He emphasized His point by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Mk. 4:9). Today is a fresh opportunity to clean up the line of communication with God. Let's give Him our undivided attention and listen carefully to Him in His Word. --D C MacCasland
Communication with the Lord
Involves much more than prayer,
For we must also read His Word
And listen to Him there.
--Sper
Worldly static disrupts our communication with God.
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,
And has not sworn deceitfully.
(Psalm 24:3,4-Spurgeon's note)
PRAYER. A MATTER OF THE HEART - "Therefore hath Thy servant found it in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee" (2 Sa 7:27).
A Find. Note that expression. David had made a find, a great find, an important one. And the find was in his own heart. And the find was a desire for prayer—a heart desire—a love for prayer. Have you a love, a heart affection for prayer?
Highest Form. This is the highest form of prayer. Prayer first begins as a matter of necessity. But it soon ought, and should, become a matter of the heart.
Madam Guyon has defined prayer as "nothing else but the application of the heart to God." In other words, the heart talking to God, and communing with Him.
Independent. "The prayer of the heart," wrote Madame Guyon, "cannot be interrupted by the occupations of the mind." Nothing can interrupt the prayer of the heart but unruly affections.
Essentials. In order to find prayer in the heart, the following are essentials:
1. A HEART RIGHT WITH GOD. If the heart is not right with God, communion with God is impossible. An impenitent sinner finds no such thing in his heart. He has no intelligent wish to enjoy God's friendship. The whole atmosphere of prayer is foreign to him.
2. A HEART FILLED WITH HIM. That is a heart in which He is quite at Home, and which He has filled with Himself.
3. A HEART SET ON GOD'S WORD. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." This is a trustingly beautiful prayer by David. Read it carefully and prayerfully. When examined, you will find that David is only talking over and repeating and thanking God for His own Word. This is one secret of blessing and successful prayer seasons and times. (James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose)
Heart of the Matter - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.—Proverbs 3:5-note
What is the essential difference between the heart and mind? Many believe there is no difference and that they are really the same thing. But I see a clear difference between the heart and the mind: the mind is the part of us that thinks and reasons; the heart is the part of us that contains our deep longings and desires. Although the mind is important, the heart is even more important because it is the engine room of our personality—the part from which come our drive and motivation. That is why our Lord says, "The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart" (Mt 12:34). Christ said that the words He spoke were the words given to Him by His Father (Jn 14:24). Does this mean the Father wrote out the words which He wanted Christ to say, and then Jesus had to learn them by heart? No—the heart of Jesus Christ was the very heart of God the Father; consequently, the words Christ spoke were the exact expression of God's thought. Jesus' tongue was always in its rightful place. He spoke not just from His head but from His heart; His heart and His mind were one. Oswald Chambers put it like this: "The heart is the central altar and the mind the outer court. What we offer on the central altar will show itself in due course through the outer extremities of personality." In the search for unity of purpose and integration, there is no doubt that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. (Selwyn Hughes - Every Day With Jesus)
J Vernon McGee writes that…
the heart symbolizes the center of one’s innermost being. The Lord Jesus said that it isn’t what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of a man. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Mt 15:19). Some of the meanest things in the world come out of the human heart. The heart is the seat of the total personality. If you want to know how important the heart is, get your concordance and look up all the references to the heart that are in the Bible (Ed: see below for OT & NT Scriptures you can study!). We are to keep our hearts with all diligence. What we hear is important. What we study is important. What we see is important. We should recognize that out of that heart will come all of the great issues of our lives.
Let’s not miss the fact that the Book of Proverbs, written long before Harvey made the discovery of the circulation of blood, makes a statement about the heart that centuries later science demonstrated to be true. In the Book of Proverbs (and this can be said of the entire Bible) you will find no unscientific or inaccurate observation.
Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable
to you, O Lord, my rock and my
redeemer.
(Psalm 19:14NRSV)
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart
take courage;
wait for the Lord!
(Psalm 27:14NRSV)
Spurgeon wrote that…
Inasmuch as the heart is the most important part of man—for out of it are the issues of life—it would be natural to expect that Satan, when he intended to do mischief to manhood, would be sure to make his strongest and most perpetual attacks upon the heart. What we might have guessed in wisdom, is certainly true in experience; for although Satan will tempt and try us in every way, though every gate of the town of Mansoul may be battered, though, against every part of the walls thereof he will be sure to bring out his great guns, yet the place against which he levels his deadliest malice, and his most furious strength, is the heart. Into the heart, already of itself evil enough (Jer 17:9), he thrusts the seeds of every evil thing, and doth his utmost to make it a den of unclean birds, a garden of poisonous trees, a river flowing with destructive water. Hence, again, arises the second necessity that we should be doubly cautious in keeping the heart with all diligence; for if, on the one hand, it be the most important, and, on the other hand, Satan, knowing this, makes his most furious and determined attacks against it, then, with double force the exhortation comes, "Keep thy heart with all diligence."
Guthrie writes that…
He who would keep his heart pure and holy must plant a sentinel at every avenue by which sin may find access there, guarding against none more than the “little” sins, as they are called. The man of God has his eyes to keep, and so Job said, “I have made a covenant with mine eyes” (Job 31:1)-note)—his tongue, and hence the exhortation, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile”—his ears, and hence the warning, “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes to err”—his feet, and hence David says, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.” And since there is no gate of the five senses by which the enemy may not come in like a flood, unless the Spirit lift up a standard against him, we have need to guard every port, and write over every portal, “Here there entereth nothing to hurt or to defile.” (Thoughts for the Quiet Hour)
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
(Psalm 28:7)
Mark Water writes that we watch over our hearts in two ways
First, we guard our affections by mortifying our members (Colossians 3:5-note). The apostle is saying, “You are to prevent the working and deceit of sin, which is in your members.” He also says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”(Col 3:2-note). Fixing and filling your affections with heavenly things will mortify sin.
What are the objects of such affections? They include God Himself, in His beauty and glory; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is “altogether lovely… the chiefest of ten thousand” (Song of Solomon 5:10, 16-note); grace and glory; the mysteries of the gospel; and the blessings promised by the .)
Second, let us fix our affections on the cross of Christ. Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal 6:14-note). When someone sets his affections upon the cross and the love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear. Fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin. The world put Him out of a house and into a stable, when He came to save us. Let Him now turn the world out-of-doors, when He comes to sanctify us.
Remember also that the vigor of our affections toward heavenly things is apt to decline unless it is constantly looked after, exercised, directed, and warned. God speaks often in Scripture of those who lost their first love, allowing their affections to decay. Let us be jealous over our hearts to prevent such backsliding. (Water, M. The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations. Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd)
The Puritan John Flavel has the following discussion on Proverbs 4:23 in his introductory chapter…
THE heart of man is his worst part before it is regenerated, and the best afterward; it is the seat of principles, and the fountain of actions.
The eye of God is,
and the eye of the Christian ought to be,
principally fixed upon it.
The greatest difficulty in conversion,
is to win the heart to God;
and the greatest difficulty after conversion,
is to keep the heart with God.
Here lies the very force and stress of religion; here is that which makes the way to life a narrow way, and the gate of heaven a strait gate. Direction and help in this great work are the scope of the text: wherein we have,
I. An exhortation, “Keep thy heart with all diligence.”
II. The reason or motive enforcing it, “For out of it are the issues of life.”
In the exhortation I shall consider,
First, The matter of the duty.
Secondly, The manner of performing it.
I. The matter of the duty: Keep thy heart. Heart is not here taken properly for the noble part of the body, which philosophers call “the first that lives and the last that dies ;“ but by heart, in a metaphor, the Scripture sometimes represents some particular noble faculty of the soul. In Ro. 1:21, it is put for the understanding; their foolish heart, that is, their foolish understanding was darkened. Ps 119:11, it is put for the memory; “Thy word have I hid in my heart ;“ and 1Jn 3:10, it is put for the conscience, which includes both the light of the understanding and the recognitions of the memory; if our heart condemn us, that is, if our conscience, whose proper office it is to condemn.
But in the text we are to take it more generally, for the whole soul, or inner man. What the heart is to the body, that the soul is to the man; and what health is to the heart, that holiness is to the soul. The state of the whole body depends upon the soundness and vigor of the heart, and the everlasting state of the whole man upon the good or ill condition of the soul.
By keeping the heart, understand the diligent and constant use of all holy means to preserve the soul from sin, and maintain its sweet and free communion with God. [I say constant, for the reason added in the text extends the duty to all the states and conditions of a Christian’s life, and makes it binding always. If the heart must be kept, because out of it are the issues of life, then as long as these issues of life do flow out of it, we are obliged to keep it.] Lavater on the text will have the word taken from a besieged garrison, beset by many enemies without, and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous citizens within, in which danger the soldiers, upon pain of death, are commanded to watch; and though the expression, Keep thy heart, seems to put it upon us as our work, yet it does not imply a sufficiency in us to do it. We are as able to stop the sun in its course, or to make the rivers run backward, as by our own skill and power to rule and order our hearts. We may as well be our own saviors as our own keepers; and yet Solomon speaks properly enough when he says, Keep thy heart, because the duty is ours, though the power is of God; what power we have depends upon the exciting and assisting strength of Christ (Php 2:13). Grace within us is beholden to grace without us. “Without me ye can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5)
So much for the matter of the duty.
2. The manner of performing it is with all diligence. The Hebrew is very emphatic; keep with all keeping, or, keep, keep, set double guards. This vehemency of expression with which the duty is urged, plainly implies how difficult it is to keep our hearts, how dangerous to neglect them!
The motive to this duty is very forcible and weighty: “For out of the heart are the issues of life.” That is, the heart is the source of all vital operations; it is the spring and original of both good and evil, as the spring in a watch that sets all the wheels in motion. The heart is the treasury, the hand and tongue but the shops; what is in these, comes from that; the hand and tongue always begin where the heart ends. The heart contrives, and the members execute: “a good man, out of the good treasure of his, heart, bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) So then, if the heart err in its work, these must miscarry in theirs; for heart errors are like the errors of the first concoction, which cannot be rectified afterward; or like the misplacing and inverting of the stamps and letters in the press, which must cause so many errata in all the copies that are printed. O then how important a duty is that which is contained in the following:
PROPOSITION.— The keeping and right managing of the heart in every condition, is one great business of a Christian’s life.
What the philosopher says of waters, is as properly applicable to hearts; it is hard to keep them within any bounds, God has set limits to them, yet how frequently do they transgress not only the bounds of grace and religion, but even of reason and common honesty? This is that which affords the Christian matter of’ labor and watchfulness, to his dying day. It is not the cleaning of the hand that makes the Christian, for many a hypocrite can show as fair a hand as he; but the purifying, watching, and right ordering of the heart; this is the thing that provokes so many sad complaints, and costs so many deep groans and tears. It was the pride of Hezekiah’s heart that made him lie in the dust, mourning before the Lord. It was the fear of hypocrisy’s invading the heart that made David cry, “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed.” It was the sad experience he had of the divisions and distractions of his own heart in the service of God, that made him pour out the prayer, “Unite my heart to fear thy name.” (See Keeping the Heart -- Chapter 1 - although old this book is definitely worth reading if you are serious about the state of physical heart).
J W Miller explains that…
The Hebrew term heart is not simply a metaphor for feelings or emotions but also refers to the actual place in the body where thinking occurs and wisdom is born. How the heart was viewed at the time is spelled out in a lucid text from ancient Egypt, which describes how the heart is related to other bodily organs in performing its task:
The sight of the eyes, the hearing of the ears, and the smelling the air by the nose, they report to the heart. It is this [the heart] which causes every completed (concept) to come forth, and it is the tongue which announces what the heart thinks. (“The Theology of Memphis,” Pritchard: 5)
In other words the heart receives factual knowledge from the surrounding world, reflects on it, and then, through speech, expresses the conclusions drawn. The heart is the bodily organ by means of which the raw data of experience is shaped into thoughts, concepts, or judgments.
The thoughts of the heart are vital to the health and vitality of the whole body. That too is why those who lack wisdom are spoken of in Proverbs (and in Egyptian literature) as lacking heart (Pr 7:7; NIV: judgment). They lack the capacity or willingness to think things through and come forth with realistic judgments or thoughts
In his Anthropology of the Old Testament, Hans Walther Wolff has shown that in most cases in the Bible where the term “heart” is used, “intellectual, rational functions” are ascribed to it, “precisely what we ascribe to the head and, more exactly, to the brain” (1Sa 25:37).
For this reason it is no accident, Wolff continues, that the term heart “occurs by far the most frequently in the wisdom literature of the Bible—99 times in Proverbs alone, 42 times in Ecclesiastes, and in the strongly didactic Deuteronomy 51 times” (Ed: Study Scriptures at bottom of this page). That too is why the admonition to guard your heart above all else (4:23) may be thought of as one of the core challenges of the book of Proverbs. To guard your heart is “a fundamental precept, like Socrates’ ‘know thyself’ ” (R. Van Leeuwen, 1997:61). (Miller, J. W. Proverbs. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press) (Bolding added)
Cohen writes that in Solomon's day the heart was considered to be "the central organ which conditions all man’s activities and upon whose correct functioning depends the character of his living."
The BKC adds that in Pr 4:23 "the word heart means more than mental or emotional capacity; it also encompasses one’s values (cf. Mt. 6:21-note). Heart in Hebrew refers to one’s emotions (Pr 12:25; 13:12; 14:10, 13) but more often to his intellect (such as understanding, Pr 10:8; discernment, Pr 15:14; reflection, Pr 15:28), or will (Pr 5:12).(Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor )
R E Murphy on the heart - The heart is the central organ of the body in the wisdom literature. It is often paraphrased as “mind,” since it does have an intellectual component (cf. the usual, if unfortunate, translation of the “listening heart” of Solomon in 1Ki 3:9 as “understanding mind”). But it is also the basic orientation of a person, embracing desires, emotions, and attitude. The description of the deterioration of Solomon’s “heart” in 1Ki 11:3, 4, 9 is more than a picture of mental lapse! If the teacher’s words are in the heart, they are life and healing (Pr 4:21; cf. Pr 3:8). Hence the need to guard the heart, for it is the source of “the surges of life”—literally, “from it the goings out of life”. The heart is imaged as a water source from which life erupts. Pr 4:24, 25, 26, 27 Appropriately in this passage the heart carries along several other organs of the body (cf. ear and eyes already in Pr 4:20, 21) mentioned frequently in wisdom instruction: mouth, lips, and eyes (parallel to “eyelids” or “orbs” in Pr 4:25), mouth, lips, and even the foot and hand. Such organs are affected by what is in the heart, for this gives the direction from which one is never to swerve, either right or left (Pr 4:27; cf. Dt 5:29). Two words for “eyes” appear in Pr 4:25, the second of which seems to mean the “eyelid” or “eyelash” probably related to the root, “to fly,” and hence indicating the fluttering eyelashes). The youth is to have “tunnel” vision, without any blinking, as described in Pr 17:24: the perceptive person looks straight ahead at wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. The internalization of wisdom teaching (Pr 4:21) is matched by the internalization of evil in the heart of the wicked in Pr 6:14, 18. (Murphy, R. E. Vol. 22: Word Biblical Commentary: Proverbs. Word Biblical Commentary. 2002)
Charles Bridges author of one of the finest commentaries on the Book of Proverbs writes - Invaluable are these rules as our safeguard. Assaulted as we are at every point, every inlet of sin must be strongly guarded - the heart… the citadel of man - the seat of his dearest treasure. It is fearful to think of its many watchful and subtle assailants. Let it be closely garrisoned. Let the sentinel be never sleeping on his post. "Take heed to thy way, and keep thy soul diligently." (Dt. 4:9.) But the heart must be known in order to be effectually kept. Nothing is more difficult, while nothing is more necessary. If we know not our hearts, we know nothing to any purpose. Whatever else we know, to neglect this knowledge is to be a fool at the best. If we know not our weak points, Satan knows them well--"the sins that most easily beset us." (cp Heb 12:1) Then when I know my heart, and feel it to be so dangerous, and in such dangers, the question forces itself upon me -‘Can I keep my heart?' Certainly not. But, though it be God's work, it is man's agency. Our efforts are His instrumentality. He implants an active principle, and sustains the unceasing exercise. (Phil 2:12, 13.Jude 1:24 with Jude 1:21) Conscious faith "commits the keeping of the heart to our faithful Creator." (1Pe 4:19. Ps 25:20.) This done-in His strength and guidance diligently improve all the means of preservation. Watch unto prayer. Cherish an humble dependent spirit. Live in the atmosphere of the word of God. Resist the admittance of an evil world, even in its most plausible forms. (Example of Gideon's refusal to rule over - Jdg 8:22, 23. Example of the prophet Elisha's refusal of taking anything from the pagan king for doing the Lord's work - 2Ki 5:5, 16) Here lies the conflict to the end. ‘The greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God, and after conversion to keep it with him.' 'What is there'- asks Mede-‘that will not entice and allure so fickle a thing as the heart from God?’ Above all keeping - exhorts the wise man - keep thine heart. Here Satan keeps -here therefore must we keep- special watch. If the citadel be taken, the whole town must surrender. If the heart be seized, the whole man- the affections, desires, motives, pursuits-all will be yielded up. The heart is the vital part of the body. A wound here is instant death. Thus spiritually as well as naturally, out of the heart are the issues of life. It is the great vital spring of the soul, the fountain of actions, the centre and the seat of principle, both of sin and of holiness. (Mt 12:34, 35.) The natural heart is a fountain of poison. (Mt 15:19) The purified heart is "a well of living water." (Jn, 4:14.) As is the fountain, so must be the streams. As is the heart, so must be the mouth, the eyes, the feet. Therefore, above all keeping, keep thine heart. Guard the fountain, lest the waters be poisoned. (Cp.Ge 26:18, 19, 20, 21) Many have been the bitter moments, from the neglect of this guard. All keeping is vain, if the heart be not kept. But with this keeping, let us not forget to guard the outlets of sin! (Pr 13:3, Pr 4:24) What a world of evil does 'the heart, pour out from the froward mouth! (Jas 3:5, 6) Commit, therefore, both heart and mouth to Divine discipline. (Ps 19:13; 141:3, 4.) Then let prayer and faith be the practical principles of Christian watchfulness. Not only shun, but put away-yea-far from thee-the perverse lips. Their evil--be it remembered-extends beyond ourselves. Even should the peace-speaking blood speak peace to ourselves, still will remain the painful sense of injury to our fellow-creatures, perhaps without remedy. (Bridges, C. Commentary on Proverbs)
Thomas Constable explains that the Hebrew concept of "Heart (Pr 4:23) usually means “mind” (Pr 3:3; Pr 6:32a ["sense" = Hebrew leb = "heart"]; Pr 7:7b[again, "sense" = "heart"]; et al.), but it has a much broader meaning that includes the emotions (Pr 15:15, 30), the will (Pr 11:20; 14:14), and even the whole inner person (Pr 3:5). Here the affections are particularly in view. With verses Pr 4:20, 21, 22, verse 23 helps us see that the life in view is not some prize that one gains all at once. It is rather a growing spiritual vitality that enervates the wise person and enables him or her to reach out and help others effectively (cf. Mark 7:15, 16, 17, 18, 19,20, 21, 22, 23; Luke 6:45; John 4:14 and especially John 7:38). (Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible)
Harry Ironside comments on Solomon's figurative use of heart noting that "Here is displayed a scientific knowledge and accuracy far beyond the times in which Solomon wrote. The great discovery of Harvey, the circulation of the blood, which revolutionized medical thought, is here calmly taken for granted, and used to set forth, or illustrate, a spiritual truth. Just as the heart is the centre of the physical system, whence flow the issues of life, so, in a moral and spiritual sense, the heart, used as a synonym for the soul, is that which must be jealously guarded, that thence may go forth that which is for the upbuilding of the child of God. (Ironside, H. A. Notes on the Book of Proverbs. 1908)
The IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT) - It is a common tradition in the ancient Near East for the heart to be the seat of the intellect (see Pr 14:33) and the source of stability for one who would adhere to a just and wise life (see Solomon’s request in 1Kings 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 9). (Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press)
Conrad Mbewe has an article entitled Pastoral Purity in which he addresses guarding our hearts…
The first responsibility in this single-eyed pursuit of godliness is the guarding of the heart. The wise man spoke well when he said, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). The minister's heart is the heart of his ministry. Be sure of this: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Keeping the eye and heart and spirit and conscience pure is the future of a man's ministry. So, beware of sins of the heart—pride, envy, jealousy, lust, greed, anger, and sloth. No wonder that history has dubbed them "the seven deadly sins"! Long before a person makes visible shipwreck of his life and ministry, his heart has been allowed to be a citadel of sin. I say again, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
This is the greatest battle you will ever wage in your life and ministry. We may all keep away from physical adultery and actual theft. But how many people have reduced their ministries into ego-centric showrooms that have absolutely nothing to do with the glory of God? How many men's once robust ministries have shriveled because they were envious of other men's ministries? How many good men have been driven by jealousy into riding a hobbyhorse of what the Chinese call "killing a fly on the forehead of a friend using a hatchet"? What about that wandering eye that fails to see a member of the opposite sex without thinking of the bedroom? How many men are presently laboring outside God's will, all because of seeking a more lucrative ministry? The list is endless. Brethren, these are the sins that kill the spirituality and power of our ministries long before any overt sins are visible to our people. There is no doubt that to keep your ministry alive and kicking year after year, you must train yourself to be godly. (The Founder's Journal, 2002).
Davis Huckabee writes that in Pr 4:23 Solomon "recognizes what is our greatest need, and gives command to strictly guard that which is the motive center and power plant of all our doings. This reminds us of Matthew 15:16. To leave the heart unguarded is to surrender the whole citadel of the soul. “As the heart is the center of motion to the circulation of the blood, which is the (animal) life (Lv 17:11, 14), so spiritually, as the seat of the desires and affections, it is designed to be the center and fountain of the heavenly life,” [Faussett]. Sin has so corrupted the heart, however, that it cannot perform its ordained function until it has been cleansed and changed in the new birth.
Peter Marshall former chaplain of the US Senate tells the following story “The Keeper of the Spring” which illustrates the importance of constantly guarding our heart…
An elderly, quiet forest dweller once lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps. Many years ago, the town council had hired this old gentleman as Keeper of the Spring to maintain the purity of the pools of water in the mountain crevices. The overflow from these pools ran down the mountainside and fed the lovely spring that flowed through the town. With faithful, silent regularity, the Keeper of the Spring patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches from the pools, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water.
By and by, the village became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal-clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants sparkled.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting. As the council members reviewed the budget, one man’s eye caught the salary paid the obscure Keeper of the Spring. “Who is this old man?” he asked indignantly. “Why do we keep paying him year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, this man does us no good. He isn’t necessary any longer!” By a unanimous vote, the council dispensed with the old man’s services.
For several weeks nothing changed. But by early autumn, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon, someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint to the water in the spring. A few days later, the water had darkened even more. Within a week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor emanated from the spring. The mill wheels moved slowly; some finally ground to a halt. Businesses that were located near the water closed. The swans migrated to fresher waters far away, and tourists no longer visited the town. Eventually, the clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
The shortsighted town council had enjoyed the beauty of the spring but underestimated the importance of guarding its source. We can make the same mistake in our lives. Like the Keeper of the Spring who maintained the purity of the water, you and I are the Keepers of Our Hearts. We need to consistently evaluate the purity of our hearts in prayer, asking God to reveal the little things that contaminate us. As God reveals our wrong attitudes, longings, and desires, we must remove them from our hearts. (from Joshua Harris' book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Multnomah Publishers)
A W Pink has an entire chapter entitled Heart Work (click for entire chapter - recommended), writing that keeping of the heart with all diligence…
is the great task which God has assigned unto each of His children. But oh, how sadly is the heart neglected! Of all their concerns and possessions, the least diligence is used by the vast majority of professing Christians in the keeping of their hearts. As long as they safeguard their other interests—their reputations, their bodies, their positions in the world—the heart may be left to take its own course.
As the heart in our physical body is the center and fountain of life, because from it blood circulates into every part, conveying with it either health or disease, so it is with us spiritually. If our heart be the residence of impiety, pride, avarice, malice, impure lusts, then the whole current of our lives will largely be tainted with these vices. If they are admitted there and prevail for a season, then our character and conduct will be proportionately affected. Therefore the citadel of the heart needs above all things to be well guarded, that it may not be seized by those numerous and watchful assailants which are ever attacking it. This spring needs to be well protected that its waters be not poisoned.
The man is what his heart is. If this be dead to God, then nothing in him is alive. If this be right with God, all will be right. As the mainspring of a watch sets all its wheels and parts in motion, so as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Pr 23:7). If the heart be right, the actions will be. As a man’s heart is, such is his state now and will be hereafter: if it be regenerated and sanctified there will be a life of faith and holiness in this world, and everlasting life will be enjoyed in the world to come. Therefore,
"Rather look to the cleansing of thine heart, than to the cleansing of thy well; rather look to the feeding of thine heart, than to the feeding of thy flock; rather look to the defending of thine heart, than to the defending of thine house; rather look to the keeping of thine heart, than to the keeping of thy money" (Peter Moffat, 1570).
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for Out of it are the issues of life" (Pr 4:23). The "heart" is here put for our whole inner being, the "hidden man of the heart" (1Pe 3:4)
. It is that which controls and gives character to all that we do. To "keep"—garrison or guard—the heart or soul is the great work which God has assigned us: the enablement is His, but the duty is ours. We are to keep the imagination from vanity, the understanding from error, the will from perverseness, the conscience clear of guilt, the affections from being inordinate and set on evil objects, the mind from being employed on worthless or vile subjects; the whole from being possessed by Satan. This is the work to which God has called us.
Rightly did the Puritan John Flavel say,
"The keeping and right managing of the heart in every condition is the great business of a Christian’s life."
Now to "keep" the heart right implies that it has been set right. Thus it was at regeneration, when it was given a new spiritual bent. True conversion is the heart turning from Satan’s control to God’s, from sin to holiness, from the world to Christ. To keep the heart right signifies the constant care and diligence of the renewed to preserve his soul in that holy frame to which grace has reduced it and daily strives to hold it.
"Hereupon do all events depend: the heart being kept, the whole course of our life here will be according to the mind of God, and the end of it will be the enjoyment of Him hereafter. This being neglected, life will be lost, both here as unto obedience, and hereafter as to glory" (John Owen in Causes of Apostasy).
Here is Pink's summary of what it means to keep the heart. The reader is advised to read the extended discussion that goes with each point by clicking here.
1. To "keep" the heart means striving to shut out from it all that is opposed to God…
2. To "keep" the heart means striving to bring it into conformity with the Word…
3. To "keep" the heart means to preserve it tender unto sin…
4. To "keep" the heart means to look diligently after its cleansing.
SELF-WATCH! by F B Meyer
"Keep thy heart above all that thou guardest:
For out of it are the issues of life."--Pr. 4:23
SAID PETER to our Lord, "Spare Thyself this death of which Thou speakest--this bitter suffering and anguish shall never be Thine!"
These words are continually spoken still, and many are the voices that bid us spare ourselves--the voices of our friends who love us; the voices of prudence and worldly wisdom; the voices of our own wayward hearts.
Do not spare your judgment of yourself. Never permit yourself to do things which you would be the first to condemn in others. Never suppose that there are reasons for you to do a wrong, which, under no circumstances would you tolerate in your neighbour.
Do not spare yourself in confessing your sins and mistakes. Confession is one of the tests of nobility. Not a few are willing to confess to God, who never attempt to confess to men. It is a serious question whether that sorrow for sin is genuine and deep enough which does not lead the offender to ask his fellow-man for pardon, even as he asks his God. Nothing could be clearer than Christ's words, that whenever we remember that our brother has aught against us, we are to leave our gift at the altar, and go first to seek reconciliation with him, before we offer our sacrifice to God.
The supreme test of goodness is not in the greater but in the smaller incidents of our character and practice; not what we are when standing in the searchlight of public scrutiny, but when we reach the firelight flicker of our homes; not what we are when some clarion-call rings through the air, summoning us to fight for life and liberty, but our attitude when we are called to sentry-duty in the grey morning, when the watch-fire is burning low. It is impossible to be our best at the supreme moment if character is corroded and eaten into by dally inconsistency, unfaithfulness, and besetting sin.
You cannot really help people without expending yourself. The only work that tells must cost you something. Gold, silver, and precious stones can never be built into the new Jerusalem unless you are willing to part with them from the stores of your own life.
PRAYER - Most loving Father, may love fill and rule my heart. For then there will spring up and be cherished between Thee and me a likeness of character, and union of will, so that I may choose and refuse what Thou dost. AMEN. (F. B. Meyer. Our Daily Walk)
THE GREAT CHANGE - Ezekiel 36:25-32-note (Ed: As a physician I might subtitle this one "The Greatest Heart Transplant!")
These wonderful words refer primarily to Israel's restoration. Under the law the heart of His people had become like a stone, but through His infinite grace a new heart would be given them, so that by the constraint of love they would walk in His ways. God's method in dealing with a sinful heart is revolutionary, it is a regeneration.
I. The Disease. "A stony heart" (v. 26). A heart that is "stony" is—
1. COLD. It has become insensible—past feeling. All warmth of affection for God and His Word has died away.
2. HARD. Not easily impressed. Unyielding as a rock. Indifferent to all the gracious influences of light and the force of spiritual truth. Callous.
3. DEAD. Incapable of spiritual motion. No vitality toward God. Deaf to His call and dumb for His Name.
II. The Remedy. "A new heart will I give you...an heart of flesh." The only cure for a stony heart is a new heart. Polishing or carving a stone into an altered and improved form will not make it a "living stone." A heart of flesh is—
1. A NEW HEART. It is the gift of God, and takes the place of the stony heart, and so renewing the whole man. It is not only new to the man who gets it, but its manifestations are new to all who see them.
2. A SOFT HEART. Sensitive and childlike, easily impressed by the things of God. The stony nature has disappeared.
3. A WARM HEART. The love of God has found a home in it, and is shed abroad through it. It glows with compassion for the perishing, and burns with indignation against sin and iniquity.
4. A LIVING HEART. Once dead, but now alive unto God. A heart fitted to have communion with the living God. When Sir W. Raleigh was asked to adjust his head on the block he said, "It matters little how the head lies if the heart is right." Is thine heart right with God?
III. The Results. The new heart opens the way for the fullness of the new life. The new character reveals itself by—
1. POSSESSING HIS SPIRIT. "I will put My Spirit within you" (Ezek 36:27). His Spirit is the new motive power in the life. . This new moral machinery requires a new power (Rom. 8:9).
2. WALKING IN HIS STATUTES. "I will cause you to walk in My statutes." The daily life is made to become pleasing unto the Lord. To walk in His way is to walk with God.
3. DWELLING IN HIS LAND. "Ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers," etc. (Ezek 36:28). The good land of His providence is the inheritance of all Who have been made "new creatures in Christ Jesus."
4. RESTING ON HIS PROMISES (Ezek 36:29-32). They are exceeding great and precious, so that we might delight ourselves in the Lord, because for His own Name's sake hath He done all this for us (Ezek 36:32). (James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose)
A FIXED HEART. Psalm 108:1-6.
I. The Heart Needs Fixing.
II. God only Can Properly Fix It
III. The Characteristics of a Fixed Heart. It is a -
1. Confident Heart. "O God, my heart is fixed."
2. Happy Heart. "I will sing praises."
3. Wide-awake Hearts. "I will awake early."
4. Fearless Heart. "I will sing unto Thee among the nations."
5. Thankful Heart. "Thy mercy is great."
6. God-honouring Heart. "Be Thou exalted."
7. Pitiful Heart. "Save with Thy right hand." (James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose)
F B Meyer - THE FORTRESS OF THE HEART
"Keep thy heart with all diligence."--Pr. 4:23.
"The peace of God shall keep your hearts."--Phil. 4:7.
IN MOST of the old castles there is an inner keep, which is protected, not only by mighty walls and bastions, but by the portcullis at the gate, and sentries at every approach, who challenged every one that passed in and out. So the heart is continually approached by good and evil, by the frivolities and vanities of the world and the insidious suggestions of the flesh. It is like an inn or hostelry, with constant arrivals and departures. Passengers throng in and out, some of them with evil intent, hoping to find conspirators, or to light fires that will spread until the whole being is swept with passion, consuming in an hour the fabric of years to ashes.
We need, therefore, to be constantly on the watch; we must keep our heart above all else that we guard, for out of it are the issues of life (R.V. marg.). Our Lord says that "out of the heart of man come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, thefts," etc. The devil and the world without would be less to be feared, if there were not such strong tendencies to evil within--many of them inherited from long lines of ancestors, who, alas! pass down to us the worst features of their characters equally with the best.
Keep it Clean. Just as the eye of the body is perpetually washed with tear-water, so let us ask that the precious blood of Christ may cleanse away any speck of impurity. Remember how delicate a thing the heart is, and how susceptible to the dust of an evil thought, which would instantly prevent it becoming the organ of spiritual vision. Sursum Corda! Lift up your hearts! We lift them up unto the Lord!
The Sentinel of Peace. Then the Peace of God will become the warden or sentry of the heart, and it passeth understanding! We can understand the apparent peace of some men. They have made money, and their gold-bags are piled around them as a fortress; they have rich and influential friends, within whose protection they imagine they will be sheltered and defended; they enjoy good health, and are held in high esteem. We can understand such peace, though it often proves ephemeral! But there is a peace that passeth understanding! It is to this that our Lord refers when He says, "My Peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth." "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
PRAYER - Keep me, Heavenly Father, as the apple of Thine eye; defend me by Thine Almighty power; hide me from this strife of tongues and the fiery darts of the wicked one. May my heart be as the palace which the Stronger than the strong man keeps in perfect peace. AMEN. (F. B. Meyer. Our Daily Walk)
In his book Back to Bethel (= plain text version), (Download PDF Version) F B Meyer writes in his chapter entitled "The Rule of Our Thoughts"…
I have explained that you might expect to be tempted to the end of your life, that the nearer you live to God, the more you will be tempted. The presence of temptation in your life is not a proof of deterioration, but the contrary, for the more you know of God on the one hand the more you will know of Satan's temptation, on the other hand.
If you desire to be kept from yielding to temptation, you must be very careful of your thoughts, and it is about the necessity of guarding your thoughts that I am going to speak now.
KEEP THY HEART CLEAN
First, let us look at Pr 4:23, where the wise man says: "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life," or as the revised version puts it: "Keep thy heart above all things that thou keepest."
You keep your wealth, you keep your home, you keep your health, you keep your character, but above all these things keep your heart. Why? Because out of it are the issues of life.
When Bunyan depicted the character of Ignorance, he made him say:
"I think my heart is as good as anybody's heart, and as for my thoughts, I take no notice of them."
He shows at once that he does not know himself, and that he is exposed to every temptation that crosses his path. If you have never before noticed your thoughts you will find before I am done that the first suggestion of wrong comes through the doorway of the mind.
Turn again to Pr 23:7, and read: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
The thoughts lay down the tram lines upon which presently the tram car makes its way. Just as the tram car will pass up and down the rails in a great city, so does the act follow along the track of the thought.I know there are men who say, "I must not do that act, but I may indulge the thought of doing it." There are those who dare not act impurely, but during the hours of darkness they allow their thoughts to wander where they will, and such men and women think they have escaped wrong; but let them understand that those thoughts are all noted by God, and they will have to account for them at the day of judgment. Let them also know that the thoughts they have entertained in their hearts will find an issue, and there will be some act in their life, perhaps ten years hence, as a result of these unholy thoughts. Sometimes it seems rather terrible that a life should be blasted by one act, and you may be disposed to pity the man and say that it is hard for him to be judged and crippled for the rest of his life by the passionate act of a single moment. But remember that an act is never alone. It really sums up trains of unholy thought in which the man has been indulging, and therefore you do not judge him for the one act, but for the process of which it is the result. The tree was eaten through before it crashed to the ground in the storm. (See "Tiny Evils, Big Fall")
THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN - The Word of God tells us, in Gen. 6:5: "God saw that the wickedness of man was very great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Away back in the days of Noah the trouble God had with man was in his thoughts; The whole trend of the Bible is to get our thinking right.
As a contrast to that verse in Genesis, I quote Phil 4:8: "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, think on these things."
Up to the doorway of your heart are always coming hundreds and thousands of thoughts, and you must be careful to reject the evil ones and let into your soul only those that are of good report. If these are the tenants of the inner life, you need have no fear about your character. I am prepared to say that if you think right, you need not take much care about your life.
Butler in his Analogy says there are three steps in the formation of character--act, habit, character. The act makes the habit, the habit or the bundle of habits form the character. Thackeray amplified this saying thus: "Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap character; sow character, reap destiny."
I illustrated this not long ago to an audience of children by showing a thread, and attached to it a piece of twine, then a rope, then a chain, and padlock. I tied the thread around a boy, and he broke it easily. But I gradually wound the twine and rope and chain about him to show the power of habit. The thread was the thought leading to the act, the rope was the habit, the chain was character, ending in the padlock of destiny.Our Lord announces the same truth in Mark 7:21: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts." Then He names some of the sins--adultery, fornication, murder, thefts, covetousness. They all begin in the evil thoughts. In Ep 2:3 we are told: "Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind." The Greek says "the desires of the flesh and the thoughts." I want you to notice that, "'fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the thoughts." Desire is not in itself wrong. The affections and propensities of our nature are not wrong in themselves. God gave these to us to pull along the chariots of our lives. He put within us all manner of appetites and propensities which are His own beautiful gifts. The wrong comes in two ways: if we desire too much of the right thing, and if we desire gratification in a wrong way. Whenever desire oversteps the bounds, or seeks gratification in a wrong way, it becomes lust.
You cannot help the bad thoughts coming. As one of the Puritans said: "You cannot help the birds flying over your head, but you can keep them from building their nests in your hair." Some are part of us by heredity. Then the papers and books we read, the pictures which are exhibited in store windows and in art galleries, the conversations we overhear,--all around us there are many things exciting and appealing to us, and we are having unholy desires constantly presented to our mind. But we must not fulfill them. We may have the temptations to lust presented to us, but there is a vast difference between that and having the lust gratified. The evil thought may come to your door and knock, and you may keep your door locked. You sin when you open your heart and let the thought in and gloat over it. Then desire becomes lust.
In James 1:14, 15 we read: "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts, and enticed. For when the lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Let me illustrate by the use of botany. You know that flowers have their sex, and the bees gathering honey in one flower carry the pollen to another, and the result is flower and fruit. Precisely in the same way the heart of man is always open, and bees of all kinds seem to bring the pollen of unholy thoughts; when these are sown in the desires of our nature, there is at once the result of which St. James speaks. As soon as you allow the evil thought to mingle with your nature, it bringeth forth the act of sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
I am not speaking now of the sinful state which we have inherited from Adam, but of the act of sin. Lust, when it hath conceived, bringeth forth this child of sin, and its grandchild, which is death. There you have the parent, child and grandchild.
Now we may say that bad thoughts fly about like microbes. Our system of surgery has been entirely transformed in Great Britain by the recent discovery of the influence of microbes. We are now taught that the air is filled with microbes. The surgeons always keep their instruments in a solution of carbolic acid, so that when an instrument makes an incision in the flesh it will not carry microbes with it. This is to prevent suppuration, which is only the multiplication of microbes in an open wound.What microbes are to the body, bad thoughts are to the soul. As you have to use antiseptics to check microbes, so you must live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, who is the antiseptic to bad thoughts. These thoughts come from Satan. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices," (2Co 2:11). The Greek is, "We are not ignorant of his thoughts." Satan is always starting evil thoughts.
To use a simile that anybody can understand, the soul is like a castle with a great gateway. Many people leave the gateway of their soul open, so that every vagrant, truant evil thought may come pouring in and do as it likes. At the gateway of your soul there are many thoughts apparently innocent, but really great traitors. If you keep your gateway unguarded, unsentinelled, these thoughts pour in and out, backwards and forwards, and presently blow up your whole soul with passion.
Therefore, in dealing with our thoughts, two things are necessary: First, discernment; and second, keeping power.
We read in Is 28:5,6: "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate." The Lord of hosts shall be two things: first, a spirit of judgment, and secondly, strength. Are not these what we need? (For the rest of this chapter see - Back to Bethel by F B Meyer = plain text version or download the PDF Version) (Alternative Site)
Today in the Word
When Harry Truman became president, House speaker Sam Rayburn took him aside and said, 'From here on out you're going to have lots of people around you. They'll try to put a wall around you and cut you off from any ideas but theirs. They'll tell you what a great man you are, Harry. But you and I both know you ain't.' Rayburn wasn't trying to insult Truman. He was simply warning the new president to be on his guard. The Bible tells us to do the same thing. We need to guard our hearts because the heart is the seat of our affections, and therefore of our decisions.
This truth is one more nugget in the gold mine of godly wisdom from the Proverbs. Our goal this month is to learn more about how God wants us to live and to capitalize on the resources He has provided to help us discover the path of life. Proverbs 4 contains much wisdom for us.
Today's reading presents two very clear alternatives two paths that lead to very different ends. God is eager to lead us along a path that is straight, well-marked by His wisdom, and illuminated by His love.
When we walk along this path, with God's instruction Book in our hands (Pr 4:13), we don't need to worry about stumbling. God is not in the business of putting obstacles in our way.
In contrast, 'the path of the wicked' (Pr 4:14) is a sharp turn in the road. Instead of being straight and well-lit, it is twisted and dark, littered with the stones and potholes of sin.
Solomon could not have been any more plain. If we live according to the standards of God's Word, we will end up in 'the full light of day' (v. 18). But sin produces only darkness and eventual gloom. And no one will be able to say that God did not make the two choices clear.
So how do we make sure we stay on the right path? Pr 4:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 give us all the instruction we need. Solomon tells us to keep a guard on what goes into our hearts and what comes out of our mouths.
At the same time, we need to keep our eyes straight ahead, fixed on Jesus (Heb 12:2-note), so that we can see where we're going. Anyone can follow a well-marked path by paying attention to the signs.
We used to sing a children's chorus that begins, 'O be careful little eyes what you see.' The song goes on to urge that we guard what our ears hear, what our hands do, and where our feet go. That's a pretty good spiritual checklist! We suggest you follow the song's biblical advice today and do a head-to-foot checkup on your Christian life.
It has become commonplace in the last several years to acknowledge that proper diet and adequate exercise are crucial elements of preventing heart disease. In fact, a University of Pennsylvania study found that exercise worked like certain prescription drugs in preventing heart disease. In our culture, however, this welcome emphasis on physically healthy hearts isn’t combined with concern for spiritually healthy hearts. So consider today’s passage an ad for Spiritual Heart Check America!
We begin with the oft-repeated exhortation to pay attention to the father’s words, to listen and focus on them. In short, if we’re looking at God’s words, we won’t be focusing on others’ words. We see once again the importance of treasuring up God’s Word, because His words bring forth life and health. It’s been noticed that people who are angry or unforgiving often experience increased physical ailments. Verse 23 emphasizes this: the condition of our heart is to be protected at all costs.
Jesus taught the same thing. When the Pharisees accused His disciples of being unclean, Jesus replied, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him 'unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean’ ” (Matt. 15:11). Thus today’s passages encourages us to monitor what we take in, not allowing an unfiltered stream to enter our hearts through TV, movies, magazines, and other media.
Speech often indicates the true condition of our heart. It’s embarrassing to “slip” and to say something hurtful unintentionally, but this often reveals our true feelings. That’s why it’s good to be reminded that the condition of our hearts determines our words and actions. If we’re embittered toward others, we will find it nearly impossible to serve them and to look for their best. But if we have been cultivating edifying thoughts about others, we’re much more predisposed to love them through service and prayer.
Matthew Henry wrote
We must keep a watchful eye and a strict hand upon all the motions of our inward man, Pr 4:23. Here is,
1. A great duty required by the laws of wisdom, and in order to our getting and preserving wisdom:
Keep thy heart with all diligence. God, who gave us these souls, gave us a strict charge with them: Man, woman, keep thy heart; take heed to thy spirit, Dt 4:9. We must maintain a holy jealousy of ourselves, and set a strict guard, accordingly, upon all the avenues of the soul; keep our hearts from doing hurt and getting hurt, from being defiled by sin and disturbed by trouble; keep them as our jewel, as our vineyard; keep a conscience void of offence; keep out bad thoughts; keep up good thoughts; keep the affections upon right objects and in due bounds. Keep them with all keepings (so the word is); there are many ways of keeping things—by care, by strength, by calling in help, and we must use them all in keeping our hearts; and all little enough, so deceitful are they, Jer. 17:9. Or above all keepings; we must keep our hearts with more care and diligence than we keep any thing else. We must keep our eyes (Job 31:1), keep our tongues (Ps. 34:13), keep our feet (Eccl. 5:1), but, above all, keep our hearts.
2. A good reason given for this care, because out of it are the issues of life.
Out of a heart well kept will flow living issues, good products, to the glory of God and the edification of others. Or, in general, all the actions of the life flow from the heart, and therefore keeping that is making the tree good and healing the springs. Our lives will be regular or irregular, comfortable or uncomfortable, according as our hearts are kept or neglected.
Ray Pritchard…
There’s an old gospel song that says,
How about your heart, is it right with God?
That’s the thing that counts today.
So how about your heart? Many of us are concerned about heart disease—and rightly so– but what about spiritual heart disease that is just as insidious? During a heated battle one of Napoleon’s soldiers was shot just above a heart. In those days surgery was done without anesthesia. While the doctor was removing the bullet, the soldier declared, “One inch lower you will find the emperor.”What would we find if we opened your heart today? Would we find Jesus Christ enshrined in your heart? (The Blessings of Obedience - sermon by Dr. Ray Pritchard - June 1997)
What starts in the heart ends up on the lips ("rotten speech" Ep 4:29-note, "rotten attitudes" Ep 4:31-note). What begins with bitterness ends with slander. We think, we feel, and then we speak. What starts as a grievance becomes an outburst of wrath that hardens into anger that expresses itself in clamor and ultimately as slander. Malice marks such a person through and though. And it all starts with personal hurt that becomes bitterness. Stop it at the first and you won’t have to stop it at the last. That’s why Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to “guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” We are doing Satan’s work when we climb that staircase. Every step is a step for him. (Do Not Grieve the Spirit - sermon by Dr. Ray Pritchard - June 2005)
Healthcare for the Heart - If you're over 40 years old, your heart has already beat more than 1.5 billion times. I know that when my heart stops, it will be too late to change my ways. So I've been trying to control my weight, get exercise, and watch not only what I eat but also what's eating me.
This last point relates to another vital organ called "the heart"—our spiritual heart. It too has throbbed millions of times with thoughts, affections, and choices. In the heart we determine how we will speak, behave, and respond to life's circumstances (Proverbs 4:23). Will we trust the Lord and choose to be gracious, patient, and loving? Or will we yield to pride, greed, and bitterness?
Today's Scripture reading emphasizes the importance of caring for our heart. Are we keeping spiritually fit?
Weight: Do we need to lose the weight of unnecessary burdens and cares?
Pulse: Are we maintaining a steady rhythm of gratitude and praise?
Blood pressure: Is our trust greater than our anxiety?
Diet: Are we enjoying the life-giving nutrients of the Word of God?
Have you checked your heart lately? — Mart De Haan
O Lord, You see what's in the heart—
There's nothing hid from You;
So help us live the kind of life
That's filled with love for You. —D. De Haan
To keep spiritually fit, consult the Great Physician.
Spiritual Heart Care - You're up at the crack of dawn, doing your exercises. You're not going to let your heart get weak! You've trimmed the fat from your diet. You get regular cholesterol checks. And you're exercising four times a week to keep your cardiovascular system in peak condition.
But you've let your spiritual heart turn to mush. Preoccupied with the temporary, you've neglected the eternal. You seldom read the Bible anymore. Your prayers are lists of requests to God to make your life more comfortable and pain-free. By the time you reach the church door after the sermon, you can't recall what the pastor said because you were thinking about something else.
If this describes you, it's time to get into a spiritual heart-care program. It begins where David (a man after God's own heart Acts 13:22, 1 Sa 13:44, 16:7) was in Psalm 139--by acknowledging that God knows all about your heart. It continues in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." And it results in the prayer ofPsalm 19:14, "Let … the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord."
Taking care of your body makes sense, but it makes even more sense to gain spiritual fitness by walking with the Lord. That's an exercise program with eternal value! — David C. Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Dear Jesus, take my heart and hand,
And grant me this, I pray:
That I through Your sweet love may grow
More like You day by day. --Garrison
To keep spiritually fit,
keep walking with the Lord.
The Secret Garden - The Secret Garden, a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, tells the story of Mary, a young girl who goes to live with her wealthy uncle Archibald on his estate in England. Mary gets to know Dickon, a working-class boy who loves nature. The two children discover a fenced-in garden that Mary’s uncle has locked up because it reminds him of his deceased wife. The garden looks dead because of neglect, but Dickon assures Mary that, with proper tending, it will recover with new life. With the children’s help, “the secret garden” eventually bursts forth with colorful, fragrant blooms.
All of us have a secret garden of the heart. How we tend it will determine what speech and behavior it produces. Proverbs wisely admonishes us: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Pr 4:23). The word keep means “to watch or guard with fidelity.” Guarding what we take into our hearts and monitoring our response will determine what takes root there. As we remove the thorns of resentment, weeds of lust, and roots of bitterness, we can replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-note, Gal 5:23-note). (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Are you tending the garden of your heart? — Dennis Fisher
Think not alone of outward form;
Its beauty will depart;
But cultivate the Spirit’s fruits
That grow within the heart. —D. De Haan
God wants you to water the seed He’s planted in your heart.
The Cost Of Neglect - I read about a Detroit man who couldn't find his house. He had gone to the right address but all he found was an empty lot. Completely baffled, he asked the Detroit Free Press to help him figure out what was going on. A newspaper reporter learned that not only was the house gone, but the deed to the empty lot was in someone else's name.
What had happened? For one thing, a few years had passed since the homeowner had left the city without providing a forwarding address. In addition, he had failed to make arrangements for someone to keep the property in repair. So the house was torn down because a city ordinance called for the removal of neighborhood eyesores.
The homeowner's neglect illustrates the practical truth of Proverbs 24:30-34. Neglect leads to loss. This principle also applies to our daily walk with God. If we neglect our times of prayer and fellowship with the Lord, our relationship with Him will deteriorate and we will no longer experience His favor. We would never want that to happen, but we allow it when we become preoccupied with anything that comes between us and Christ.
We need to establish priorities that honor God. Then we'll avoid the loss that comes from neglect. — Mart De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Unless we're occupied with Jesus
And seek to do His will each day,
We're sure to know the loss and sorrow
That comes when we neglect His way. —Anon.
If you shirk today's tasks,
you increase tomorrow's burdens.
Hostile Heart - Beware the hostile heart. That's the warning of Dr. Redford Williams from Duke University's Behavioral Medicine Research Center. He has been saying for years that having a hostile personality can kill us--most often by heart disease but also by injuries and accidents. Anger speeds the heart rate, raises blood pressure, and disrupts the coronary arteries.
Some indicators of a hostile heart are impatience with delays, mistrust of co-workers, annoyance with the habits of family members or friends, and a persistent need to have the last word in arguments or to get even when wronged.
In Proverbs 4, a wise father urged his son to listen closely to his words. He said, "They are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Pr 4:22, 23).
Our wise heavenly Father issues the same call to us about His life-giving words recorded for us in the Bible. The transformation of a hostile heart begins as we listen to God, meditate on His Word, and allow Him to alter our behavior and speech. It's a prescription I need to follow today. How about you? — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
I want my heart to be in tune with God,
In every stage of life may it ring true;
I want my thoughts and words to honor Him,
To lift Him up in everything I do. --Hess
Let God's Word fill your mind,
rule your heart, and guide your tongue.
ALL 545 VERSES IN OLD TESTAMENT
THAT USE THE HEBREW NOUN LEB (03820)
Leb is rendered in the NAS as "heart" in 396 uses (with 102x in Psalms - this would make a great study of the Biblical description of the heart), but is also translated in a variety of ways as shown by this list -
Usage: accord(1), attention(4), attention*(1), bravest*(1), brokenhearted*(3), care*(2), celebrating*(1), chests*(1), completely*(1), concern*(1), concerned*(1), conscience(1), consider*(2), considered*(2), courage(1), decided*(1), determine*(1), discouraged*(1), discouraging*(1), doing*(1), double heart(1), encouragingly*(1), heart(396), heart's(2), hearts(40), Himself(1), himself(6), imagination(1), inspiration(2), intelligence(1), kindly(5), life(1), merry-hearted*(1), middle(2), midst(1), mind(36), minds(3), myself(6), obstinate*(2), planned*(1), presume*(1), pride*(1), recalls*(1), reflected*(1), regard*(1), self-exaltation*(1), sense(10), senseless*(1), seriously(1), skill*(1), skilled*(1), skillful man*(1), skillful men*(1), skillful persons*(1), skillful*(3), spirits(1), stouthearted*(1), stubborn-minded*(1), tenderly(2), thought(3), understanding(7), undivided*(1), well(2), willingly*(1), wisdom(2), yourself(1), yourselves(1).
NAU 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.
6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
NAU Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
NAU Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
NAU Genesis 18:5 and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have said."
NAU Genesis 24:45 ¶ "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'
NAU Genesis 27:41 ¶ So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
NAU Genesis 34:3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
NAU Genesis 42:28 Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"
NAU Genesis 50:21 "So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
NAU Exodus 4:14 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, "Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
21 ¶ The LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
NAU Exodus 7:3 "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
13 Yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
14 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this.
NAU Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
NAU Exodus 9:7 Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
12 And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
21 but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
NAU Exodus 10:1 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,
20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go.
NAU Exodus 11:10 ¶ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
NAU Exodus 14:4 "Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.
17 "As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
NAU Exodus 15:8 "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
NAU Exodus 25:2 "Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.
NAU Exodus 28:3 "You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me.
29 "Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
30 "You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
NAU Exodus 31:6 "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
NAU Exodus 35:5 'Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD'S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze,
10 ¶ 'Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded:
21 Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD'S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.
22 Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD.
25 All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen.
26 All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair.
29 The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the LORD had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the LORD.
34 "He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35 "He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
NAU Exodus 36:1 "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."
2 ¶ Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it.
8 ¶ All the skillful men among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, Bezalel made them.
NAU Numbers 16:28 Moses said, "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.
NAU Numbers 24:13 'Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak '?
NAU Numbers 32:7 "Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the LORD has given them?
9 "For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.
NAU Deuteronomy 4:11 "You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom.
NAU Deuteronomy 28:65 "Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.
NAU Deuteronomy 29:4 "Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
19 "It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, 'I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.'
NAU Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
NAU Joshua 14:8 "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully.
NAU Judges 5:9 "My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the LORD!
15 "And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.
16 "Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.
NAU Judges 16:15 ¶ Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is."
17 So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man."
18 ¶ When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands.
25 It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may amuse us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.
NAU Judges 18:20 The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and went among the people.
NAU Judges 19:3 Then her husband arose and went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back, taking with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him into her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him.
5 Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to go; and the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Sustain yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go."
6 So both of them sat down and ate and drank together; and the girl's father said to the man, "Please be willing to spend the night, and let your heart be merry."
22 ¶ While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him."
NAU Ruth 2:13 Then she said, "I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."
NAU Ruth 3:7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.
NAU 1 Samuel 1:13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.
NAU 1 Samuel 2:1 ¶ Then Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
NAU 1 Samuel 4:13 When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.
20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention.
NAU 1 Samuel 6:6 "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
NAU 1 Samuel 9:20 "As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?"
NAU 1 Samuel 10:9 ¶ Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.
26 Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
NAU 1 Samuel 17:32 David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
NAU 1 Samuel 24:5 It came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe.
NAU 1 Samuel 25:25 "Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
31 this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."
36 ¶ Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light.
37 But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone.
NAU 1 Samuel 27:1 ¶ Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."
NAU 1 Samuel 28:5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
NAU 2 Samuel 6:16 ¶ Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
NAU 2 Samuel 7:21 "For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know.
27 "For You, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house'; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You.
NAU 2 Samuel 13:20 ¶ Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house.
28 Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "See now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant."
33 "Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart, namely, 'all the king's sons are dead,' for only Amnon is dead."
NAU 2 Samuel 14:1 ¶ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was inclined toward Absalom.
NAU 2 Samuel 15:6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.
13 ¶ Then a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."
NAU 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.
NAU 2 Samuel 18:3 But the people said, "You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city."
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.
NAU 2 Samuel 19:7 "Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
19 So he said to the king, "Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did wrong on the day when my lord the king came out from Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart.
NAU 2 Samuel 24:10 ¶ Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly."
NAU 1 Kings 3:9 "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"
12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.
NAU 1 Kings 4:29 ¶ Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.
NAU 1 Kings 8:23 He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,
47 if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly';
66 On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.
NAU 1 Kings 9:3 The LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
NAU 1 Kings 10:24 All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
NAU 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
NAU 1 Kings 12:26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
27 "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
33 Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.
NAU 1 Kings 18:37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again."
NAU 1 Kings 21:7 Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
NAU 2 Kings 5:26 Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?
NAU 2 Kings 6:11 ¶ Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?"
NAU 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.
NAU 2 Kings 12:4 ¶ Then Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both the money of each man's assessment and all the money which any man's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD,
NAU 2 Kings 14:10 "You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?"
NAU 2 Kings 23:3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
NAU 1 Chronicles 12:33 Of Zebulun, there were 50,000 who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David with an undivided heart.
38 ¶ All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.
NAU 1 Chronicles 15:29 ¶ It happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.
NAU 1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
NAU 1 Chronicles 17:19 "O LORD, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
NAU 1 Chronicles 28:9 ¶ "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
NAU 1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
NAU 2 Chronicles 6:14 He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;
38 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name,
NAU 2 Chronicles 7:10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, rejoicing and happy of heart because of the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to Solomon and to His people Israel.
11 ¶ Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's palace, and successfully completed all that he had planned on doing in the house of the LORD and in his palace.
16 "For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
NAU 2 Chronicles 9:23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
NAU 2 Chronicles 12:14 He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.
NAU 2 Chronicles 17:6 He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.
NAU 2 Chronicles 24:4 ¶ Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD.
NAU 2 Chronicles 25:19 "You said, 'Behold, you have defeated Edom.' And your heart has become proud in boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?"
NAU 2 Chronicles 26:16 ¶ But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
NAU 2 Chronicles 30:12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.
22 Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their fathers.
NAU 2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
26 However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.
NAU Ezra 6:22 And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
NAU Ezra 7:27 ¶ Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,
NAU Nehemiah 2:2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid.
12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.
NAU Nehemiah 4:6 ¶ So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
NAU Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent a message to him saying, "Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind."
NAU Nehemiah 7:5 ¶ Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first in which I found the following record:
NAU Esther 1:10 ¶ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
NAU Esther 5:9 ¶ Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate and that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai.
NAU Esther 6:6 So Haman came in and the king said to him, "What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?" And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?"
NAU Esther 7:5 Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?"
NAU Job 1:8 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."
NAU Job 2:3 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."
NAU Job 7:17 "What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him,
NAU Job 8:10 "Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds?
NAU Job 11:13 "If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him,
NAU Job 12:24 "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
NAU Job 15:12 "Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash,
NAU Job 17:4 "For You have kept their heart from understanding, Therefore You will not exalt them.
NAU Job 23:16 "It is God who has made my heart faint, And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
NAU Job 29:13 "The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow's heart sing for joy.
NAU Job 31:7 "If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart followed my eyes, Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or I have lurked at my neighbor's doorway,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
NAU Job 33:3 "My words are from the uprightness of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.
NAU Job 34:14 "If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
NAU Job 36:5 "Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
13 "But the godless in heart lay up anger; They do not cry for help when He binds them.
NAU Job 37:1 "At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.
24 "Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart."
NAU Job 41:24 "His heart is as hard as a stone, Even as hard as a lower millstone.
NAU Psalm 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.
NAU Psalm 7:9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
10 My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.
NAU Psalm 9:1 For the choir director; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.
NAU Psalm 10:6 He says to himself, "I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity."
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it."
13 Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, "You will not require it."
17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
NAU Psalm 11:2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
NAU Psalm 12:2 They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.
NAU Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
NAU Psalm 14:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.
NAU Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
NAU Psalm 17:3 You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
NAU Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
NAU Psalm 21:2 You have given him his heart's desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
NAU Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.
NAU Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.
NAU Psalm 27:3 Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.
8 When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek."
14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
NAU Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
NAU Psalm 31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
NAU Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
NAU Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
NAU Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
NAU Psalm 35:25 Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, our desire!" Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
NAU Psalm 36:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD. Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.
10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
NAU Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.
NAU Psalm 38:8 I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.
10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.
NAU Psalm 39:3 My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue:
NAU Psalm 40:10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, And my heart has failed me.
NAU Psalm 41:6 And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it.
NAU Psalm 44:18 Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way,
21 Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
NAU Psalm 45:1 For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love. My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
5 Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King's enemies.
NAU Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
NAU Psalm 48:13 Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation.
NAU Psalm 49:3 My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
NAU Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
NAU Psalm 53:1 For the choir director; according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. 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.
NAU Psalm 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
21 His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.
NAU Psalm 57:7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
NAU Psalm 58:2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.
NAU Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
NAU Psalm 62:10 Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
NAU Psalm 64:6 They devise injustices, saying, "We are ready with a well-conceived plot"; For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.
10 The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.
NAU Psalm 66:18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;
NAU Psalm 69:20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none.
NAU Psalm 74:8 They said in their heart, "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
NAU Psalm 76:5 The stouthearted were plundered, They sank into sleep; And none of the warriors could use his hands.
NAU Psalm 78:8 And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
NAU Psalm 81:12 "So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.
NAU Psalm 83:5 For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:
NAU Psalm 84:2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
NAU Psalm 94:15 For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it.
NAU Psalm 97:11 Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart.
NAU Psalm 102:4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
NAU Psalm 105:3 Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
25 He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants.
NAU Psalm 107:12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help.
NAU Psalm 108:1 A Song, a Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.
NAU Psalm 109:22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
NAU Psalm 112:7 He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear, Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
NAU Psalm 119:2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.
10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.
32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart. He.
34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart.
36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain.
58 I sought Your favor with all my heart; Be gracious to me according to Your word.
69 The arrogant have forged a lie against me; With all my heart I will observe Your precepts.
70 Their heart is covered with fat, But I delight in Your law.
80 May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, So that I will not be ashamed. Kaph.
111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end. Samekh.
145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes.
161 Princes persecute me without cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your words.
NAU Psalm 125:4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good And to those who are upright in their hearts.
NAU Psalm 131:1 A Song of Ascents, of David. O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
NAU Psalm 138:1 A Psalm of David. I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods.
NAU Psalm 140:2 Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars.
NAU Psalm 141:4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
NAU Psalm 143:4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me.
NAU Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
NAU Proverbs 2:2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;
10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
NAU Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
NAU Proverbs 4:4 Then he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
NAU Proverbs 5:12 And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!
NAU Proverbs 6:14 Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife.
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.
32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.
NAU Proverbs 7:3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.
7 And I saw among the naive, And discerned among the youths A young man lacking sense,
10 And behold, a woman comes to meet him, Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths.
NAU Proverbs 8:5 "O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom.
NAU Proverbs 9:4 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks understanding she says,
16 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here," And to him who lacks understanding she says,
NAU Proverbs 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined.
13 On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.
20 The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.
NAU Proverbs 11:12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their walk are His delight.
NAU Proverbs 12:8 A man will be praised according to his insight, But one of perverse mind will be despised.
11 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.
NAU Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
NAU Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his.
30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known.
NAU Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.
11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
21 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, But a man of understanding walks straight.
28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
30 Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news puts fat on the bones.
32 He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
NAU Proverbs 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
21 The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
23 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips.
NAU Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts.
16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense?
18 A man lacking in sense pledges And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
20 He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
NAU Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.
15 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
NAU Proverbs 19:3 The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.
21 Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.
NAU Proverbs 20:5 A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out.
9 Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin "?
NAU Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
2 Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.
NAU Proverbs 22:11 He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;
NAU Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!" But his heart is not with you.
12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
26 Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.
33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
NAU Proverbs 24:2 For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble.
12 If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
30 I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,
32 When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.
NAU Proverbs 25:3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.
NAU Proverbs 26:23 Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart.
NAU Proverbs 27:9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me.
19 As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.
23 Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;
NAU Proverbs 28:14 How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered.
NAU Proverbs 30:19 The way of an eagle in the sky, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a maid.
NAU Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.
NAU Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
16 ¶ I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."
17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.
NAU Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
3 I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.
10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.
15 Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity."
20 Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.
23 Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.
NAU Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
17 I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.
18 I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."
NAU Ecclesiastes 5:2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
20 For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.
NAU Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
7 For oppression makes a wise man mad, And a bribe corrupts the heart.
21 ¶ Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you.
25 I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.
26 And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
NAU Ecclesiastes 8:5 He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.
9 All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt.
11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.
16 ¶ When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night),
NAU Ecclesiastes 9:1 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
7 ¶ Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.
NAU Ecclesiastes 10:2 A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.
NAU Ecclesiastes 11:9 ¶ Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.
10 ¶ So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
NAU Song of Solomon 3:11 "Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And gaze on King Solomon with the crown With which his mother has crowned him On the day of his wedding, And on the day of his gladness of heart."
NAU Song of Solomon 5:2 "I was asleep but my heart was awake. A voice! My beloved was knocking: 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the damp of the night.'
NAU Song of Solomon 8:6 "Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.
NAU Isaiah 6:10 "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."
NAU Isaiah 15:5 My heart cries out for Moab; His fugitives are as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah, For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping; Surely on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress over their ruin.
NAU Isaiah 24:7 The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the merry-hearted sigh.
NAU Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
NAU Isaiah 32:6 For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart inclines toward wickedness: To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, To keep the hungry person unsatisfied And to withhold drink from the thirsty.
NAU Isaiah 33:18 Your heart will meditate on terror: "Where is he who counts? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?"
NAU Isaiah 35:4 Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you."
NAU Isaiah 38:3 and said, "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
NAU Isaiah 40:2 "Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD'S hand Double for all her sins."
NAU Isaiah 42:25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger And the fierceness of battle; And it set him aflame all around, Yet he did not recognize it; And it burned him, but he paid no attention.
NAU Isaiah 44:18 ¶ They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.
19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!"
20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
NAU Isaiah 46:8 "Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors.
12 "Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness.
NAU Isaiah 47:7 "Yet you said, 'I will be a queen forever.' These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them.
10 "You felt secure in your wickedness and said, 'No one sees me,' Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me.'
NAU Isaiah 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
NAU Isaiah 57:1 ¶ The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil,
11 "Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?
15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.
17 "Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
NAU Isaiah 59:13 Transgressing and denying the LORD, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.
NAU Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
NAU Isaiah 63:4 "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.
17 Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways And harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
NAU Isaiah 65:14 "Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart, But you will cry out with a heavy heart, And you will wail with a broken spirit.
17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
NAU Isaiah 66:14 Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, And your bones will flourish like the new grass; And the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants, But He will be indignant toward His enemies.
NAU Jeremiah 3:10 "Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception," declares the LORD.
15 ¶ "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.
16 "It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.
17 "At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
NAU Jeremiah 4:9 ¶ "It shall come about in that day," declares the LORD, "that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded."
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?
18 "Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!"
19 My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.
NAU Jeremiah 5:21 'Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, Who have eyes but do not see; Who have ears but do not hear.
23 'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.
NAU Jeremiah 7:24 "Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.
31 "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 did not command, and it did not come into My mind.
NAU Jeremiah 8:18 My sorrow is beyond healing, My heart is faint within me!
NAU Jeremiah 9:14 but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,"
26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."
NAU Jeremiah 11:8 'Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.'"
20 But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, Who tries the feelings and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You have I committed my cause.
NAU Jeremiah 12:3 But You know me, O LORD; You see me; And You examine my heart's attitude toward You. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter And set them apart for a day of carnage!
11 "It has been made a desolation, Desolate, it mourns before Me; The whole land has been made desolate, Because no man lays it to heart.
NAU Jeremiah 13:10 'This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless.
NAU Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.
NAU Jeremiah 16:12 'You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me.
NAU Jeremiah 17:1 ¶ The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus; With a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart And on the horns of their altars,
5 Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
10 "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.
NAU Jeremiah 18:12 ¶ "But they will say, 'It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'
NAU Jeremiah 19:5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;
NAU Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.
12 Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.
NAU Jeremiah 22:17 "But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion."
NAU Jeremiah 23:9 ¶ As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, Even like a man overcome with wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words.
16 ¶ Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.
17 "They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You will have peace "'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'
20 "The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.
26 "How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart,
NAU Jeremiah 24:7 'I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.
NAU Jeremiah 30:21 'Their leader shall be one of them, And their ruler shall come forth from their midst; And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and until He has accomplished The intent of His heart; In the latter days you will understand this.
NAU Jeremiah 31:21 "Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; Direct your mind to the highway, The way by which you went. Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities.
33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
NAU Jeremiah 32:35 "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
41 "I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.
NAU Jeremiah 44:21 "As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind?
NAU Jeremiah 48:29 "We have heard of the pride of Moab-- he is very proud-- Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance and his self-exaltation.
36 "Therefore My heart wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have lost the abundance it produced.
41 "Kerioth has been captured And the strongholds have been seized, So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
NAU Jeremiah 49:16 "As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle's, I will bring you down from there," declares the LORD.
22 Behold, He will mount up and swoop like an eagle and spread out His wings against Bozrah; and the hearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
NAU Lamentations 1:20 "See, O LORD, for I am in distress; My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is overturned within me, For I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword slays; In the house it is like death.
22 "Let all their wickedness come before You; And deal with them as You have dealt with me For all my transgressions; For my groans are many and my heart is faint."
NAU Lamentations 2:18 Their heart cried out to the Lord, "O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest.
19 "Arise, cry aloud in the night At the beginning of the night watches; Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones Who are faint because of hunger At the head of every street."
NAU Lamentations 3:21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of men.
65 You will give them hardness of heart, Your curse will be on them.
NAU Lamentations 5:15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
17 Because of this our heart is faint, Because of these things our eyes are dim;
NAU Ezekiel 2:4 "I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'
NAU Ezekiel 3:7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.
NAU Ezekiel 6:9 "Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations.
NAU Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
21 "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD.
NAU Ezekiel 13:2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the LORD!
17 ¶ "Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own inspiration. Prophesy against them
NAU Ezekiel 14:3 "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?
4 "Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols,
5 in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols."'
7 "For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the LORD will be brought to answer him in My own person.
NAU Ezekiel 18:31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
NAU Ezekiel 20:16 because they rejected My ordinances, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their heart continually went after their idols.
NAU Ezekiel 21:7 "And when they say to you, 'Why do you groan?' you shall say, 'Because of the news that is coming; and every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will happen,' declares the Lord GOD."
15 that their hearts may melt, and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter.
NAU Ezekiel 22:14 "Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will act.
NAU Ezekiel 27:4 "Your borders are in the heart of the seas; Your builders have perfected your beauty.
25 "The ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your merchandise. And you were filled and were very glorious In the heart of the seas.
26 "Your rowers have brought you Into great waters; The east wind has broken you In the heart of the seas.
27 "Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise, Your sailors and your pilots, Your repairers of seams, your dealers in merchandise And all your men of war who are in you, With all your company that is in your midst, Will fall into the heart of the seas On the day of your overthrow.
NAU Ezekiel 28:2 "Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas'; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God--
6 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,
8 'They will bring you down to the pit, And you will die the death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas.
17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.
NAU Ezekiel 32:9 ¶ "I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known.
NAU Ezekiel 33:31 "They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
NAU Ezekiel 36:26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
NAU Ezekiel 40:4 The man said to me, "Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see."
NAU Ezekiel 44:5 The LORD said to me, "Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the statutes of the house of the LORD and concerning all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with all exits of the sanctuary.
7 when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void-- this in addition to all your abominations.
9 ¶ 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.
NAU Daniel 1:8 ¶ But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
NAU Daniel 10:12 Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.
NAU Hosea 2:14 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.
NAU Hosea 4:11 Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.
NAU Hosea 7:6 For their hearts are like an oven As they approach their plotting; Their anger smolders all night, In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
11 So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
14 And they do not cry to Me from their heart When they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, They turn away from Me.
NAU Hosea 10:2 Their heart is faithless; Now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars And destroy their sacred pillars.
NAU Hosea 11:8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled.
NAU Hosea 13:6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.
8 I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.
NAU Amos 2:16 "Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day," declares the LORD.
NAU Obadiah 1:3 "The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to earth?'
NAU Nahum 2:10 She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste! Hearts are melting and knees knocking! Also anguish is in the whole body And all their faces are grown pale!
NAU Zephaniah 3:14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
NAU Zechariah 7:12 "They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
NAU Zechariah 10:7 "Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their children will see it and be glad, Their heart will rejoice in the LORD.
NAU Zechariah 12:5 "Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the LORD of hosts, their God.'
NAU Malachi 2:2 "If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name," says the LORD of hosts, "then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.
NAU Malachi 4:6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
ALL 228 VERSES IN OLD TESTAMENT
THAT USE THE HEBREW NOUN LEBAB (03824)
Leb is rendered in the NAS as "heart" in 185 uses (Note concentration of use in Deuteronomy - used 46x most in the OT, with Psalms second at 34x -- these would make a great study on the Biblical description of our heart), but is also translated in a variety of ways as shown by this list -
Usage: anger(1), breasts(1), conscientious*(1), consider*(5), courage(1), desire(1), encouragingly*(1), fainthearted*(3), heart(185), heart and the hearts(1), heart's(1), hearts(27), hearts like his heart(1), intelligence(1), intended(2), mind(8), purpose(1), thought(1), timid*(1), understanding(2), wholehearted*(1), wholeheartedly*(1), yourself(1).
NAU Genesis 20:5 "Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister '? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this."
6 Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
NAU Exodus 14:5 ¶ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
NAU Leviticus 19:17 ¶ 'You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.
NAU Leviticus 26:36 'As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall.
41 I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-- or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity,
NAU Numbers 15:39 "It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot,
NAU Deuteronomy 1:28 'Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there."'
NAU Deuteronomy 2:30 "But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today.
NAU Deuteronomy 4:9 ¶ "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
29 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
39 "Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
NAU Deuteronomy 5:29 'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!
NAU Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
NAU Deuteronomy 7:17 ¶ "If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?'
NAU Deuteronomy 8:2 "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
5 "Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
17 "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.'
NAU Deuteronomy 9:4 ¶ "Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.
5 "It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
NAU Deuteronomy 10:12 ¶ "Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
16 "So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.
NAU Deuteronomy 11:13 ¶ "It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
16 "Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.
18 ¶ "You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
NAU Deuteronomy 13:3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
NAU Deuteronomy 15:7 ¶ "If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;
9 "Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,' and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you.
10 "You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
NAU Deuteronomy 17:17 "He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
NAU Deuteronomy 18:21 "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'
NAU Deuteronomy 19:6 otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously.
NAU Deuteronomy 20:3 "He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them,
8 "Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, 'Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he might not make his brothers' hearts melt like his heart.'
NAU Deuteronomy 26:16 ¶ "This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.
NAU Deuteronomy 28:28 "The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart;
47 ¶ "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;
67 "In the morning you shall say, 'Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.
NAU Deuteronomy 29:18 so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
NAU Deuteronomy 30:1 ¶ "So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you,
2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons,
6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
17 "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
NAU Deuteronomy 32:46 he said to them, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law.
NAU Joshua 2:11 "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
NAU Joshua 5:1 ¶ Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.
NAU Joshua 7:5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
NAU Joshua 14:7 "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart.
NAU Joshua 22:5 "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
NAU Joshua 23:14 ¶ "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.
NAU Joshua 24:23 "Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."
NAU Judges 19:8 On the fifth day he arose to go early in the morning, and the girl's father said, "Please sustain yourself, and wait until afternoon"; so both of them ate.
9 When the man arose to go along with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Behold now, the day has drawn to a close; please spend the night. Lo, the day is coming to an end; spend the night here that your heart may be merry. Then tomorrow you may arise early for your journey so that you may go home."
NAU 1 Samuel 1:8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"
NAU 1 Samuel 2:35 'But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.
NAU 1 Samuel 6:6 "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
NAU 1 Samuel 7:3 ¶ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."
NAU 1 Samuel 9:19 Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind.
NAU 1 Samuel 12:20 Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
24 "Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
NAU 1 Samuel 13:14 "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
NAU 1 Samuel 14:7 His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire."
NAU 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
NAU 1 Samuel 17:28 ¶ Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."
NAU 1 Samuel 21:12 David took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.
NAU 2 Samuel 7:3 Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you."
NAU 2 Samuel 19:14 Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, saying, "Return, you and all your servants."
NAU 1 Kings 2:4 so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'
44 The king also said to Shimei, "You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the LORD shall return your evil on your own head.
NAU 1 Kings 3:6 Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
NAU 1 Kings 8:17 "Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
18 "But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house;
39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,
48 if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name;
58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers.
61 "Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day."
NAU 1 Kings 9:4 "As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances,
NAU 1 Kings 10:2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
NAU 1 Kings 11:2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love.
4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
9 ¶ Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
NAU 1 Kings 14:8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you-- yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight;
NAU 1 Kings 15:3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, like the heart of his father David.
14 But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.
NAU 2 Kings 10:15 ¶ Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?" And Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
30 The LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."
31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.
NAU 2 Kings 20:3 "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
NAU 2 Kings 22:19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD.
NAU 2 Kings 23:25 Before him there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.
NAU 1 Chronicles 12:17 David went out to meet them, and said to them, "If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide."
38 ¶ All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.
NAU 1 Chronicles 17:2 Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you."
NAU 1 Chronicles 22:7 David said to Solomon, "My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the LORD my God.
19 "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD."
NAU 1 Chronicles 28:2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it.
9 ¶ "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
NAU 1 Chronicles 29:17 "Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.
18 "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You;
19 and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision."
NAU 2 Chronicles 1:11 God said to Solomon, "Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king,
NAU 2 Chronicles 6:7 "Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
8 "But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men,
37 if they take thought in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have committed iniquity and have acted wickedly';
NAU 2 Chronicles 9:1 ¶ Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. She had a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was on her heart.
NAU 2 Chronicles 11:16 Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.
NAU 2 Chronicles 13:7 and worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when he was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.
NAU 2 Chronicles 15:12 They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;
15 All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.
17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless all his days.
NAU 2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."
NAU 2 Chronicles 19:3 "But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God."
9 Then he charged them saying, "Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and wholeheartedly.
NAU 2 Chronicles 20:33 The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
NAU 2 Chronicles 22:9 He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.
NAU 2 Chronicles 25:2 He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.
NAU 2 Chronicles 29:10 "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us.
34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests.
NAU 2 Chronicles 30:19 everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary."
NAU 2 Chronicles 31:21 Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered.
NAU 2 Chronicles 32:6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,
31 Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
NAU 2 Chronicles 34:27 "Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD.
31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book.
NAU 2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel.
NAU Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.
NAU Nehemiah 9:8 "You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite and the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite-- To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous.
NAU Job 1:5 When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
NAU Job 9:4 "Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm?
NAU Job 10:13 'Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart; I know that this is within You:
NAU Job 12:3 "But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?
NAU Job 17:11 "My days are past, my plans are torn apart, Even the wishes of my heart.
NAU Job 22:22 "Please receive instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart.
NAU Job 27:6 "I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.
NAU Job 34:10 "Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
34 "Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
NAU Psalm 4:4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
NAU Psalm 13:2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
NAU Psalm 15:2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.
NAU Psalm 20:4 May He grant you your heart's desire And fulfill all your counsel!
NAU Psalm 22:26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!
NAU Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.
NAU Psalm 25:17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses.
NAU Psalm 28:3 Do not drag me away with the wicked And with those who work iniquity, Who speak peace with their neighbors, While evil is in their hearts.
NAU Psalm 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
NAU Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.
NAU Psalm 69:32 The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive.
NAU Psalm 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!
7 Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence;
21 When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
NAU Psalm 77:6 I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders:
NAU Psalm 78:18 And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire.
72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.
NAU Psalm 84:5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
NAU Psalm 86:11 Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.
NAU Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
NAU Psalm 95:8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
10 "For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.
NAU Psalm 101:2 I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
NAU Psalm 104:15 And wine which makes man's heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man's heart.
NAU Psalm 109:16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
NAU Psalm 111:1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
NAU Psalm 119:7 I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.
NAU Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
NAU Proverbs 4:21 Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart.
NAU Proverbs 6:25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
NAU Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
NAU Isaiah 1:5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint.
NAU Isaiah 6:10 "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."
NAU Isaiah 7:2 When it was reported to the house of David, saying, "The Arameans have camped in Ephraim," his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.
4 and say to him, 'Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.
NAU Isaiah 9:9 And all the people know it, That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:
NAU Isaiah 10:7 Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to cut off many nations.
12 ¶ So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness."
NAU Isaiah 13:7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man's heart will melt.
NAU Isaiah 14:13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.
NAU Isaiah 19:1 ¶ The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
NAU Isaiah 21:4 My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; The twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.
NAU Isaiah 30:29 ¶ You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, To go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
NAU Isaiah 32:4 The mind of the hasty will discern the truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
NAU Isaiah 47:8 "Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.'
NAU Isaiah 49:21 "Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come?'"
NAU Isaiah 60:5 "Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.
NAU Jeremiah 4:4 "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds."
NAU Jeremiah 5:24 'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest."
NAU Jeremiah 13:22 "If you say in your heart, 'Why have these things happened to me?' Because of the magnitude of your iniquity Your skirts have been removed And your heels have been exposed.
NAU Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
NAU Jeremiah 29:13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
NAU Jeremiah 32:40 "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
NAU Jeremiah 51:46 "Now so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come one year, And after that another report in another year, And violence will be in the land With ruler against ruler--
50 You who have escaped the sword, Depart! Do not stay! Remember the LORD from afar, And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
NAU Lamentations 3:41 We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven;
NAU Ezekiel 3:10 Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man, take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely.
NAU Ezekiel 28:5 "By your great wisdom, by your trade You have increased your riches And your heart is lifted up because of your riches--
6 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,
NAU Ezekiel 31:10 ¶ 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Because it is high in stature and has set its top among the clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness,
NAU Ezekiel 36:5 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey."
NAU Ezekiel 38:10 ¶ 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan,
NAU Daniel 8:25 "And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without human agency.
NAU Daniel 11:12 "When the multitude is carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail.
25 "He will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.
27 "As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time.
28 "Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
NAU Hosea 7:2 And they do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds are all around them; They are before My face.
NAU Joel 2:12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
13 And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.
NAU Jonah 2:3 "For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me.
NAU Nahum 2:7 It is fixed: She is stripped, she is carried away, And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves, Beating on their breasts.
NAU Zephaniah 1:12 "It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, 'The LORD will not do good or evil!'
NAU Zephaniah 2:15 This is the exultant city Which dwells securely, Who says in her heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." How she has become a desolation, A resting place for beasts! Everyone who passes by her will hiss And wave his hand in contempt.
NAU Haggai 1:5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways!
7 ¶ Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways!
NAU Haggai 2:15 'But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD,
18 'Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the LORD was founded, consider:
NAU Zechariah 7:10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'
NAU Zechariah 8:17 'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD."