I wrote Part 1 and Part 2 of the Biblical applications/conceptions of the word “heart.” Below are excerpts from my (first draft) class evaluation essay, which includes the conclusions I have come to embrace for the time being. I wrote as follows:
There were classroom discussions and dialogues with regard to the meaning(s) of the “heart” in non-physical terms. For example, we examined the word “lēb” which, according to the professor, signifies “man's spiritual and intellectual life” (2). The definitions seem to form propositions for what could be labeled as the inner nature of man. The professor claims the following about the heart: (a) it is at the “seat of emotions” and (b) it is also at the “seat of understanding and knowledge, of rational forces and powers” (2). These two claims are vital in understanding what the heart really is, because the right and left parts of the brain are actually attributed with those specific characteristics.[1] Emotions and logical thinking are mental abilities, and that means these abilities are controlled by the brain and what we also call mind. Further, it is also important to note “lēb” and “lēbāb” could mean “heart, understanding, [and] mind” (Harris et al. 466).
In the Old Testament and New Testament the heart denotes a person's thoughts, which is a trait of the mind. The following entry on “Mind” encapsulates the discussion of heart, mind, spirit, and soul argument:
Since in the OT there was no separate word that could be used for the human mind, translators of the English versions have supplied other words (“soul,” “spirit,” or “heart”), as the context dictates. Thus, precise distinctions among these terms are hard to define. A person is a soul, having a spirit and a heart. Any of these terms may represent the mind. This means that the widely held distinction between the mind as the seat of thinking and the heart as the seat of feeling is alien to the meanings these terms carry in the OT.
It goes without saying there are linguistic challenges when translating the Hebrew Scriptures into English. To make matters worse those who would like to differentiate between the heart and the mind have a major hurdle to overcome since soul, spirit, and heart can represent the mind. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to use precision in distinguishing between the heart and mind, because they are used interchangeably. In addition, the presumptions of attributing the heart as the originator of emotions and the mind as the instigator of logical thinking are not only absent from the biblical model, but they are distinctions that render ad hoc explanations of sorts—when taking science and the Bible into account. Moreover, as one studies the Bible one sees progression and expansion in the meaning(s) of “heart,” which includes allusions to or descriptions of what is now known to be the mind.[2]
Let’s take Deuteronomy 6:5 as a great example of what I am talking about in the paragraph above. Deuteronomy 6:5 states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (NASB 95). There are several things about this verse that I would like to draw attention to. When one reads, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might,” “the pairing of לבב, “heart,” and נפשׁ, “being, soul-life,” suggests that a distinction of some sort is being made between mental and emotional energy and activity. In terms of modern depth psychology, we would say that our love for God is to embrace the whole of our mind, both conscious and unconscious. Self-discipline is required, in that we are to love God with all our might (מאד) as well” (Christensen 143). Yet, when we look at the New Testament (i.e. Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30) the formula in Deuteronomy 6:5 has been changed. It is as Keil and Delitzsch note,
In quoting this commandment, Matthew (Matthew 22:37) has substituted δαίνοια, “thy mind,” for “thy strength,” as being of especial importance to spiritual love, whereas in the LXX the mind (διάνοια) is substituted for the heart. Mark (Mark 12:30) gives the triad of Deuteronomy (heart, soul, and strength); but he has inserted “mind” (διάνοια) before strength (ἰσχύς), whilst in v. 33 the understanding (σύνεσις) is mentioned between the heart and the soul. Lastly, Luke has given the three ideas of the original passage quite correctly, but has added at the end, “and with all thy mind” (διάνοια). Although the term διάνοια (mind) originated with the Septuagint, not one of the Evangelists has adhered strictly to this version. (Dt. 6:5)
It seems to me the writers of the Bible present conceptual ideas of what will later define and/or form what is purported when one uses the term mind.
My personal opinion regarding the tradition of how the word “heart” is used in the Bible is that it is used to illustrate the mind where it represents the inner-self, but also, the word is used metaphorically, presenting spiritual imageries. For example, the Bible introduces the ideas of hardness or softness relative to the heart. If a heart is “hard,” the individual rejects the things of God and remains locked in stubbornness. If the heart is “soft,” that means God softens or is present in the person’s life to where the individual’s negative nature does not impede on the self, and he or she is able to “act” within the scope of a “soft” heart.[3] Further metaphors and allegories are erected by way of the allusions to pureness or darkness of the heart.[4] Interestingly, we also read in Scripture about renewing your mind (Romans 12:2). Perhaps, this renewal means cleanliness and purity (soft heart), whereas depravity leads to a hardening of the heart (Romans 1:18-32). As we can see then, the Bible also paints spiritual illustrations with the word “heart,” and in these “illustrations” we see a depiction of the status of man’s inner being.
So, what did I learn about the heart? The “heart” in the Holy Scriptures is used as abstract concepts, which gives us a descriptive picture of the condition of the human mind. The heart signifies the predisposed state of a person’s inner being. Therefore, the heart is not only the collective wisdom and experience of who you have been and are now, but also at life’s end.
__________________________________
[1] There have been studies on the functions and development of the brain that show the different roles of the right and left parts of the brain. See Thompson 33-36.
[2] Theological richness in the biblical model expands from the time of the Old Testament to the New Testament. We see a clearer picture of who God is and an ethical leap in the New Testament from that of the Old Testament. While the Old Testament brings a sort of foundational basis to the New Testament—the New Testament provides growth on the thoughts of the Old Testament.
[3] Ezekiel 36:26 provides a great inference point with regard to hardness and softness in the heart, as well as alluding to God’s intervention in a person’s heart.
[4] The ideas about pureness and darkness can be found in Matthew 5:8 and Ephesians 4:18, respectively.
Biographic Notes
Thompson, Curt. Anatomy of the Soul. Carrollton, TX: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print.
Bibliography
Christensen, Duane L. Word Biblical Commentary: Deuteronomy. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002. Print.
Course Syllabus. VA, 2011. Print.
Harris, R. Laird, et al. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Electronic ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999. Print.
Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2002. Print.
“Mind.” Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Tyndale Reference Library. 2001. Print.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. Print.
