lēb / lēbāb

Semantic range

1. 1the inner person as a whole
2. 2mind, understanding, memory
3. 3will, intention, resolve
4. 4the emotions, secondarily

In Hebrew the heart thinks. It is where decisions are made, plans laid, and character stored. Solomon asks for a "hearing heart" — lēb šōmēaʿ — and the KJV renders it "an understanding heart" (1 Kings 3:9). When Pharaoh's heart is hardened, his resolve is what is being described, not his feelings.

Modern English has narrowed the heart to the emotions and set it against the head, which quietly distorts a great many verses. "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is a demand on the intellect and the will first. The Book of Mormon's constant refrain about a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" (2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:20) is likewise about a surrendered will, not merely a moved sentiment.

See also

• נֶפֶשׁnephesh
• שָׁמַעšāmaʿ
• καρδίαkardia