Provérbios 4
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Provérbios 4:23
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 ) 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) 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. 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). HEART - page 1262 in the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery online - In antiquity very little was known about the heart, whose rhythmic beating coincided with all the functions of life and whose cessation meant death. The references in the Bible to the heart as a physical organ are few and by no means specific (e.g., 2 Kings 9:24), but the word heart is often used of such things as personality and the intellect, memory, emotions, desires and will. Personality. The heart is used metaphorically to describe the intangibles that constitute what it means to be human. In this sense it is the antonym of the “flesh” or body. We see this in the psalmist’s confession, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:26NIV). To use a modern idiom, the heart is often used in the Bible to describe “what makes us tick,” that is, human personality. In other words, the heart is used to describe those dynamic forces that make us unique individuals. As such, the heart can be imbued with moral qualities. For instance, the poet in Psalm 131:1 claims that his “heart is not proud” (cf. 2Ch 32:26). Hearts can also be “evil” (1 Sam 17:28) or “deluded” (Is 44:20; cf. Jer 17:9). In this regard we also find complex metaphors concerning the heart among the writers of the Bible. A heart not yet bound to God may be referred to as an “uncircumcised heart” (Deut 10:16; Jer 9:26; Rom 2:29; see CIRCUMCISION). On the other hand, hearts can be transformed from self-serving to God-fearing. Ezekiel describes the process as transforming hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (Ezek 11:19). In another place, the prophet refers to this transformation as the reception of a “new heart” (Ezek 18:31). It is because the heart stands for human personality that God looks there rather than at our actions to see whether we are faithful or not. We are called upon to seek God with all our heart (Deut 4:29; 6:5), so that is where he looks to see if we are his people (1 Sam 16:7). Our personality is a function of many different aspects of our being, including our thinking, remembering, feeling, desiring and willing. It is therefore not surprising that the Hebrew word for heart, lēb, is used as an image of these as well. Intellect and Memory. We associate thought and memory with the brain today, but in the idiom of the Bible, thinking is a function of the heart. The psalmist thought about his present difficult situation in the light of his past. As he “remembered [his] songs in the night,” he says, “My heart mused and my spirit inquired” (Ps 77:6 NIV). As a prelude to the flood, the book of Genesis tells us that God noted “how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen 6:5 NIV). When the Bible reports internal dialogue, whether silent prayer to God or simply thought, it uses the idiom “in the heart.” For instance, Hannah prayed to God “in her heart” (1 Sam 1:13); and throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher’s mental processes are reported as something he said “in his heart” (e.g. Eccles 2:1, 15). As Mary witnessed all the wonderful things that happened at the time of the birth of her child, Jesus, she is said to have “pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19). Emotions. According to biblical usage, the heart is the source from which the emotions flow. Aaron’s heart flows with joy when he sees Moses (Ex 4:14). Leviticus 19:17 warns God’s people not to hate their brother in their heart. Fear is expressed as a loss of heart (Deut 1:28), indicating that courage is also a heartfelt emotion (Ps 27:3). These and many other emotions-for instance, despair (Deut 28:65), sadness (Neh 2:2), trust (Ps 28:7) and anger (Ps 39:3)—are said to come from one’s heart. The heart is the seat of desire as well. Ill-fated Shechem, son of Hamor the Canaanite, has his “heart set on Dinah” the daughter of Jacob (Gen 34:3, 8). Abner asks David if he can set things in motion for the king so David can “rule over all that your heart desires” (2 Sam 3:9). The psalmist tells his hearers to turn to God so he can give them the “desires” of their heart (Ps 37:4). Will. The heart not only thinks and feels, remembers and desires, but it also chooses a course of action. Jesus himself taught that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Mt 15:19 NIV). The obstinacy of the human heart is also an act of will (Deut 2:20), and here we may mention the many references in the book of Exodus to the “hard heart” of Pharaoh (e.g., Ex 4:14, 21; 7:3; 8:15). This is a heart that refuses to choose in accordance with God’s will, which leads ultimately to the Egyptian king’s destruction. On the positive side, the Bible talks of a heart that prompts a person to give a gift to the Lord (Ex 25:2). It speaks of the “integrity” of a person’s heart (1 Kings 9:4) and of a “discerning” heart (1 Kings 3:9). God’s Heart. Perhaps the most striking use of heart in the Bible is in reference to God (Gen 6:6; 8:21). The usage is similar to that applied to humankind and should be a reminder that we are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26–27). God, after all, is a personal being who thinks, feels, desires and chooses. One of the most intriguing passages in this connection is found in Hosea 11. The prophet quotes God as saying that, while he will indeed punish Israel for their rebellion, he will not completely destroy them. The decision to refrain from their utter destruction was not easy; it was the result of God’s inner turmoil: My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor devastate Ephraim again. (Hos 11:8–9NIV) In the verse that follows, God justifies his change of mind on the basis of his divinity. Humankind, when angered, is naturally inclined toward a course of destruction of those who offend. But God is divine, not human, so his grace wins out. See also BODY; HARD, HARDEN, HARDNESS; MIND; STONE. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Borrow H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974). Related Resources: New Testament word study on Heart = kardia Baker Evangelical Dictionary Hardening, Hardness of Heart Heart Easton's Bible Dictionary Heart Fausset Bible Dictionary Heart Holman Bible Dictionary Heart Hardness of the Heart Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Heart Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Heart Slowness of Heart Hardening of Heart Vines' Expository Dictionary Heart Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Heart The Jewish Encyclopedia Heart 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." 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). 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). Leb - 545v NOTE FREQUENCY IN PSALMS & PROVERBS! (THIS WOULD MAKE AN INTERESTING STUDY OF THE "HEART") - Gen 6:5f; 8:21; 17:17; 18:5; 24:45; 27:41; 34:3; 42:28; 50:21; Exod 4:14, 21; 7:3, 13f, 22f; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 21, 34f; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17; 15:8; 25:2; 28:3, 29f; 31:6; 35:5, 10, 21f, 25f, 29, 34f; 36:1f, 8; Num 16:28; 24:13; 32:7, 9; Deut 4:11; 28:65; 29:4, 19; Josh 11:20; 14:8; Judg 5:9, 15f; 16:15, 17f, 25; 18:20; 19:3, 5f, 22; Ruth 2:13; 3:7; 1 Sam 1:13; 2:1; 4:13, 20; 6:6; 9:20; 10:9, 26; 17:32; 24:5; 25:25, 31, 36f; 27:1; 28:5; 2 Sam 6:16; 7:21, 27; 13:20, 28, 33; 14:1; 15:6, 13; 17:10; 18:3, 14; 19:7, 19; 24:10; 1 Kgs 3:9, 12; 4:29; 8:23, 47, 66; 9:3; 10:24; 11:3; 12:26f, 33; 18:37; 21:7; 2 Kgs 5:26; 6:11; 9:24; 12:4; 14:10; 23:3; 1 Chr 12:33, 38; 15:29; 16:10; 17:19; 28:9; 29:9; 2 Chr 6:14, 38; 7:10f, 16; 9:23; 12:14; 17:6; 24:4; 25:19; 26:16; 30:12, 22; 32:25f; Ezra 6:22; 7:27; Neh 2:2, 12; 4:6; 6:8; 7:5; Esther 1:10; 5:9; 6:6; 7:5; JOB - Job 1:8; 2:3; 7:17; 8:10; 11:13; 12:24; 15:12; 17:4; 23:16; 29:13; 31:7, 9, 27; 33:3; 34:14; 36:5, 13; 37:1, 24; 41:24; PSALMS - Ps 4:7; 7:9f; 9:1; 10:6, 11, 13, 17; 11:2; 12:2; 13:5; 14:1; 16:9; 17:3; 19:8, 14; 21:2; 22:14; 26:2; 27:3, 8, 14; 28:7; 31:12; 32:11; 33:11, 15, 21; 34:18; 35:25; 36:1, 10; 37:4, 15, 31; 38:8, 10; 39:3; 40:10, 12; 41:6; 44:18, 21; 45:1, 5; 46:2; 48:13; 49:3; 51:10, 17; 53:1; 55:4, 21; 57:7; 58:2; 61:2; 62:10; 64:6, 10; 66:18; 69:20; 74:8; 76:5; 78:8, 37; 81:12; 83:5; 84:2; 94:15; 97:11; 102:4; 105:3, 25; 107:12; 108:1; 109:22; 112:7f; 119:2, 10f, 32, 34, 36, 58, 69f, 80, 111f, 145, 161; 125:4; 131:1; 138:1; 140:2; 141:4; 143:4; 147:3; PROVERBS - Pr 2:2, 10; 3:1, 3, 5; 4:4, 23; 5:12; 6:14, 18, 21, 32; 7:3, 7, 10, 25; 8:5; 9:4, 16; 10:8, 13, 20f; 11:12, 20; 12:8, 11, 20, 23, 25; 13:12; 14:10, 13f, 30, 33; 15:7, 11, 13ff, 21, 28, 30, 32; 16:1, 5, 9, 21, 23; 17:3, 16, 18, 20, 22; 18:2, 12, 15; 19:3, 8, 21; 20:5, 9; 21:1f, 4; 22:11, 15, 17; 23:7, 12, 15, 17, 19, 26, 33f; 24:2, 12, 17, 30, 32; 25:3, 20; 26:23, 25; 27:9, 11, 19, 23; 28:14, 26; 30:19; 31:11; Eccl 1:13, 16f; 2:1, 3, 10, 15, 20, 23; 3:11, 17f; 5:2, 20; 7:2ff, 7, 21, 25f; 8:5, 9, 11, 16; 9:1, 3, 7; 10:2f; 11:9f; Song 3:11; 5:2; 8:6; Isa 6:10; 15:5; 24:7; 29:13; 32:6; 33:18; 35:4; 38:3; 40:2; 42:25; 44:18ff; 46:8, 12; 47:7, 10; 51:7; 57:1, 11, 15, 17; 59:13; 61:1; 63:4, 17; 65:14, 17; 66:14; Jer 3:10, 15ff; 4:9, 14, 18f; 5:21, 23; 7:24, 31; 8:18; 9:14, 26; 11:8, 20; 12:3, 11; 13:10; 14:14; 16:12; 17:1, 5, 9f; 18:12; 19:5; 20:9, 12; 22:17; 23:9, 16f, 20, 26; 24:7; 30:21, 24; 31:21, 33; 32:35, 39, 41; 44:21; 48:29, 36, 41; 49:16, 22; Lam 1:20, 22; 2:18f; 3:21, 33, 65; 5:15, 17; Ezek 2:4; 3:7; 6:9; 11:19, 21; 13:2, 17; 14:3ff, 7; 18:31; 20:16; 21:7, 15; 22:14; 27:4, 25ff; 28:2, 6, 8, 17; 32:9; 33:31; 36:26; 40:4; 44:5, 7, 9; Dan 1:8; 10:12; Hos 2:14; 4:11; 7:6, 11, 14; 10:2; 11:8; 13:6, 8; Amos 2:16; Obad 1:3; Nah 2:10; Zeph 3:14; Zech 7:12; 10:7; 12:5; Mal 2:2; 4:6 Usage of Leb: 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). Lebab (03824) NOTE FREQUENCY IN DEUTERONOMY! - 228v - Ge 20:5-6; Ex 14:5; Lev 19:17; 26:36, 41; Num 15:39; DEUTERONOMY - Deut 1:28; 2:30; 4:9, 29, 39; 5:29; 6:5-6; 7:17; 8:2, 5, 14, 17; 9:4-5; 10:12, 16; 11:13, 16, 18; 13:3; 15:7, 9-10; 17:17, 20; 18:21; 19:6; 20:3, 8; 26:16; 28:28, 47, 67; 29:18; 30:1-2, 6, 10, 14, 17; 32:46; Josh 2:11; 5:1; 7:5; 14:7; 22:5; 23:14; 24:23; Jdg 19:8-9; 1Sa 1:8; 2:35; 6:6; 7:3; 9:19; 12:20, 24; 13:14; 14:7; 16:7; 17:28; 21:12; 2Sa7:3; 19:14; 1Kgs 2:4, 44; 3:6; 8:17-18, 38-39, 48, 58, 61; 9:4; 10:2; 11:2, 4, 9; 14:8; 15:3, 14; 2Kgs 10:15, 30f; 20:3; 22:19; 23:25; 1Chr 12:17, 38; 17:2; 22:7, 19; 28:2, 9; 29:17-19; 2Chr 1:11; 6:7f, 30, 37; 9:1; 11:16; 13:7; 15:12, 15, 17; 16:9; 19:3, 9; 20:33; 22:9; 25:2; 29:10, 34; 30:19; 31:21; 32:6, 31; 34:27, 31; 36:13; Ezra 7:10; Neh 9:8; JOB Job 1:5; 9:4; 10:13; 12:3; 17:11; 22:22; 27:6; 34:10, 34; PSALMS - Ps 4:4; 13:2; 15:2; 20:4; 22:26; 24:4; 25:17; 28:3; 31:24; 62:8; 69:32; 73:1, 7, 13, 21, 26; 77:6; 78:18, 72; 84:5; 86:11-12; 90:12; 95:8, 10; 101:2, 4-5; 104:15; 109:16; 111:1; 119:7; 139:23; PROVERBS - Pr 4:21; 6:25; Eccl 9:3; ISAIAH - Isa 1:5; 6:10; 7:2, 4; 9:9; 10:7, 12; 13:7; 14:13; 19:1; 21:4; 30:29; 32:4; 47:8; 49:21; 60:5; JEREMIAH - Jer 4:4; 5:24; 13:22; 15:16; 29:13; 32:40; 51:46, 50; Lam 3:41; Ezek 3:10; 28:5f; 31:10; 36:5; 38:10; Daniel 8:25; 11:12, 25, 27-28; Hosea 7:2; Joel 2:12-13; Jonah 2:3; Nah 2:7; Zeph 1:12; 2:15; Hag 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18; Zech 7:10; 8:17. NAS Usage of Lebab: 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). Adam
Provérbios 4:23
MacArthur - If we took care of our spiritual hearts the way we take care of our physical hearts, it would be amazing, wouldn’t it? People are going crazy over protecting their hearts. There are joggers everywhere. People riding bicycles. Up and down hills. Got to take care of that heart! (MacArthur, J. The Only Way to Happiness : The Beatitudes. Chicago: Moody Press. 1998) Speaker's Bible Commentary (1873) says that with all diligence is "Above all keeping (i.e., with more vigilance that men use over aught else). Keep thy heart. The words that follow carry on the same similitude. The fountains and wells of the East were watched over with special care. A stone was rolled to the mouth of the well, so that "a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song 4:12KJV), became the type of all that is most jealously guarded. So it is here. The heart is such a fountain, out of it flow the "issues" of life. Shall we let those streams be tainted at the fountain-heard? All (03605) (kol) means the whole of something. Diligence (04929) (mismaat) literally means a guarding as in the state of confining a prisoner (eg, Neh 4:9, 22). The basic idea of the root verb (shamar) is to exercise great care over. Darby's translation remains fairly true to the original meaning of this Hebrew word - Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded (mismaat) The ESV and NET use the word vigilance in place of diligence. More literally this reads "above all guarding" and thus several other translations attempt to convey this idea with the phrase "above all else" or "more than anything". Solomon's point is that the guarding of one's heart will not be an easy task. Neither is it to be a passive letting go and letting God, but instead it calls for persistent effort and perseverance. The implication is that this guarding will entail a struggle. Why? Because our old nature (which remains even in those who have been born again) still indwells our mortal bodies and manifests "heart trouble" (cp Je 17:9, Ge 8:21, Eccl 9:3), despite the fact that we have been given a new heart (2Co 5:17, Ezek 11:19, 20, 18:31, 36:26, 27).