Bible Questions and Answers

What does the heart mean in Scripture?

The heart is of course the organ which pumps blood around our body, but it is often used metaphorically to describe the seat of our emotions or the way that we think.

Heart metaphors abound in everyday life and language. To “take heart” is to have courage. To “speak from the heart” conveys sincerity. We say we “learned by heart” what we have understood thoroughly or committed to memory. The heart of something is it's centre. We can have a heart of stone, a merry heart, the heart of a lion, a heart of gold, we can ‘set our heart on something’, ‘wear our heart on our sleeve’, ‘have our heart broken’ or ‘win someone’s heart’ or be 'downhearted'.

Examples in Scripture:

Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 12:35 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

Matthew 15:18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 "These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, "‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Luke 24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Acts 2:26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn