לִבָּה (lib.bah)
lib.bah
heart
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew word libbah appears only five times in the Old Testament, primarily within Proverbs and Psalms. It serves as a synonym for the more common leb, referring to the inner person—the seat of thought, emotion, and will.
One notable instance occurs in Psalm 73:26, where the psalmist declares that God is the "strength of my heart" (libbah). This usage emphasizes divine sustenance for the inner self during times of weakness. In Proverbs, it similarly points to moral discernment and the orientation of one’s life.
While leb appears hundreds of times, libbah is rare, suggesting a stylistic or poetic variation rather than a distinct theological meaning. Its scarcity makes each occurrence stand out, often highlighting personal reliance on God or the depth of human reflection.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word libbah appears only five times in the Old Testament, serving as a poetic variation for the more common term for heart. It points to the inner person—the seat of thought, emotion, and will. When you encounter this rare word, it often highlights a deep personal reliance on God or the profound depth of human reflection.
In Psalm 73:26, the psalmist declares that God is the strength of his heart during times of weakness. This usage reminds us that divine sustenance supports our inner self when we feel fragile. Similarly, in Proverbs, the word emphasizes moral discernment and how we orient our lives before God.
Though rare, each occurrence stands out to draw attention to the sincerity of your relationship with the Lord. It invites you to consider what truly resides within, knowing that God sees and weighs these inner motives with perfect justice and care.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- hearts3×
- in/ hearts/ their1×
- [the] hearts of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לִבּ֣וֹת2×
- לִבּ֨וֹת\׀1×
- לִבּ֥וֹת1×
- בְּ/לִבּוֹתָֽ/ם\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 125:4
Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good, to those who are upright in their hearts.
This verse links upright hearts directly to doing good, showing how inner integrity translates into outward kindness.
-
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs the hearts.
It contrasts human self-justification with God's ability to weigh the true motives behind our actions.
-
Proverbs 24:12
If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this,” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not give to every man according to his work?
This occurrence assures us that God knows our inner state even when we claim ignorance of His standards.