καρδί-α G2588
Heart; the inner self as seat of thought, emotion, will, and spiritual life
Kardia in the New Testament is far richer than its anatomical English counterpart. Drawing on the Hebrew lev, it denotes the entire inner person — the seat of thought ('why do you think evil in your hearts,' Matt 9:4), emotion ('let not your hearts be troubled,' John 14:1), will ('purpose of heart,' Acts 11:23), and moral discernment ('the pure in heart shall see God,' Matt 5:8). Every language surveyed uses its core 'heart' word — 'corazón,' 'coeur,' 'Herz,' 'दिल/हृदय' — confirming the universal metaphor of the heart as the center of personhood.
Senses
1. heart (inner self, mind, will) — The inner self or core of a person encompassing thought, emotion, will, and moral-spiritual orientation. Across 158 occurrences, kardia appears as the locus of faith (Rom 10:9), understanding (Matt 13:15), hardness (Mark 3:5), and purity (Matt 5:8). The remarkable cross-linguistic stability — Spanish 'corazón,' French 'coeur,' German 'Herz,' Arabic 'قلب,' Korean '마음' — reflects the near-universal metaphorical mapping of the physical heart to the seat of personhood and intention. 158×
AR["القَلْبِ", "الْقَلْبِ", "قَلبُ", "قَلبُكَ", "قَلبِ", "قَلبِكَ", "قَلبِهِ", "قَلْبُ", "قَلْبُهُمْ", "قَلْبِ", "قَلْبِهِ", "قُلوبُهُمْ", "قُلوبِهِمْ", "قُلُوبُكُمْ"]·ben["হৃদয়", "হৃদয়ে", "হৃদয়ে,", "হৃদয়ের"]·DE["Herz"]·EN["heart"]·FR["cœur"]·heb["הַלֵּב", "וּ-בְ-כָל-", "לִבּוֹ", "לֵב", "לֵבָב"]·HI["कहता-है", "निकलते-हैं", "मन", "में", "हृदय", "हृदय-में", "ह्रिदय", "ह्रिदय-कि", "ह्रिदय-मेइन", "ह्रिदय-से"]·ID["hati", "jantung"]·IT["cuore"]·jav["ati", "jantunging", "manah", "manah,", "wonten-ing-manah;"]·KO["마음", "마음-은", "마음-을", "마음에", "마음에서", "마음으로", "마음은", "마음의", "마음이", "심장"]·PT["coração"]·RU["сердца", "сердце", "сердцем"]·ES["corazón"]·SW["mioyo", "moyo", "moyo,", "moyo;", "wake", "wako"]·TR["yürekleri", "yüreklerinin", "yürekleriyle", "yürekte", "yürekten", "yüreği", "yüreğin", "yüreğinde", "yüreğinden", "yüreğine", "yüreğiniz", "yüreğinle"]·urd["دل", "دل-سے", "دل-میں", "دل-کی"]
Matt 5:8, Matt 5:28, Matt 6:21, Matt 11:29, Matt 12:34, Matt 12:40, Matt 13:15, Matt 13:15, Matt 13:19, Matt 15:8, Matt 15:18, Matt 15:19 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)H0977 1. choose, select (Qal active) (145×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H7911 1. Qal: to forget (83×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)G2212 1. seek, search for, look for (64×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καρδί-α, ἡ, Ionic dialect καρδίη, Epic dialect κρᾰδίη (καρδίη in Refs 8th c.BC+ only in καρδίῃ ἄλληκτον πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι Refs 8th c.BC+ always in Trag., except in some dact. and anapaest meter verses, Refs 5th c.BC+; Aeolic dialect κάρζα Refs (but καρδία Refs 7th c.BC+ κορζία (Paph.), Refs 5th c.AD+:—heart, ἐν δέ τέ οἱ κραδίη μεγάλα στέρνοισι πατάσσει Refs 8th c.BC+; πηδᾷ ἡ κ. Refs 5th…