I have said a few times before that 'first mention' is an important tool. We learn a great deal from the first mention of a word or concept in the scriptures.
Here is the first mention for the word 'heart.'
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." - Genesis 6:5-9 ESV
The Hebrew word here is leb (Strong's H3820). It is a noun referring to our central blood-pumping organ. Like in English, it also means 'central'. In Genisis 6 we see man's heart and God's heart. All of mankind has a heart problem but Noah finds grace and we get clues to why much later.
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." - Hebrews 11:7 ESV
Noah believed.
The heart is an organ pumping blood in one direction. It is an organ installed in a body but a soul is different. It touchs a body and a body gives it form but it is not an organ. The first mention of this word is here.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7 KJV
Our soul is 'God breathed'. God holiest name is YAHWEH. It is translated in all uppercase in most places in the KJV of the Bible. It is so holy that the vowel markers were all but lost over time. Men who kept the scriptures would not say it out loud. Some translate it JEHOVAH substituting the vowels from another word. Either way this name is unique because in order to say YAHWEH you must exhale in a unique way. The word is a full exhale. The infinite God only exhales, gives, He never inhales, needs anything from anyone. He spoke words to create the universe but He exhaled His life in us.
Nephesh (Strong's H5315) is the word translated soul here and it is the substance of the mind. It is flowing air. It is God's continual outward flow flowing into us. Our body is like a glove. Our DNA gives our soul form. Decisions are like a mold for what we will be forever. This air has form that will exist when our body returns to dust.
You have a heart. You and I are a soul.
Without going too long I just want to give one last passage.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:25-26 ESV
The wicked heart God saw that grieved Him so much was this stony heart. (You may find it helpful to go back and look at the definition given in Part 1). Noah believed and his center shifted. When we believe once in Christ we get, at that moment, a heart transplant. Love is circulating. We come alive.
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