The Hebrew-Wisdom Dictionary: 5. “Lev” (Part Four, final)

It’s time to wrap up the “lev” entry.

The ground we already covered should put your mind at rest (or, in biblical Hebrew, put you in a good mind) regarding three points:

(a) the non-figurative "lev" never meant the anatomical heart;
(b) the figurative use of lev is, first and foremost, as the seat of rational thought, awareness, intent and reflection; and
(c) by correcting the mistranslation of lev (replacing the excitable “heart” with the perceptive “mind”) the bible’s fundamental teaching about the soul, prophecy and transformation emerges dazzlingly from the text.

Rather than a sentimental faith, of emotional passion and meek "hearts," we are confronted, then, with the original doctrine of mind enlightenment—directed towards self knowledge and the clear perception of the divine. What I wish to stress this week is how dangerous it is to leave the translation of lev as “heart” even in those verses where the mental activity described is emotional. Indeed, I want to show how vital it is to:

“Love the LORD your God with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

It is not a coincidence that the Bible spells-out this love in judicious terms: “You shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His ordinances, and His commandments, always” (Deuteronomy 11:1). Indeed, the idea of loving God references the same term as the joining of man and wife into a single organic unite: “To love the LORD your God, to follow all His ways, and to join unto Him” (Deuteronomy 11:22, 30:20, Joshua 22:5). Love, therefore, is not a fleeting emotion but an actualized connection. Between man and God, this “mind to mind” joining is a mind-boggling idea.

There is no such thing as translating a figurative concept, or figures of speech, in a literal way. Just imagine translating “I feel blue” into a language where the color has no associations of melancholy. Thus, there is zero “literal” merit to translating lev as “heart”, anywhere, anytime. Indeed, figuratively, many lev verses would best be translated as “head”! -- Drinking makes you “light-headed”, obtuseness is being “thick-headed”, thoughts go running “in your head,” artists have a “good head” for designing, an avenger is “hot headed,” and when you indulge in debauchery you “lose your head.” In the Hebrew Bible, all of these idioms use lev (see below); now wrap your lev around that!

Because there is no alternative seat of "rationality" anywhere in the Bible, no "thinking head” nor “brain,” mistranslating lev as “heart” strips its characters of their innate rationality. The main character so misread is the so-called “God of the Old Testament,” deemed innately temperamental, “being capable of anger, joy, and other emotions…” (Shaye J. D. Cohen, 1987). Through 800 mistranslations, the entire bible is skewed.

Inevitably, many translations are forced—in few verses—to translate lev as mind. By translating other verses as "heart," however, these corrections only worsens the situation. Indeed, they reinforce the misconception of a Mind vs. Heart dichotomy, within our self, that had no place in biblical thought. The exceptions lend an even sharper irrational connotation to those verses left as “heart.” We ourselves know that there are no actual mental faculties in the anatomical heart. Love, mercy, loyalty and courage are all, truly, in the mind. Before the emergence of the Christian idea of Christ, as a deity of pure emotional “love,” this is, undoubtedly, how the Israelite writers saw reality as well. We must not project our own neurosis, then, on the ancient Hebrew Canon.

I admit that translating all of the lev verses using the term "mind" (as we MUST) will lead to some odd formulations. We are socialized to expect emotions to be heartfelt rather than mindful. “Remove anger from your mind” (Ecclesiastes 11:10), "I will harden the mind of Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:3), and “The fear of your mind which you shall fear” (Deuteronomy 28:67), may sound awkward. But this stylistic price is negligible. While the danger of imposing the emotional “heart” on the text is enormous, there is no parallel risk in translating lev as the “mind”—for we often use the Cartesian idea of the all encompassing mental “mind” which is not cold-minded or rational per-se.

Apologetics aside, let us remember that such emotional lev verses are scarce. In 90% of the verses “mind” simply makes more sense. We end our account of lev, then, with a tour-de-force of a few dozen more verses—to see how beautifully they read with correct, mindful idioms. Though I am no expert in poetic English, still I hope that your mind may enjoy my humble effort:

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [constantly] on your mind: Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you're at home or away, when you lie down or get up”; (Deuteronomy 6:6-7); The children are brazen-faced and tough-minded” (Ezekiel 2:4); “My mind is spinning, my strength left me” (לב סחרחר Psalms 38:11); “And the mind of the king of Aram was in turmoil over this thing” (לב סוער Two-Kings 6:11); “Say to the frantic-minded: 'Be strong, fear not'” (נמהרי לב Isaiah 35:4); “The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with mind-bafflement” (תמהון לבב Deuteronomy 28:28); “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"” (ויהפך לב Exodus 14:5); “Rehoboam was young and weak-minded, and could not be strong before them.” (רך לבב Two-Chronicles 13:7); “What man is there that is fearful and weak-minded? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's mind melt as his mind” (Deuteronomy 20:8); “There shall be no rest for the sole of your foot; but the LORD shall give you there a troubled mind, forlorn eyes, and……” (לב רגז Deuteronomy 28:65); “My mind was searing in me—when I think a fire burns” (Psalms 39:3); “Lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his mind is searing, and overtake him” (Deuteronomy 19:6); “Make me of a single-mind to fear Your name” (Psalms 86:11); “I have walked before You truly and with an unqualified mind, and have done what is good in Your eyes" (Isaiah 38:3); “Man sees to the eyes, but the LORD sees to the mind” (1-Samuel 16:7); “Harlotry, liquor, and wine swipe the mind” (יקח לב –take away mindfulness—Hosea 4:11); “For You, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house'; therefore Your servant was put in mind of praying this prayer unto You” (2-Samuel 7:27); “David's mind assailed him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt” (1-Samuel 24:6); “It was on the mind of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD” (1-Kings 8:17); “You alone know the minds of all the sons of men” (1-Kings 8:39); “He sent me to mend those whose minds crippled, to proclaim liberty to the captives” (נשברי לב as in "you won't break me"--having nothing to do with "a broken heart"... Isaiah 61:1); "And the LORD gripped the mind of Pharaoh" (Exodus 9:12); “[Even] the mind of the rash will discern knowledge, And [even] the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly” (Isaiah 32:4); “I stated a reply, as was on my mind” (Joshua 14:7); “Out of the innocence of your mind you have done this” (Genesis 20:6); “Know in your mind that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son” (Deuteronomy 8:5); “I am asleep, but my mind is awake” (Song of Songs 5:2); “He who trusts his own mind is a fool, But he who follows wisdom will escape” (Proverbs 28:26).

With love, from deep in my core, and with thanks to Keith Haring, below, for describing my feelings so well...

Ethan

Comments

yes. your mind is blown to bits. the beauty and significance of what it is trying to grasp, is too big for it. isn't that our description of god? that we cannot grasp the infiniteness?

deep love. thanks for reminding me.

does it truly matter whether it's mind or heart?

aren't they both meager descriptions to place that feeling of infiniteness?

note that in that amazing picture (now my desktop) the body is seemingly not involved in the explosion...

it's all one, dude

Posted by: Adi | August 11, 2007 at 10:23 AM

Shalom Ethan, Thank you very much for that very perceptive piece on the correct meaning of heart. May I copy it on a page on my website: http//www.tevyetours.com
Leon's No News Bulletin 103? I prefer to offer my readers the article directly, instead of telling them to go to a link. I will also provide a link to your blog.
Yours truly
Leon Gork

Posted by: leon gork | April 20, 2009 at 10:55 AM