Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Our cruise through the Bible looking at the words translated 'heart' or 'hearts' in the NIV84 has brought us to Isaiah 19, which is a prophecy against Egypt. Let's just list out the verses that contain 'Heart/hearts' and look at them together:
An oracle concerning Egypt: See the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them. -- Is. 19:1; 'Hearts' is Strong's H3824, Lebab - inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. This is the second of the two Hebrew words most commonly translated as 'heart'.
The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.-- Is. 19:3; 'Heart' here is Strong's H7307, Ruah -- wind breath, mind, spirit. This is the 5th time (if I have recorded everything correctly) that the NIV has translated this word as 'heart'; the King James never does. That 'dynamic equivalence' thing again, that 'losing heart' is more understandable to modern readers than 'losing spirit', I suppose.
The workers in cloth will be dejected, all the wage earners will be sick at heart. -- Is. 19:10; the word translated 'heart' is Strong's H5315, nepes - soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. The King James (which is the translation the Blue Letter Bible has linked to the interlinear) translates this verse quite differently; I had to double check to verify I was looking at the right verse. To be honest, I think the NIV has a better rendering this time. But we have seen nepes translated as 'heart' several times before; after the main two words, it's probably the next most common...although it is a very distant third.
In that day there will be am altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. - Is. 19:19; 'Heart' is Strong's H 8432, tavek - midst, middle
Four verses, four different Hebrew words all rendered 'heart(s)' in English. The first three are in the passage describing the judgment to come to Egypt; all of them indicate that the event will have an emotional toll on the people. Lose heart, be sick at heart, have a heart that has melted...all carry the same connotation. No strength, no hope. The fourth verse is in a description of the repentance that comes from the fear of judgement at the hands of God's people; that the folks will turn to the Lord and be healed, in which there will be physical structures representing service to God.
The next verse concerns a prophecy against Babylon, but the verse is describing the prophet's reaction to what he has seen:
My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight that I longed for has become a horror to me. -- Is. 21:4; 'heart' is H 3824 again.
I think the prophet is having a visceral reaction to the horror of the fall of Babylon; the next verse describes the state of the Babylonians when the judgment fell...they were utterly unaware that it was upon them...which is exactly what we see in the account in Daniel. (Daniel 5). Even though Babylon was the oppressor, the prophet staggered under the judgment against them.
One more verse today; this one taken from a prophecy about worshiping God in the restored land of Judah:
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. -- Is. 26:8; 'hearts' is H 5315 again.
Not their own fame, success, prosperity...the name and renown of the Lord. When that is a joint desire of a community of hearts...that is revival.
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