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Jeremiah 5:23 — Word Study

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WLCוְלָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ הָיָ֔ה לֵ֖ב סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֑ה סָ֖רוּ וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃

BSABut thesezeh peopleʻam [a nation, Israel] havehâyâh stubbornçârar [uncontrolled, rebellious] and rebelliousmârâh [resisting authority, disobedient] heartslêb [the seat of feelings, will, and intellect] They have turned asideçûwr [departed, removed]

Word
Listen & take awayJeremiah 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 23 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (vai.ye.Le.khu) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Jeremiah 5:23quick helps
In a sentenceGod describes the people of Israel as having stubborn and rebellious hearts, turning away from Him.
Who is speakingThe LORD, addressing the people of Israel.
Where we areIn a warning context, God is highlighting the people's disobedience.
The hard wordסוֹרֵ֣ר
Take awayThe people have turned away from God and are no longer following Him.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbהָיָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Jeremiah 5:23

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Disobedience of Israelgenerated

22Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
24They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
25Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.

Jeremiah 5:23 illustrates the spiritual condition of Israel, describing them as a people with stubborn and rebellious hearts. This reflects a broader theme in Jeremiah, where the prophet calls out the people's failure to heed God's warnings, emphasizing their need for repentance and a return to faithfulness. The surrounding verses show God's frustration with their lack of reverence and acknowledgment of His authority.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Jeremiah 5:5I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.” But they too, with one accord, had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.
2Jeremiah 6:28All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
3Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
4Psalm 95:10For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”
5Isaiah 1:5Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word סוֹרֵ֣ר, so.Rergenerated

The word סוֹרֵ֣ר (so.Rer) is a participle derived from the root סָרַר (to rebel). It conveys a sense of stubbornness and disobedience, often used to describe individuals or groups who resist authority. The parsing indicates that it is in the masculine singular form, referring to the collective heart of the people in this context.

This term emphasizes a moral turning away from God's commands. The use of the participle suggests an ongoing state of rebellion, highlighting the persistent nature of their disobedience.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In this study, we refer to the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which uses the term stubborn.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb הָיָ֔ה (ha.Yah, it belongs) governs the entire verse, with three additional verbs connected: סָ֖רוּ (Sa.ru, they have turned aside) and וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ (vai.ye.Le.khu, and they have gone away). This structure emphasizes the actions of the people in relation to their hearts.

The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the state of the hearts first, followed by the actions taken, illustrating the connection between their inner condition and their outward behavior.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates סוֹרֵ֣ר as ἀνήκοος (anēkoos), which carries a similar meaning of being disobedient or resistant to authority. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of the people's defiance against God's commands.

The use of ἀνήκοος suggests a focus on the refusal to listen or obey, aligning with the broader themes of rebellion present in the text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Jeremiah 5:23 describes the people of Israel as having stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away from God and are no longer following Him, which highlights their disobedience and lack of reverence for His authority.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to have a stubborn heart?

A stubborn heart resists authority and refuses to obey, often leading to disobedience toward God.

How does this verse reflect the condition of Israel?

This verse highlights Israel's ongoing rebellion against God, showing their unwillingness to follow His commands.

What actions are described in this verse?

The verse describes the people turning aside and going away from God, indicating a departure from their relationship with Him.

Why is the heart significant in this context?

In the Bible, the heart represents the center of feelings, will, and intellect, making it significant in understanding one's relationship with God.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I been stubborn or rebellious in my own life?
  2. How can I cultivate a heart that is obedient and receptive to God's guidance?
  3. What steps can I take to turn back to God if I feel I have strayed away?
  4. How does understanding the condition of my heart affect my relationship with God?

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Jeremiah 5:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Ver. 23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart,.... They are not so obedient as the sea and its waves; nor so firm and stable as the sand that is set for the bound of it.

Read John Gill on Jeremiah 5 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. This people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart - (Jeremiah 6:28).

Read Robert Jamieson on Jeremiah 5 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

They are not only revolted from me, and gone back, but they continue obstinate, and will not return, , as the next clause intimates, where God shows their obstinacy by the effect of it. Gone, viz. from me, they persist in their courses, no reclaiming of them; for they are not only revolted, but they are gone quite away, and are irreclaimable.

Read Matthew Poole on Jeremiah 5 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jeremiah 5:23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.Ver. 23. But this people have a revolting and rebellious heart.] Cor recedens et amaricans; gone they are, and return they will not. Apostates are dangerous creatures, and mischievous above others; witness Julian, once a forward professor; Lucian, once a preacher at Antioch; Staphylus and Latomus, once great Lutherans, afterwards eager Popelings. Harding was the target of Popery in England, saith Peter Moulin, against which he had once been a thundering preacher in this land, wishing he could cry out against it as loud as the bells of Oseney. The Lady Jane Grey, whose chaplain he had sometimes…

Read John Trapp on Jeremiah 5 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) But this people . . .—The contrast seems to lie in the fact that the elements are subject to God’s will, but that man’s rebellious will, with its fatal gift of freedom, has the power to resist it. The two adjectives “revolting” and “rebellious” (the negative and positive aspects of apostasy) are joined together, as in Deuteronomy 21:18; Deuteronomy 21:20.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Jeremiah 5 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 23. They are revolted and gone.] They have abandoned me, and are gone farther and farther into transgression. They are gone entirely away from truth and righteousness.

Read AdamClarke on Jeremiah 5 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

23. The people are rebellious, even as inanimate nature sometimes is. But Jehovah can control both.

Read Cambridge on Jeremiah 5 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart. They have revolted and gone.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

NETBNew English Translation2006

But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone their own way.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

RVARevised Version, American1894

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

But this people have a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and gone.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

But this people hath an vnfaithfull and rebellious heart: they are departed and gone.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

But this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart; they have turned aside and are gone.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And this people hath an apostate and rebellious heart, They have turned aside, and they go on.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And this people has an apostatizing and rebelling heart, || They have turned aside, and they go on.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

But this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart: they have departed [from the right] and have gone their way.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

But this people has a stubborn heart. It turns away in rebellion and goes away.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

But the heart of this people is become hard of belief and provoking, they are revolted and gone away.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

But you people have a stubborn and rebellious attitude. You have left me and gone your own way.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

But the heart of this people is uncontrolled and turned away from me; they are broken loose and gone.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָtonoun phrasethenoun phraseעָ֤םpeopleadjective phraseהַ(the)זֶּה֙thisverbהָיָ֔הit.belongsnoun phrase · subjectלֵ֖בa.heartadjective phraseסוֹרֵ֣רstubbornוּandמוֹרֶ֑הrebelliousclauseclauseverbסָ֖רוּthey.have.turned.asideוַandclauseverbיֵּלֵֽכוּthey.have.gone.away

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads: וְלָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ הָיָ֔ה לֵ֖ב סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֑ה סָ֖רוּ וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃. The Septuagint closely matches this text, with 7 of the 8 words aligned, indicating a strong agreement between these ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְלָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ הָיָ֔ה לֵ֖ב סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֑ה סָ֖רוּ וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְלָעָ֤םλαῷהַזֶּה֙τούτῳהָיָ֔הἐγενήθηלֵ֖בκαρδίαסוֹרֵ֣רἀνήκοοςוּמוֹרֶ֑הἀπειθήςוַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃ἀπήλθοσαν

7 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Jeremiah 5:23עַםand to the and to the peopעַםזֶהthisthisזֶההָיָהit belongsit belongsהָיָהלֵבa hearta heartלֵבסָרַרstubbornstubbornסָרַרמָרָהand rebelliand rebelliousמָרָהסוּרthey have tthey have turneסוּרהָלַךְand they haand they have gהָלַךְעָמַםto darkento darkenעָמַםזֶהthisthisזֶהזֹהthisthisזֹההָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאלֵבָבheartheartלֵבָבהָלַךְto walkto walkהָלַךְאַיwhere?where?אַיהֶ֫בֶלvanityvanityהֶ֫בֶלחָסֵרlackinglackingחָסֵרחָכָםwisewiseחָכָםמָרָהto rebelto rebelמָרָהכָּתֵףshouldershoulderכָּתֵףסָרַרto rebelto rebelסָרַרפֶּהliplipפֶּהשְׂמֹאלleftleftשְׂמֹאלבָּמָהhigh placehigh placeבָּמָהדֶּ֫רֶךְway: roadway: roadדֶּ֫רֶךְחֻקָּהstatutestatuteחֻקָּה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Jeremiah 5:23

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
וְלָעָ֤םve.la.'Am and to the people H5971 Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
1,873× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A people or nation is what this Hebrew word represents, like the nation of Israel in Exodus 33:13. It can also mean a tribe, troops, or attendants, and is used to describe a group of people gathered together. The word is often used to refer to the people of God.
Amplified meaning
a nation, Israel
Tyndale gloss
Amaw
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עַם (am) primarily means 'people' or 'nation,' referring to a collective group, often in the context of tribes such as those of Israel. It can also denote kinsmen or compatriots. The term appears in various contexts, including military and familial references. There is a mention of a specific individual named Ammi in Song of Solomon 6:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

a people, nation

= smaller units

= common people

people in gen., persons

phrases

base

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5971a עַם, עָם people H5971b עַם kinsman (on father's side)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5971 `am am

from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a

tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or

attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation,

people.

see HEBREW for 06004

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַם (am) — people.

: people/nation

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — kinsman.

kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Ammi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — People's (Gate).

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — (Ibleam)-am.

Combined with yiv.le.am (יִבְלְעָם "Ibleam" H2991)

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Amaw.

This name means nation, people

עַם (am) — people: soldiers.

: soldiers/army

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — people: creatures.

: creatures

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | N-ms — Conjunction · preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Rd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pe'-p'-l: In English Versions of the Bible represents something over a dozen Hebrew and Greek words. Of these, in the Old Testament, `am, is overwhelmingly the most common (about 2,000 times), with le'om, and goy, next in order; but the various Hebrew words are used with very little or no difference in force (e.g. Pr 14:28; but, on the other hand, in Ps 44 contrast verses 12 and 14). Of the changes introduced by the Revised Version (British and American) the only one of significance (cited explicitly in the Preface to the English Revised Version) is the frequent use of the plural "peoples" (strangely avoided in the King James Version except Re 10:11; 17:15), where other nations than Israel are in question. So, for instance, in Ps…

and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
הַזֶּה֙ha.Zeh this H2088 Particle · particle
1,180× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning this or that, used to point out a specific person or thing. It appears in many contexts, including Genesis and Psalms, to indicate something specific. The KJV translates it as he, here, or it.
Tyndale gloss
this
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זֶה (zeh) is a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' or 'here.' It can stand alone, be used appositively, or function as a predicate. The word can also attach enclitically to interrogative pronouns, adding emphasis and directness. In poetry, it may serve as a relative pronoun, though this usage is rare.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

זֶה demonstr.pron. and adv.; fem. זֹאת, once זֹאתָה; this, here

standing alone

In appos. to subst.

More oft. as pred.

It is attached enclitically, almost as an adv., to certain words, esp. interrog. pronouns, to impart, in a manner often not reproducible in Engl. idiom, directness and force, bringing the question or statement made into close relation with the speaker.

In poetry, as a relative pron. (rare)

With prefixes (in special senses)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2088 זֶה demonstr. pron. and adv.; fem. זֹאת, once זֹאתָה; this, here . standing alone

. In appos. to subst.

. More oft. as pred.

. It is attached enclitically, almost as an adv., to certain words, esp. interrog. pronouns, to impart, in a manner often not reproducible in Engl. idiom, directness and force, bringing the question or statement made into close relation with the speaker.

. In poetry, as a relative pron. (rare)

. With prefixes (in special senses)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2088 zeh zeh

a primitive word; the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this

or that:--he, X hence, X here, it(-self), X now, X of him, the

one...the other, X than the other, (X out of) the (self) same,

such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on

that side, X thus, very, which. Compare 2063, 2090, 2097,

2098.

see HEBREW for 02063

see HEBREW for 02090

see HEBREW for 02097

see HEBREW for 02098

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זֶה (zeh) — this.

1) this, this one, here, which, this...that, the one...the other, another, such

1a) (alone)

1a1) this one

1a2) this...that, the one...the other, another

1b) (appos to subst)

1b1) this

1c) (as predicate)

1c1) this, such

1d) (enclitically)

1d1) then

1d2) who, whom

1d3) how now, what now

1d4) what now

1d5) wherefore now

1d6) behold here

1d7) just now

1d8) now, now already

1e) (poetry)

1e1) wherein, which, those who

1f) (with prefixes)

1f1) in this (place) here, then

1f2) on these conditions, herewith, thus provided, by, through this, for this cause, in this matter

1f3) thus and thus

1f4) as follows, things such as these, accordingly, to that effect, in like manner, thus and thus

1f5) from here, hence, on one side...on the other side

1f6) on this account

1f7) in spite of this, which, whence, how

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Pron — Particle · particle
HTd/Tm
and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
הָיָ֔הha.Yah it belongs H1961 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
לֵ֖בlev a heart H3820 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
595× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Leb refers to the heart, but also represents feelings, will, and intellect in the Bible. It is used figuratively to describe the center of something, and is often translated as heart or mind. Leb is a complex concept that encompasses emotions and thoughts.
Amplified meaning
the seat of feelings, will, and intellect
Tyndale gloss
heart
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word לֵב (lev) means 'heart' and encompasses the inner man, mind, will, and emotions. It refers to the center of feelings, intellect, and moral character, as well as the seat of appetites and courage. The entries suggest a broad range of meanings related to human experience and thought, with a specific mention of its use in Jeremiah 51:1.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֵב 599 n.m. (f.) inner man, mind, will, heart

seldom of things in the midst of the sea

elsewhere of men

the inner man in contrast with the outer

the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will

specific reference to mind

spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will

spec. ref. to conscience

[various]

for the man himself

as seat of appetites

as seat of emotions and passions

seat of courage

base

לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash Je 51:1.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3820a לֵב inner man, mind, will, heart . seldom of things in the midst of the sea

. elsewhere of men . the inner man in contrast with the outer

. the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will

. specific reference to mind

. spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will

. spec. ref. to conscience

. [various]

. for the man himself

. as seat of appetites

. as seat of emotions and passions

. seat of courage

H3820b לֵב קָמָי prob. late Atbash

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3820 leb labe

a form of 3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very

widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect;

likewise for the centre of anything:--+ care for, comfortably,

consent, X considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-),

(hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart((-ed)), X

heed, X I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), X regard((-ed)), X

themselves, X unawares, understanding, X well, willingly,

wisdom.

see HEBREW for 03824

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֵב (lev) — heart.

1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding

1a) inner part, midst

1a1) midst (of things)

1a2) heart (of man)

1a3) soul, heart (of man)

1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory

1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)

1a6) conscience

1a7) heart (of moral character)

1a8) as seat of appetites

1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage

לֵב (lev) — Leb.

§ Leb- = "heart of"

(probably a cryptic name for Babylon by Atbash)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hart (lebh, lebhabh; kardia): The different senses in which the word occurs in the Old Testament and the New Testament may be grouped under the following heads:

1. Various Meanings:

It represents in the first place the bodily organ, and by easy transition those experiences which affect or are affected by the body. Fear, love, courage, anger, Joy, sorrow, hatred are always ascribed to the heart--especially in the Old Testament; thus courage for which usually ruach is used (Ps 27:14); joy (Ps 4:7); anger (De 19:6, "while his heart is hot," lebhabh); fear (1Sa 25:37); sorrow (Ps 13:2), etc.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Heart

According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.

The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6;

and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
סוֹרֵ֣רso.Rer stubborn H5637 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
17× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to rebel or turn away, often used to describe someone being stubborn or disobedient, as seen in its use in various KJV translations.
Amplified meaning
uncontrolled, rebellious
Tyndale gloss
to rebel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָרַר (sa.rar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be stubborn or rebellious. It describes a moral turning away or refusal to obey, encompassing notions of backsliding and being refractory. The entries consistently highlight its use in contexts of rebellion and stubbornness, but do not provide specific verse references.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סָרַר vb. be stubborn, rebellious

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5637 סָרַר be stubborn, rebellious

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5637 carar saw-rar'

a primitive root; to turn away, i.e. (morally) be

refractory:--X away, backsliding, rebellious, revolter(-ing),

slide back, stubborn, withdrew.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָרַר (sa.rar) — to rebel.

1) to rebel, be stubborn, be rebellious, be refractory

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be stubborn

1a2) stubborn, rebel (subst)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
HVqrmsa
and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
וּמוֹרֶ֑הu.mo.Reh and rebellious H4784 Conjunction · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
45× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To rebel means to resist or disobey authority, often in a stubborn or defiant way. In the Bible, it's used to describe people's disobedience towards God or their parents.
Amplified meaning
resisting authority, disobedient
Tyndale gloss
to rebel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָרָה (marah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be contentious or rebellious. It encompasses actions of disobedience, particularly towards authority figures like parents or God. The entries indicate that it can also imply causing bitterness or provoking resistance. The word appears in various forms, such as Qal and Hiphil, which denote different aspects of rebellion and disobedience.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָרָה vb. be contentious, refractory, rebellious

Qal be disobedient, rebellious

Hiph. shew disobedience, rebelliousness

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4784 מָרָה be contentious, refractory, rebellious

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4784 marah maw-raw'

a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) bitter (or

unpleasant); (figuratively) to rebel (or resist; causatively,

to provoke):--bitter, change, be disobedient, disobey,

grievously, provocation, provoke(-ing), (be) rebel

(against, -lious).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָרָה (ma.rah) — to rebel.

1) to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against

1a) (Qal) to be disobedient, be rebellious

1a1) towards father

1a2) towards God

1b) (Hiphil) to show rebelliousness, show disobedience, disobey

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal — Conjunction · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
HC/Vqrmsa
and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
סָ֖רוּSa.ru they have turned aside H5493 Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
300× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To turn aside or remove is the meaning of this verb, used in various forms throughout the Bible. It can mean to depart, avoid, or put something away, and is often used in the context of turning away from sin or wrongdoing, as seen in the actions of prophets and leaders in the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
departed, removed
Tyndale gloss
to turn aside: remove
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סוּר (sur) is a Hebrew verb meaning to turn aside or depart. It encompasses a range of actions including removal, avoidance, and coming to an end. The word can be used in various forms, such as causing something to turn aside or be taken away. It appears in contexts involving both literal and figurative departures.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סוּר and [שׂוּר] 300 vb. turn aside

Qal

turn aside, out of one's course

depart

of lifeless things = be removed

= come to an end

Pô‛lēl he turned aside my ways (my steps)

Hiph.

cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away

rarer uses

Pô‛lēl be taken away, removed

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5493 סוּר, שׂוּר turn aside .. turn aside, out of one's course

. depart

. of lifeless things = be removed

. = come to an end

.he turned aside my ways (my steps)

. . cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away

. rarer uses

.be taken away, removed

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5493 cuwr soor

or suwr (Hosea 9:12) {soor}; a primitive root; to turn off

(literal or figurative):--be(-head), bring, call back,

decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), X grievous,

lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away,

down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, X be sour, take

(away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: remove.

: remove

1) to turn aside, depart

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto

1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid

1a3) to be removed

1a4) to come to an end

1b) (Polel) to turn aside

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose

1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish

1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: depart.

: depart

1) to turn aside, depart

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto

1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid

1a3) to be removed

1a4) to come to an end

1b) (Polel) to turn aside

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose

1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish

1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: turn aside.

: turn_aside/deflect

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
HVqp3cp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-sid': "Distinct from others," "privately," such is the sense of the word in 2Ki 4:4; Mr 7:33. Also "to withdraw" (Lu 9:10 the King James Version; Ac 23:19: hupochoreo, also anachoreo). One is said to have turned aside when he departs from the path of rectitude (Ps 14:3; Sirach 2:7; 1Ti 1:6). In a figurative sense it is used to express the thought of putting aside, to renounce, every hindrance or impediment to a consecrated earnest Christian life (Heb 12:1: apotithemi).

and to the people this it belongs a heart stubborn and rebellious they have turned aside and they have gone away
וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃vai.ye.Le.khu and they have gone away H1980 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
1,549× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means to walk or go, used in many different contexts in the Bible. It can describe physical movement, but also spiritual or emotional journeys. Appears in various forms, such as 'to go' or 'to walk'.
Tyndale gloss
to go: walk
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הָלַךְ (halak) means 'to go,' 'come,' or 'walk,' and covers a wide range of literal and figurative uses, including aspects of life and death. It can describe physical movement, moral conduct, and even influence on character. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal, Piel, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances like leading or traversing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָלַךְ 1546 vb. go, come, walk

Qal Impf. usually (629 t.) as if from ילך

lit.

of persons

Also of animals, in similar meanings and combinations

in like manner of inanimate things

The inf. abs. is often used

as in other vbs., quite independently

to intensify meaning of finite form

most noteworthy is the joining of the Inf. abs.

with a following Inf. abs. denoting a simutaneous action or process, and so emphasizing duration or continuance

with a foll. vb. fin. c. ו consec. (rare)

in cases where vb. fin. is foll. by Inf. abs. adj. denoting progress, advance

twice, where vb. fin. is not הלך, but another vb. denoting motion

quite by itself

13 t. the Inf. abs. = Imv. & is followed by Pf. consec.

akin to the use of Inf. abs. are some instances of Pt.

In combination with other verbal forms

Fig.; the most common uses follow; in most the origin in a literal meaning is evident:

pass away, die

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1980 הָלַךְ go, come, walk .Impf. usually (629 t.) as if from ילך . lit. . of persons

. Also of animals, in similar meanings and combinations

. in like manner of inanimate things

. The inf. abs. is often used . as in other vbs., quite independently

. to intensify meaning of finite form

. most noteworthy is the joining of the Inf. abs. . with a following Inf. abs. denoting a simutaneous action or process, and so emphasizing duration or continuance

. with a foll. vb. fin. c. ו consec. (rare)

. in cases where vb. fin. is foll. by Inf. abs. + adj. denoting progress, advance

. twice, where vb. fin. is not הלך, but another vb. denoting motion

. quite by itself

. 13 t. the Inf. abs. = Imv. & is followed by Pf. consec.

. akin to the use of Inf. abs. are some instances of Pt.

. In combination with other verbal forms

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1980 halak haw-lak'

akin to 3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety

of applications, literally and figuratively):--(all) along,

apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant,

depart, + be eased, enter, exercise (self), + follow, forth,

forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on,

out, up and down), + greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead,

march, X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away),

be at the point, quite, run (along), + send, speedily, spread,

still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel(-ler), walk (abroad,

on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax,

(way-)faring man, X be weak, whirl.

see HEBREW for 03212

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) — to go: went.

: went/go[away]

1) to go, walk, come

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away

1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to walk

1b2) to walk (fig.)

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to traverse

1c2) to walk about

1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) — to go: come.

: come[nearer]

1) to go, walk, come

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away

1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to walk

1b2) to walk (fig.)

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to traverse

1c2) to walk about

1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) — to go: walk.

: walk/move

1) to go, walk, come

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away

1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to walk

1b2) to walk (fig.)

1c) (Hithpael)

1c1) to traverse

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Hc/Vqw3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine plural
Hc/Vqw3mp
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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