3825. lebab

Lexical Summary

lebab: mind, heart

Original Word: לְבַב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: lbab
Pronunciation: lay-bawb'
Phonetic Spelling: (leb-ab')
NASB: mind, heart
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3824 (לֵבָב - heart)]

1. heart

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

heart

(Aramaic) corresponding to lebab -- heart.

see HEBREW lebab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to lebab
Definition
heart
NASB Translation
heart (3), mind (4).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The term לְבַב (Strong’s Hebrew 3825) appears only in the Aramaic sections of Daniel (Daniel 2–7). Though linguistically related to the common Hebrew words for “heart,” its distribution highlights God’s dealings with Gentile kings and empires, underscoring the universal accountability of every human heart before the Most High.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Daniel 2:30 – Daniel confesses that God revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream “so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.” The verse links divine revelation to an awakened heart, urging humility before God’s mysteries.
2. Daniel 4:16 – Twice in this verse the king’s “mind” is exchanged for that of a beast, showing that the Sovereign can reshape the inner life at will.
3. Daniel 5:20–22 – Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance (“his heart became arrogant”) contrasts sharply with Belshazzar, who “have not humbled your heart.” The same word frames both discipline and warning.
4. Daniel 7:4 – In the vision of the winged lion, “a human mind was given to it,” reminding readers that kingdoms rise and fall by divine grant of understanding or its removal.

Themes Drawn from the Usage

God’s Sovereignty over the Inner Person

• The narrative repeatedly shows God giving, taking, hardening, softening, or transforming the heart. Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity is removed and restored; Belshazzar’s is tested and found wanting; a beast-like empire receives a human heart only by divine decree (Daniel 7:4).
• The purposeful use of an Aramaic word while addressing Gentile rulers stresses that no culture, language, or throne lies outside God’s jurisdiction.

Revelation and Humility

• Daniel 2:30 ties revelation to humility in the recipient: “not because I have greater wisdom than any other living person.” The heart must bow before God to receive insight.
• When hearts exalt themselves (Daniel 5:20), revelation turns to judgment; when they are humbled (Daniel 4:34–36), restoration follows.

Judgment through Mental Transformation

• The beast-like heart given to Nebuchadnezzar illustrates Romans 1:21 in narrative form: refusing to honor God darkens the heart, eventually dehumanizing it.
• Conversely, God’s ability to return understanding foreshadows the New Covenant promise, “I will give you a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26), showing that regeneration is divine workmanship.

Prophetic Foreshadowing of Kingdoms

• The lion with a “human mind” (Daniel 7:4) previews the sequence of empires in Daniel 7, hinting that even the fiercest political powers operate only by understanding granted from heaven. History’s flow is therefore not random but governed by Him who searches hearts.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Call to Humility – Believers and leaders alike must guard against pride, remembering Belshazzar’s downfall (Daniel 5:22).
2. Confidence in Prayer – Since God alone grants true understanding, prayer for illumination remains essential for interpreting Scripture and discerning the times (cf. Ephesians 1:17–18).
3. Hope for Transformation – If God can return sanity to a pagan king, He can renew any hardened heart today (2 Corinthians 5:17).
4. Preaching to the Nations – Daniel’s Aramaic “heart” invites proclamation that the gospel addresses every language group, fulfilling Revelation 5:9.

Historical Reflections

In the Babylonian and early Persian eras, royal ideology viewed kings as semi-divine. Daniel subverts this by showing God overriding royal hearts, dethroning human pride, and demonstrating that true majesty belongs to Him alone.

Key Lessons

• Divine revelation demands a receptive heart (Daniel 2:30).
• Prideful hearts invite discipline (Daniel 5:20).
• God alone replaces a beastly heart with a restored one (Daniel 4:34).
• Empires themselves are granted—or denied—understanding (Daniel 7:4).

In sum, לְבַב in Daniel encapsulates the Bible’s consistent testimony: the heart is the seat of thought and will, and the Lord reigns supreme over it.

Forms and Transliterations

וְלִבְבֵ֣הּ ׀ וּלְבַ֥ב ולבב ולבבה לִבְבֵ֔הּ לִבְבֵהּ֙ לִבְבָ֑ךְ לִבְבָ֖ךְ לבבה לבבך liḇ·ḇāḵ liḇ·ḇêh liḇḇāḵ liḇḇêh livVach livVeh ū·lə·ḇaḇ ūləḇaḇ uleVav velivVeh wə·liḇ·ḇêh wəliḇḇêh

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 2:30
HEB: יְהוֹדְע֔וּן וְרַעְיוֹנֵ֥י לִבְבָ֖ךְ תִּנְדַּֽע׃
NAS: the thoughts of your mind.
KJV: the thoughts of thy heart.
INT: of making the thoughts of your mind known

Daniel 4:16
HEB: לִבְבֵהּ֙ מִן־ [אֱנֹושָׁא
NAS: Let his mind be changed
KJV: Let his heart be changed from
INT: his mind from man

Daniel 4:16
HEB: ק) יְשַׁנּ֔וֹן וּלְבַ֥ב חֵיוָ֖ה יִתְיְהִ֣ב
NAS: And let a beast's mind be given
KJV: and let a beast's heart be given
INT: man be changed mind A beast's be given

Daniel 5:20
HEB: וּכְדִי֙ רִ֣ם לִבְבֵ֔הּ וְרוּחֵ֖הּ תִּֽקְפַ֣ת
NAS: But when his heart was lifted
KJV: But when his heart was lifted up,
INT: when was lifted his heart and his spirit became

Daniel 5:21
HEB: אֲנָשָׁ֨א טְרִ֜יד וְלִבְבֵ֣הּ ׀ עִם־ חֵיוְתָ֣א
NAS: from mankind, and his heart was made
KJV: of men; and his heart was made
INT: mankind driven and his heart like beasts

Daniel 5:22
HEB: לָ֥א הַשְׁפֵּ֖לְתְּ לִבְבָ֑ךְ כָּל־ קֳבֵ֕ל
NAS: have not humbled your heart, even
KJV: humbled thine heart, though
INT: not humbled your heart all though

Daniel 7:4
HEB: כֶּאֱנָ֣שׁ הֳקִימַ֔ת וּלְבַ֥ב אֱנָ֖שׁ יְהִ֥יב
NAS: a human mind also was given
KJV: and a man's heart was given
INT: A man and made mind A human was given

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3825
7 Occurrences

liḇ·ḇāḵ — 2 Occ.
liḇ·ḇêh — 2 Occ.
ū·lə·ḇaḇ — 2 Occ.
wə·liḇ·ḇêh — 1 Occ.