Word study
Mind
10 Hebrew and 11 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: mind, minds. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “mind” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- לֵב lêbinner man, mind, will, hearttranslated this way 34 times of its 526 uses · Strong’s H3820Noun · Translated: heart 326, hearts 78, mind 30, judgment 11Full study and all 495 verses →
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
1 Chronicles 12:38 All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.
- לֵבָב lêbâbinner man, mind, will, hearttranslated this way 10 times of its 234 uses · Strong’s H3824Noun · Translated: heart 145, hearts 47, mind 9, conscience 2Full study and all 214 verses →
Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
Deuteronomy 28:28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,
- רֵאשׁ rêshheadtranslated this way 6 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s H7217Noun · Translated: head 4, mind 4, heads 2, came into your mind 1Full study and all 12 verses →
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:
Daniel 4:5 I had a dream, and it frightened me; while I was in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
- נָחַם nâchambe sorry, consoletranslated this way 5 times of its 106 uses · Strong’s H5162Verb · Translated: comfort 24, relent 13, comforted 12, relented 7Full study and all 98 verses →
Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
- לְבַב lebabhearttranslated this way 5 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H3825Noun · Translated: mind 5, heart 2Full study and all 6 verses →
Daniel 2:30 And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel 4:16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times pass him by.
- נֶפֶשׁ nepheshsoul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passiontranslated this way 3 times of its 666 uses · Strong’s H5315Noun · Translated: soul 178, life 119, lives 30, person 22Full study and all 622 verses →
Deuteronomy 11:18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
1 Samuel 2:35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.
- רוּחַ rûachbreath, wind, spirittranslated this way 3 times of its 368 uses · Strong’s H7307Noun · Translated: spirit 189, wind 83, breath 31, winds 8Full study and all 343 verses →
1 Chronicles 28:12 The plans contained everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things,
Ezekiel 11:5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
- זָכַר zâkarremembertranslated this way 2 times of its 227 uses · Strong’s H2142Verb · Translated: remember 122, remembered 35, recorder 9, remembers 6Full study and all 221 verses →
Psalm 42:4 These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
Isaiah 43:18 “Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old.
- כִּלְיָה kilyâhkidneystranslated this way 2 times of its 32 uses · Strong’s H3629Noun · Translated: kidneys 19, heart 4, inmost 2Full study and all 26 verses →
Psalm 7:9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
Jeremiah 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- שׁוּב shûbturn back, returntranslated this way 2 times of its 1,007 uses · Strong’s H7725Verb · Translated: return 218, returned 105, restore 62, turn 56Full study and all 920 verses →
Greek words (New Testament)
- νοῦς noûsthe mind, reasoning facultytranslated this way 19 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s G3563Noun · Translated: mind 16, minds 3, coherent 1, thinking 1Full study and all 21 verses →
Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
- διάνοια diánoiaunderstanding, intellect, mindtranslated this way 7 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s G1271Noun · Translated: minds 4, mind 3, understanding 2, in 1Full study and all 12 verses →
Matthew 22:37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
- φρονέω phronéōI think, judge, observetranslated this way 6 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s G5426Verb · Translated: mind 4, think 2Full study and all 19 verses →
Matthew 16:23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:33 But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
- φρόνημα phrónēmathought, purposetranslated this way 4 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G5427Noun · Translated: mind 4Full study and all 3 verses →
Romans 8:6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
- νόημα nóēmaa thought, design, the mindtranslated this way 4 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G3540Noun · Translated: minds 4, schemes 1, thought 1Full study and all 6 verses →
2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- σωφρονέω sōphronéōI am sober-minded, exercise self-controltranslated this way 3 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G4993Verb · Translated: right mind 2, sober judgment 1, sound mind 1, self-controlled 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Mark 5:15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Luke 8:35 So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
- μεταμέλλομαι metaméllomaiI change my mindtranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G3338Verb · Translated: regret 2, changed his mind 1, repent 1, filled with remorse 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Matthew 21:29 ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.
Hebrews 7:21 but Jesus became a priest with an oath by the One who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”
- ἐξίστημι exístēmiI astonish, am astonishedtranslated this way 2 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s G1839Verb · Translated: astounded 14, mind 2, utterly astounded 1Full study and all 17 verses →
Mark 3:21 When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
2 Corinthians 5:13 If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
- μαίνομαι maínomaiI am raving madtranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G3105Verb · Translated: insane 3, mind 1, minds 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Acts 12:15 “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
1 Corinthians 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
- κρίνω krínōI judge, decide, think goodtranslated this way 2 times of its 114 uses · Strong’s G2919Verb · Translated: judge 43, judged 12, judges 7, decided 5Full study and all 98 verses →
Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
2 Corinthians 2:1 So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
- ψυχή psychḗthe soul, life, selftranslated this way 2 times of its 89 uses · Strong’s G5590Noun · Translated: life 33, soul 24, souls 14, lives 5Full study and all 80 verses →
Acts 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
Acts 15:24 It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.