noun · feminine
kardias
Strong’sG2588
the heart, inner life, intention
stem kardi-156 times in the New Testamentin 22 of 27 books8 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
καρδία (kardia) means the heart — used both literally and, much more often, figuratively for the inner life of a person.
In its literal sense it denotes the bodily organ that sustains physical life 13.
Far more commonly it refers to the inner life of a person as a whole: the center of thought, feeling, and will, and so the place where a person's moral and spiritual condition resides 124. In this sense it can cover reasoning and understanding (what one "thinks in the heart"), emotion (joy, sorrow, love, fear, courage, anger), and intention or purpose, and it is often set in contrast to outward speech or appearance, as when what is said with the mouth is distinguished from what is truly held in the heart 13.
Less commonly, the word is used of the central or innermost part of something other than a person, such as the pith at the center of wood, or, figuratively, the depths of the sea or the heart of the earth 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
καρδία, -ας, ἡ,
[in LXX chiefly for לֵב, לֵבָב;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2588 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidkar-dee'-ah
the heart, i.e. (figuratively) the thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) the middle
Fromprolonged from a primary κάρ (Latin cor, "heart");
King James(+ broken-)heart(-ed).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect καρδίη, Epic dialect κρᾰδίη (καρδίη in Refs 8th c.BC+ only in καρδίῃ ἄλληκτον πολεμίζειν ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι Refs 8th c.BC+ always in Trag., except in some dact. and anapaest meter verses, Refs 5th c.BC+; Aeolic dialect κάρζα Refs (but καρδία Refs 7th c.BC+ κορζία (Paph.), Refs 5th c.AD+:—heart, ἐν δέ τέ οἱ κραδίη μεγάλα στέρνοισι πατάσσει Refs 8th c.BC+; πηδᾷ ἡ κ. Refs 5th c.BC+: especially as the seat of feeling and passion, as rage or anger, οἰδάνεται κραδίη Χόλῳ Refs 8th c.BC+; καρδίης πλέως full of heart, Refs 7th c.BC+; of fear or courage, κυνὸς ὄμματ᾽ ἔχων, κραδίην δ᾽ ἐλάφοιο Refs 8th c.BC+; [σφηκῶν] κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἔχοντες Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸν νέον τίνα οἴει κ. ἴσχει; what do you think are his feelings? Refs 5th c.BC+; of sorrow or joy, ἐν κραδίῃ μέγα πένθος ἄεξε Refs 8th c.BC+; κελαινόχρως.. πάλλεταί μου κ. Refs 5th c.BC+; of love, Sapph.[same place], etc.; ἐκ τῆς κ. φιλεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+; φιλέειν ἀπὸ κ. Refs 3rd c.BC+. to speak freely, Refs 5th c.BC+; λαλῆσαι ἐπὶ καρδίαν τινός speak kindly to.., LXX
2 inclination, desire, purpose, ἔμ᾽ ὀτρύνει κραδίη καὶ θυμός Refs 8th c.BC+; πρόφρων κ. ἐν πάντεσσι πόνοισιRefs 5th c.BC+
3 mind, ὡς ἄνοον κραδίην ἔχες Refs 8th c.BC+, compare 7.2; διαλογισμοὶ ἀναβαίνουσι ἐν τῇ κ. NT
II cardiac orifice of the stomach, Refs 5th c.BC+
III heart in wood, pith, Refs 4th c.BC+; ={ἐντεριώνη},Refs
IV metaphorically, κ. θαλάσσης depths of the sea, LXX
V Κ. Λέοντος, name of the star Refs 5th c.BC+ [kcirc]ṛd-, cf. Latin cor(d)-, Lithuanian širdis 'heart', etc.)
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | kardias19×καρδία | kardiais2×καρδίαι |
| object accusative | kardian18×καρδίαν | kardiain25×καρδίας |
| direct address vocative | kardiar | kardiair |
| of, belonging to genitive | kardiau32×καρδίας | kardiaiu4×καρδιῶν |
| to, for dative | kardia35×καρδίᾳ | kardiai21×καρδίαις |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
kardia is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
156 occurrences, 100 of them printed here — the rest are in the reader
kardias“heart”subjectnominative singular19×, 15 shown
Matthew 6:21… thēsauros su, ekei eti kai tas kardias su.… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 13:15pachunita gar tas kardias tou laou houtou, kai tei ouei …For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear …
Matthew 15:8“heart”… tei cheilei min timatō, tas de kardias autoiu porrō apechatō apo mu;… people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Mark 6:52… toi artoi, alla ate autoiu tas kardias pōrorēntas.… understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
Mark 7:6“heart”… tei cheilei min timatō, tas de kardias autoiu porrō apechatō apo mu;… as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Luke 12:34… tos thēsauros vu, ekei kai tas kardias vu eti.… where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 24:32kai legala pros allēloin; Ouchi tas kardias nu kaiorōntas ate en ni hōs …… asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke …
John 14:1Mē tarassotōr vu tas kardias; pisteuavō eis ton theon, kai eis …“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God …
John 14:27… dōamō vi. mē tarassotōr vu tas kardias mēde deiliatōr.… world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
John 16:22… horemi vin, kai chairiti vu tas kardias, kai tan charan vu oudenos airatō …… will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will …
Acts 2:26dia houtem eufranita tas kardias mu kai agallieta tas glōssas mu, …Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices …
Acts 4:32Teu de plētheu toiu pisteuarantoiu ate kardias kai psuchas henas, kai oude henos …… multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that …
Acts 8:21… en to logo houto, tas gar kardias su ouk atō euthuas enanti tou …… share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
Acts 28:27pachunita gar tas kardias tou laou houtou, kai tei ouei …For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear …
Romans 1:21… autoiu kai skotizita tas asunetas autoiu kardias;… thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
kardian“heart”objectaccusative singular18×, 15 shown
Mark 7:19hoti ouk eisporeuotō autou eis tan kardian alla eis tan koilian, kai eis …because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach …
Mark 8:17… noavō oude suniēkavō? pōrorēntan echavō tan kardian vu?… understand? Do you have such hard hearts?
John 12:40… toin ofthalmoin kai pōrata autoiu tan kardian, hina mē horaleia toi ofthalmoi kai …… blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with …
John 13:2… tou diabolou ēdē balarēntou eis tan kardian hina paradōateia auton Ioudos Simōnou Iskariōtou,… devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon …
John 16:6“heart”… vi tas lupas plēratē vu tan kardian.Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow because I have told you these things.
Acts 2:37Akouarantois de katanussila tan kardian, legala tē pros ton Petron kai …… this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other …
Acts 5:3… dia tinem plērata tos Satanos tan kardian su, pseudera sin tem pneumem tem …… it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …
Acts 7:23“heart”… auto tesserakontaetos chronos, anabainata epi tan kardian autou episkeptera toin adelfoin autou toin …… Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of …
Acts 13:22… ton tou Iessai, andron kata tan kardian mu, hos poiati panteim teim thelēmeim …… Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will …
Acts 16:14… akouate, hau tos kurios dianoigata tan kardian prosecharō tei lalorōntei hupo tou Paulou.… of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
Acts 21:13… poiavō klaiarōntois kai sunthruptarōntois mu tan kardian? mis gar ouk monem dira alla …… are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to …
Romans 2:5… de tan sklērotan su kai ametanoētan kardian thēsaurizasō siauto organ en hēmera orgau …… because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against …
1 Corinthians 2:9… kai ouem ouk akouata kai epi kardian anthrōpou ouk anabainata, hoseim hetoimazata tos …… seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared …
2 Corinthians 3:15… an anagnōskoteiō Mōusos kalummem epi tan kardian autoiu keiotō;… is read, a veil covers their hearts.
Hebrews 13:9… paraferovōr; kalem gar charita bebaiorō tan kardian, ouk brōmei, en hei ouk ōfelila …… for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and …
kardiau“heart”of, belonging togenitive singular32×, 16 shown
Matthew 12:34… arōntois? ek gar teu perisseumeu tau kardiau tem stomem lalatō.… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 15:18… ekporeuorōnteim ek teu stomeu ek tau kardiau exerchotō, kakeineim koinatō ton anthrōpon.… of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
Matthew 15:19ek gar tau kardiau exercholō dialogismois ponērois, fonois, moicheiais, porneiais, …For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual …
Mark 3:5“hearts”… orgau, sulluporōntos epi ta pōrōsia tau kardiau autoiu, legatō to anthrōpo; Ekteinasar tan …… them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand …
Mark 7:21“heart”esōthen gar ek tau kardiau toiu anthrōpoiu tois dialogismois tois kakosois …For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality …
Mark 12:30… ton theon su ek holau tau kardiau su kai ek holau tau psuchau …… Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and …
Mark 12:33… tem agaparō auton ek holau tau kardiau kai ek holau tau sunesiau kai …… to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and …
Luke 1:51… en brachiono autou, diaskorpizata huperēfanoin dianoia kardiau autoiu;… proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
Luke 6:45… anthrōpos ek tou agathou thēsaurou tau kardiau autou proferatō tem agathem, kai tos …… of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil …
Luke 6:45… proferatō tem ponērem; ek gar perisseumeu kardiau lalatō tem stomem autou.… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Luke 8:12… kai airatō ton logon apo tau kardiau autoiu, hina mē pisteuarantois sōzileia.… takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe …
Luke 9:47“inner”… de Iēsus horarēntos ton dialogismon tau kardiau autoiu epilaberantos paidiem stēata autem para …But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside …
Luke 10:27… ton theon su ek holau tau kardiau su kai en hola ta psucha …… Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and …
Acts 2:46“hearts”… metalabale trofēau en agalliasia kai afelota kardiau,… their meals with gladness and …
Acts 8:22… ara afiēkiti si tas epinoias tau kardiau su;… you for the intent of your heart.
Acts 11:23… kai parakalate pantoin ta prothesia tau kardiau prosmenarō to kurio,… in the Lord with all their hearts.
kardia“heart”to, fordative singular35×, 16 shown
Matthew 5:8makariois tois katharois ta kardia, hoti autois ton theon horeli.Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:28… autan ēdē moicheuata autan en ta kardia autou.… committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 11:29… hoti prauos amō kai tapeinos ta kardia, kai heuriskavi anapausian tai psuchai vu;… I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for …
Matthew 12:40… tos huios tou anthrōpou en ta kardia tau gēau treis hēmerain kai treis …… days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 13:15“heart”… kai tei ouei akoualeia kai ta kardia suniēkaleia kai epistrefaleia, kai iemi autoin.… their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
Matthew 13:19… kai harpazatō tem sperorēntem en ta kardia autou; houtos atō tos para tan …… away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along …
Matthew 22:37… ton theon su en hola ta kardia su kai en hola ta psucha …… Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and …
Matthew 24:48… tos kakosos doulos ekeinos en ta kardia autou; Chronizatō mu tos kurios,… is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a …
Mark 11:23… thalassan, kai mē diakriniteia en ta kardia autou alla pisteuateiō hoti hem lalatō …… and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen …
Luke 1:66… tithela pantois tois akouarantois en ta kardia autoiu, legarōntois; Tinem ara tem paidiem …… who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this …
Luke 2:19… teim rēmeim houteim sumballarōntas en ta kardia autau.… things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:51… panteim teim rēmeim houteim en ta kardia autau.… up all these things in her heart.
Luke 8:15… kala gēa, houtois alō hotinois en kardia kala kai agatha akouarantois ton logon …… those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to …
Luke 12:45… legateia tos doulos ekeinos en ta kardia autou; Chronizatō tos kurios mu erchorō, …… suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long …
Luke 24:25… autoin; Ō anoētoir kai braduoir ta kardia teu pisteuarō epi pantei hei lalala …… O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets …
Luke 24:38… dia tinem dialogismois anabainalō en ta kardia vu?… why do doubts arise in your hearts?
kardiais“hearts”subjectnominative plural2×
Luke 21:34… de heautoi mēpote barileia vu tais kardiais en kraipala kai metha kai merimnai …But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation …
Colossians 2:2“hearts”hina parakalileia tais kardiais autoiu, sumbibazirantois en agapa kai eis …that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches …
kardiain“hearts”objectaccusative plural25×, 16 shown
Luke 1:17… en pneume kai dunamia Ēliaou, epistrefara kardiain patroiu epi tekneim kai apeithoin en …… power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children …
Luke 16:15… anthrōpoiu, tos de theos gnōskatō tain kardiain vu; hoti tem en anthrōpoi hupsēlem …… before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men …
Acts 14:17… karpoforoin, empimplēarōntos trofēau kai eufrosunēau tain kardiain vu.… heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
Acts 15:9… kai auteiu, ta pistia katharizarantos tain kardiain auteiu.… and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.
Romans 8:27tos de eraunarōntos tain kardiain oidatē tinem tem fronēmem teu pneumeu, …And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit …
Romans 16:18… tau chrēstologiau kai eulogiau exapatalō tain kardiain toiu akakoiu.… talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
Galatians 4:6… pneumem tou huiou autou eis tain kardiain nu, krazarōntem; Abba tos patror.… Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Ephesians 6:22… teim peri nu kai parakalateiō tain kardiain vu.… and that he may encourage your hearts.
Philippians 4:7… tas huperecharōntas panton nouon frourati tain kardiain vu kai teim noēmeim vu en …… surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 4:8… teim peri nu kai parakalateiō tain kardiain vu,… and that he may encourage your hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4… areskarōntois alla theo to dokimazarōnto tain kardiain nu.… men but God, who examines our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 3:13eis tem stērizara vu tain kardiain amemptain en hagiōsuna emprosthen tou theou …so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our …
2 Thessalonians 2:17parakalatoia vu tain kardiain kai stērizatoia en pante erge kai …encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good …
2 Thessalonians 3:5tos de kurios kateuthunatoia vu tain kardiain eis tan agapan tou theou kai …May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
Hebrews 3:8mē sklērunaveia tain kardiain vu hōs en to parapikrasmo, kata …do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion …
Hebrews 3:15… fōnau autou akouaveia, Mē sklērunaveia tain kardiain vu hōs en to parapikrasmo.… His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.”
kardiaiu“hearts”of, belonging togenitive plural4×
Matthew 18:35… hekastos to adelfo autou apo taiu kardiaiu vu.… you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Luke 2:35… romfaias, hopōs an apokaluptileia ek pollaiu kardiaiu dialogismois.so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed — and a sword …
Romans 1:24… tos theos en tai epithumiai taiu kardiaiu autoiu eis akatharsian teu atimazorō teim …… over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of …
1 Corinthians 4:5… skoteu kai fanerati tain boulain taiu kardiaiu, kai tote tos epainos geneti hekasto …… will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive …
kardiai“hearts”to, fordative plural21×, 16 shown
Matthew 9:4… legata; Hinati enthumovō ponēreim en tai kardiai vu?… do you harbor evil in your hearts?
Mark 2:6… ekei kathorōntois kai dialogizorōntois en tai kardiai autoiu;… sitting there and thinking in their hearts,
Mark 2:8… autoi; Tinem houteim dialogizovō en tai kardiai vu?… you thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked.
Luke 3:15… laou kai dialogizorōntoiu pantoiu en tai kardiai autoiu peri tou Iōannou, mēpote autos …… and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.
Luke 5:22… pros autoin; Tinem dialogizovō en tai kardiai vu?… you thinking these things in your hearts?
Luke 21:14“minds”tithavar oun en tai kardiai vu mē promeletarō apologira,So make up your mind not to worry …
Acts 7:39… alla apōthela kai strefila en tai kardiai autoiu eis Aiguptan,… they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
Acts 7:51“heart”Sklērotrachēloir kai aperitmētoir kardiai kai tei ouei, vis aei te …You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit …
Acts 7:54“hearts”Akouarōntois de houteim diapriole tai kardiai autoiu kai bruchale toin odontoin epi …… members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.
Romans 2:15… ergem tou nomou graptem en tai kardiai autoiu, summarturarōntau autoiu tau suneidēsiau kai …… the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and …
Romans 5:5… agapas tou theou ekchotē en tai kardiai nu dia pneumeu hagieu teu dōiranteu …… poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He …
2 Corinthians 1:22… ton arrabōnon teu pneumeu en tai kardiai nu.… and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is …
2 Corinthians 3:2… nu vis avō, engraforēntas en tai kardiai nu, gnōskorōntas kai anagnōskorōntas hupo pantoiu …… are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.
2 Corinthians 3:3… en plakai lithinai alla en plakai kardiai sarkinai.… stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 4:6… fōtem lampati, hos lampata en tai kardiai nu pros fōtismon tau gnōsiau tau …… made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of …
2 Corinthians 7:3… legamō, prolegamē gar hoti en tai kardiai nu avō eis tem sunapothnēskara kai …… before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together …