A symbolic expression in the Old Testament represented by three Hebrew words: חדר , ḥedher , "chamber," hence, inmost bowels or breast; טחות , tuḥōth , "the reins"; קרב , ḳerebh , "midst," "middle," hence, heart . Once in the New Testament ( ἒσωθεν , ésōthen , "from within," Luke 11:39 ). The viscera (heart, liver, kidneys) were supposed by the ancients to be the seat of the mind, feelings, affections: the highest organs of the psyche , "the soul." The term includes the intellect ("wisdom in the inward parts," Job 38:36 ); the moral nature ("inward part is very wickedness," Psalm 5:9 ); the spiritual ("my law in their inward parts," Jeremiah 31:33 ). Its adverbial equivalent in Biblical use is "inwardly." INWARD , MAN (which see) is identical in meaning.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
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