Nerd In The Word: Levav (Heart) & Nephesh (Soul)

Welcome to the Abide podcast. I’m your host, Gretchen Stevenson—and today, I’ve invited my fellow Bible-loving friend and resident word-nerd, Kristin, to join me for a special two-part Nerd in the Word conversation.

We’re diving deep into one of the most foundational passages in all of Scripture—the Shema—found in Deuteronomy 6. It begins with this powerful call:

“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

These words weren’t just meant to be memorized—they were meant to shape the whole of life. They were spoken, repeated, written on doorposts and gates, and passed down from generation to generation. And today, we’re going to nerd out together about what it actually means to love God with all our heart and all our soul.

We’ll be unpacking two rich Hebrew words: lev (heart) and nephesh (soul). In the Hebrew mindset, these words have meanings that go way beyond our modern understanding.

Loving God with all our heart and soul is not just about emotion or intellect—it’s about the wholeness of who we are: our thoughts, our motives, our breath, our being.

So grab your Bible, maybe a notebook, and let’s get nerdy about what it means to love the Lord our God with everything we’ve got.

If you would like to support this ABIDE podcast and the other resources provided by my ministry, please consider donating at https://gretchenstevenson.com/donate/

 Thank You!
 Gretchen
 https://gretchenstevenson.com/