HEBREW WORD STUDY – LIKE HIS HEART כלבבו Kalavavu

I Samuel 13:14: “But now thy kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought him a man after his own heart.”

Most translators walk in lock step with the KJV and say a man after God’s heart. Some will say according to God’s heart others a heart that is loyal to God. But I have found none that dare to use the literal rendering, a heart that is like or as God’s heart. In I Samuel 13:14 the preposition Kap that is used before the word levav (heart) is traditionally rendered as like or as rather than after. I would suppose they don’t render it as like or as because they realize we cannot hope to have a heart exactly like God’s heart. Yet, it could properly render this as a man with a heart like God’s heart. In Acts 13:22 the Greek preposition is taka is used which is often rendered as according to. So David was a man who had a heart that was according to God. The Aramaic Bible, Peshitta uses the Aramaic preposition aik which is often rendered as such as or as though. David had a heart such as or as though it were Gods heart. I think this best reflects the Hebrew idea as well with the use of the preposition Kap.

David had a heart as though it were the heart of God. Not exactly like God’s heart but modeled after God’s heart. To have heart as though it were God’s heart David would have to know and understand God’s heart. If you know what God’s heart is and your heart’s desires are the same as His heart’s desires. Then like David you are a person “after” God’s heart because God will allow you, like David, to enter into the very secret rooms of His heart. David broke God’s heart many times, as we do, yet He so longed to enter God’s heart that God allow Himself to be exposed to possible heartbreak so that he could share a special intimacy with David as He longs to share with us.