Psalm 4/Notes/Phrasal.v. 3.110119

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  • The phrase "heavy of heart" (כִבְדֵי לֵב) (cf. the common phrase יִשְׁרֵי לֵב) is an idiom that means stubborn. The collocation "heavy"-"heart" is always elsewhere associated with the Exodus event and with the plagues in particular (Exod 7:14; 8:11, 28; 9:7, 34; 10:1; 1 Sam 6:6). The Pharaoh of the Exodus is the prototypical example of what it means to be "heavy of heart:" "Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn (כָּבֵד לֵב פַּרְעֹה), and he still refuses to let the people go" (Exod 7:14, NLT).