An overview of Psalm 51 verse 12 and where the words in it first show up in Tanach. All translations are NJPS except the verse itself, which is my own translation. All definitions are Open Scriptures on GitHub as accessed through Sefaria.
A pure heart create for me, God, and a steady spirit renew within me
וַיַּ֣רְא ה' כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל־יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
ה' saw how great was human wickedness on earth—how every plan devised by the human mind was nothing but evil all the time.
In the causative lead-up to the flood in the story of Noah, the conscience of humanity was fundamentally corrupt; every thought and deed was evil throughout the day.
לֵב (n-m) heb
-
- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
- inner part, midst
- midst (of things)
- heart (of man)
- soul, heart (of man)
- mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
- inclination, resolution, determination (of will)
- conscience
- heart (of moral character)
- as seat of appetites
- as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage
- inner part, midst
- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
מִכֹּ֣ל ׀ הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה תִּֽקַּח־לְךָ֛ שִׁבְעָ֥ה שִׁבְעָ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֡ה אֲ֠שֶׁר לֹ֣א טְהֹרָ֥ה הִ֛וא שְׁנַ֖יִם אִ֥ישׁ וְאִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
Of every pure animal you shall take seven pairs, males and their mates, and of every animal that is not pure, two, a male and its mate;
טָהוֹר (a) heb
-
- pure, clean
- clean (ceremonially-of animals)
- pure (physically)
- pure, clean (morally, ethically)
- pure, clean
In loading animals into the ark, Noah was presumed to know which were טְהֹרָ֥ה, a particular word for purity which is later characteristic of gold used in the tabernacle, and those animals and incense which can be brought as sacrifices to the temple or eaten. It is also a state of ritual purity that humans can enter and exit based on external factors, and can be applied to a place. How Noah would have known which animals qualified and which didn't is a question of much debate by commentators. It is uncertain what exactly was meant by purity in this case, and so it leaves a certain amount of openness to interpretation available to the reader.
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹקִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
When God began to create heaven and earth—
בָּרָא (v) heb
-
- to create, shape, form
- (Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)
- of heaven and earth
- of individual man
- of new conditions and circumstances
- of transformations
- (Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)
- to create, shape, form
Because of this every early use of בָּרָא, it connotes creation from nothing through a speech act, which is different from the shaping (עשה) of celestial bodies from extant light.
אֱלֹקִ֑ים is the first name of God used in Torah
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹקִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃
the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—
רוּחַ (n-f) heb
-
- wind, breath, mind, spirit
- breath
- wind
- of heaven
- quarter (of wind), side
- breath of air
- air, gas
- vain, empty thing
- spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)
- spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour
- courage
- temper, anger
- impatience, patience
- spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)
- disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse
- prophetic spirit
- spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)
- as gift, preserved by God, God's spirit, departing at death, disembodied being
- spirit (as seat of emotion)
- desire
- sorrow, trouble
- spirit
- as seat or organ of mental acts
- rarely of the will
- as seat especially of moral character
- wind, breath, mind, spirit
וְעַ֨ל הִשָּׁנ֧וֹת הַחֲל֛וֹם אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֖ה פַּעֲמָ֑יִם כִּֽי־נָכ֤וֹן הַדָּבָר֙ מֵעִ֣ם הָאֱלֹקִ֔ים וּמְמַהֵ֥ר הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃
As for Pharaoh having had the same dream twice, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and that God will soon carry it out.
כּוּן (v) heb
-
- to be firm, be stable, be established
- (Niphal)
- to be set up, be established, be fixed
- to be firmly established
- to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring
- to be fixed, be securely determined
- to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense)
- to prepare, be ready
- to be prepared, be arranged, be settle
- to be set up, be established, be fixed
- (Niphal)
- to be firm, be stable, be established
וַיָּ֥קׇם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף׃
A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
this is the first use of חדש as related to newness but not meaning month, but since it is an adjective not a verb, i've included the first verbal form of it below as well.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם לְכ֖וּ וְנֵלְכָ֣ה הַגִּלְגָּ֑ל וּנְחַדֵּ֥שׁ שָׁ֖ם הַמְּלוּכָֽה׃
Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there inaugurate the monarchy.”
חָדַשׁ (v) heb
-
- to be new, renew, repair
- (Piel)
- to renew, make anew
- to repair
- (Piel)
- to be new, renew, repair
וַתִּצְחַ֥ק שָׂרָ֖ה בְּקִרְבָּ֣הּ לֵאמֹ֑ר אַחֲרֵ֤י בְלֹתִי֙ הָֽיְתָה־לִּ֣י עֶדְנָ֔ה וַֽאדֹנִ֖י זָקֵֽן׃
And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I’ve lost the ability, am I to have enjoyment—with my husband so old?”
קֶרֶב (n-m) heb
-
- midst, among, inner part, middle
- inward part
- physical sense
- as seat of thought and emotion
- as faculty of thought and emotion
- in the midst, among, from among (of a number of persons)
- entrails (of sacrificial animals)
- inward part
- midst, among, inner part, middle
"[The psalmist] entreated that first a clean heart be created in him and then that an upright spirit be renewed in his inmost parts, because he knew that an upright spirit could have no place in a defiled heart"
- Venerable Bede (d. 735), Homilies on the Gospels