What does the Bible say about emotions?
The Bible portrays God as having genuine emotions, using language that helps humans understand His divine nature in relatable terms. Though God's emotional experience transcends human comprehension, Scripture presents Him experiencing joy (Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is in your midst... he will rejoice over you with gladness"), anger (Psalm 7:11, "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day"), compassion (Psalm 103:13, "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him"), and grief (Genesis 6:6, "And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart"). These descriptions reveal essential truths about God's character—that He is personally involved with His creation and genuinely cares about human affairs, not as a distant, impassive deity but as a loving Creator deeply invested in a relationship with humanity.
In the ancient Near Eastern context of Scripture, emotions were understood quite differently than in our modern scientific framework. Biblical writers conceived of emotions as originating from internal organs rather than the brain; the heart was considered the seat of thought and feeling (Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life"). The bowels or intestines were associated with compassion and deep feeling (Colossians 3:12, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts"), and the kidneys with the innermost thoughts and emotions (Psalm 7:9, "for you, who test the hearts and kidneys, are a righteous God"). This anthropological understanding shaped how biblical authors described both divine and human emotional experiences, embedding their accounts in the cultural framework of their time while still conveying timeless truths about emotional reality.
While emotional engagement with Scripture has value, the primary purpose of Bible study is to gain knowledge of God and His redemptive plan rather than seeking emotional experiences alone. Jesus emphasized this priority when He said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39). The emotional impact of Scripture should flow naturally from a proper understanding of God's Word rather than being artificially manufactured. As Paul writes to Timothy, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Bible study primarily equips believers with knowledge and understanding, though this knowledge may certainly stir profound emotional responses.
The Bible honestly acknowledges the emotional challenges believers face amid trials and temptations. The Psalms especially provide a template for how the righteous can express their emotions to God, including fear (Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you"), despair (Psalm 42:5, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?"), anger (Psalm 137:8-9), and joy (Psalm 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy"). These passages validate the full range of human emotions while directing them toward God in faith. James encourages this perspective when he writes, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:2-3), suggesting that emotional responses can be transformed through the lens of faith.
Understanding the biblical portrayal of emotions enriches our spiritual lives by helping us recognize that God created humans as emotional beings in His image. When we engage with the narrative and symbolic dimensions of Scripture, we can develop a deeper connection with God that involves our whole being—mind, heart, and will. Jesus demonstrated this holistic engagement when He wept at Lazarus's tomb (John 11:35), expressed anger at the money-changers in the temple (John 2:13-17), and experienced sorrow in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death"). By recognizing Christ's full humanity—including His emotions—while maintaining His full divinity, we gain a more profound appreciation for the incarnation and the God who understands our emotional struggles firsthand, as "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Through this understanding, we can approach God with confidence, bringing our full emotional reality before Him as we seek to live faithfully in a complex world.
