What does “in the heart of the earth” mean in Matthew 12:40?

Whenever we attempt to gather the meaning of a Scripture passage, we must compare it with other similar or related passages. This allows the Bible to interpret itself. Since the term “heart of the earth” is found only in Matthew 12, we need to find similar verses to reference.

The phrase “in the earth” appears 66 times in the King James, but none of these refers to the grave. For instance, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Does this mean we’re praying for God’s will to be done in the tomb as it is in heaven? Of course not! Rather, it means His will be done among the nations of the earth.

In the second commandment, we read, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4 KJV). We recognize here that “in the earth beneath” does not mean the grave, but rather “in the world.”

In Matthew 12:40, the word “heart” comes from the Greek word kardia, which is where we get the word “cardiac.” According to Strong’s, kardia means the heart, thoughts, or feelings; it also can mean the middle. Additionally, the Greek word for “earth” is ge, which literally means soil, a region, or the solid part or whole of the globe.

So the phrase “in the heart of the earth” can easily be translated as “in the midst of the world”— or in the grip of this lost planet—that Jesus came to save! In other words, in Matthew 12:40, the Lord is telling His disciples that just as Jonah was in the belly of a great fish, so the Son of Man would be in the heart of the world.

Key Bible Texts

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40 KJV)