SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH

"Soul" is the Hebrew word nephesh (BDB 659). We must be careful that we do not mix Greek philosophy with Hebrew Scripture. The OT does not say that we have a soul, but that we are a soul (cf. Gen. 2:7). The word "soul" comes from the Akkadian word napishtu, which signifies the place of breathing or the throat (cf. Ps. 69:2). Humanity's uniqueness is not in the fact that they have a nephesh, for in the early parts of Genesis the animals also had a nephesh (cf. Gen. 1:21, 24; 2:19; Lev. 11:46; 24:18). This is simply a Hebrew idiom that one's physical life on earth ceased when breath departed.

The Hebrew root, נפשׁ (BDB 659, KB 711), is used in several senses in the OT. KB lists several different ways this general word for life/person is used.

1. "gullet," "throat," or "wind pipe" (Ps. 107:9; Isa. 5:14)
2. "neck" (Ps. 69:1)
3. "breath" (i.e., creatures of this planet that breathe air)
   1. humans (Gen. 2:7)
   2. animals (Gen. 1:20)
4. a living, breathing creature (Gen. 2:19
5. people (Lev. 24:17)
6. personality
   1. YHWH (Lev. 26:11)
   2. covenant person (Lev. 26:15)
7. life (Gen. 9:5; 19:17; Lev. 17:11,14)
8. soul (Exod. 23:9)
9. dead soul (Lev. 19:28)

Some of these are overlapping and it is hard to distinguish a difference.

Copyright © 2019 Bible Lessons International