The Use of Nephesh in the
Old Testament.
This Is
Appendix 13 From The Companion Bible.
*
Used of God.
** Literally and "the soul of man ... were 32,000".
The
word nephesh occurs 754 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
Each occurrence is noted in the margin, but it will be useful for the
Bible student to have a complete list.
In
the Authorized Version and Revised Version it is translated "soul"
472 times, while in the other 282 places it is represented by forty-four
different words of phrases. In fifty-three of these places there is a
marginal rendering which calls attention to the fact that the word is "nephesh",
while in 229 passages the English reader has hitherto been left in
ignorance of the fact. The English word "soul"
is in every occurrence the rendering of the Hebrew nephesh,
except in Job 30:15
and Isaiah 57:16.
See the notes. The time has come to "open the book",
and let it speak for itself. Henceforth, every one who uses The
Companion Bible will have complete information as to the facts,
and can use it in determining his definitions, making his own
classifications, and formulating his doctrines as to the Biblical use of
the word.
Though,
with these two exceptions the English word "soul"
always represents the Hebrew nephesh, nephesh is not
always translated "soul".
This
Appendix will exhibit all the varieties of translation; and, while it is
not intended to teach either Theology or Psychology, it will give such
information as will enable every Bible reader to form his own views and
come to his own conclusions on an important subject, about which there
is such great controversy.
This
can be done only by giving every occurrence of the Hebrew word nephesh.
Each occurrence is noted in the margin of The
Companion Bible; but it is well to present a complete, separate,
and classified list of the recognized Lexical usages of the word; and
the reader will be left to form his own judgment as to how far the
following classification is correct.
The
usage of the word nephesh by the Holy Spirit in the Word
of God is the only guide to the true understanding of it.
It
will be seen that the word "soul", in its
theological sense, does not cover all the ground, or properly represent
the Hebrew word "nephesh". The English word "soul"
is from the Latin solus = alone or sole,
because the maintenance of man as a living organism, and
all that affects his health and well-being, is the one sole
or main thing in common with every living thing which the LORD
God has made. The correct Latin word for the theological term "soul"
(or nephesh) is anima; and this is from the
Greek anemos = air or breath, because it is this which
keeps the whole in life and in being.
[The
usage of the corresponding New Testament word psuche will
be presented in a later Appendix.]
The
first occurrence of nephesh is in Genesis 1:20,
"the moving creature that hath life (nephesh)".
1
The
following are twelve classifications of nephesh:
- Nephesh
is used of the lower animals only, in twenty-two
passages, and is rendered in nine different ways:-
| 1. "creature".
Genesis 1:21,24;
2:19;
9:10,12.
Leviticus 11:46,46. |
7 |
|
|
| 2. "thing".
Leviticus 11:10.
Ezekiel 47:9. |
2 |
|
|
| 3. "life".
Genesis 1:20,
30. |
2 |
|
|
| 4. "the
life". Genesis 9:4.
Deuteronomy 12:23,
23.
Proverbs 12:10. |
4 |
|
|
| 5. "beast".
Leviticus 24:18,
18, 18.
(See margin). |
3 |
|
|
| 6. "the
soul". (See margin). |
1 |
|
|
| 7. "breath".
Job 41:21. |
1 |
|
|
| 8. "fish".
Isaiah 19:10.
(See margin). |
1 |
|
|
| 9. "her".
Jeremiah 2:24. |
1 |
|
|
| |
__ |
|
|
|
22
|
- Nephesh
is used of the Lower Animals
and Man in seven passages,
and rendered in three
different ways :-
| 1. "creature".
Genesis 9:15,
16. |
2 |
|
|
| 2. "the
life".
Leviticus 17:11,
14, 14, 14. |
4 |
|
|
| 3. "soul".
Numbers 31:28. |
1 |
|
|
| |
__ |
|
|
|
7 |
- Nephesh
is used of Man,
as an
individual
person, in
53 passages,
and is
rendered in
six
different
ways :-
| 1. "soul".
Genesis
2:7;
12:5;
46:15,
18,
22,
25,
26,
26,
27,
27.
Exodus
1:5,
5;
12:4.
Leviticus
22:11.
Psalm
25:20.
Proverbs
10:3;
11:25,
30;
14:25;
19:15;
22:23
(Revised
Version
life);
25:25;
27:7,
7.
Jeremiah
38:16.
Lamentations
3:25.
Ezekiel
13:18,
18,
20,
20,
20;
18:4,
4, 4. |
34 |
|
|
| 2. "person".
Genesis
14:21;
36:6
(Revised
Version
souls).
Exodus
16:16.
Leviticus
27:2.
Numbers
31:40,
40,
46.
Deuteronomy
10:22.
Jeremiah
43:6;
52:29,
30,
30.
Ezekiel
16:5;
27:13. |
14 |
|
|
| 3. "person".
Numbers
31:35. |
1 |
|
|
| 4. "any".
Deuteronomy
24:7. |
1 |
|
|
| 5. "man".
2
Kings
12:4. |
1 |
|
|
| 6. "and".
1
Chronicles
5:21. |
1 |
|
|
| Not
rendered
(Numbers
31:35 ** ). |
1 |
|
|
| |
__ |
|
|
|
53 |
- Nephesh
is
used
of
Man,
as
exercising
certain
powers,
or
performing
certain
acts
(may
be
often
well
rendered
by
emphatic
pronouns)
in
ninety-six
passages,
and
with
eleven
different
renderings
:-
| 1. "soul".
Genesis
27:4,
19,
25,
31.
Leviticus
4:2;
5:1,
2,
4,
15,
17;
6:2;
7:18,
20,
21,
27;
16:29,
31;
17:12,
15;
20:6,
25;
22:6;
23:27,
30,
32.
Numbers
15:27,
28,
30;
19:22;
29:7;
30:2,
4,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13.
Deuteronomy
13:6.
Judges
5:21.
1
Samuel
1:26;
17:55;
18:3;
20:3,
17;
25:26.
2
Samuel
11:11;
14:19.
2
Kings
2:2,
4,
6;
4:30.
Job
16:4,
4;
31:30
(Revised
Version
life).
Psalm
35:13;
120:6.
Proverbs
6:32;
8:36;
11:17;
13:2;
15:32;
16:17;
19:8,
16;
20:2
(Revised
Version
life);
21:23;
22:5;
29:24.
Ecclesiastes
4:8;
6:2.
Isaiah
51:23;
58:3,
5.
Jeremiah
4:19.
Ezekiel
4:14.
Micah
6:7. |
81 |
|
|
| 2. "man".
Exodus
12:16. |
1 |
|
|
| 3. "any".
Leviticus
2:1. |
1 |
|
|
| 4. "one".
Leviticus
4:27. |
1 |
|
|
| 5. "yourselves".
Leviticus
11:43,
44.
Jeremiah
17:21. |
3 |
|
|
| 6. "person".
Numbers
5:6. |
1 |
|
|
| 7. "themselves".
Esther
9:31.
Isaiah
46:2. |
2 |
|
|
| 8. "himself".
Job
18:4
(Revised
Version
thyself);
32:2. |
2 |
|
|
| 9. "he".
Psalm
105:18. |
1 |
|
|
| 10. "herself".
Jeremiah
3:11. |
1 |
|
|
| 11. "Himself".
Jeremiah
51:14.
Amos
6:8
(used
of
Jehovah). |
2 |
|
|
| |
__ |
|
|
|
96 |
- Nephesh
is
used
of
Man,
as
possessing
animal
appetites
and
desires,
in
twenty-two
passages,
rendered
in
five
different
ways
:-
| 1. "soul".
Numbers
11:6
(dried
away).
Deuteronomy
12:15
(lusteth),
20
(longeth
to
eat
flesh),
20
(lusteth
after),
21
(lusteth);
14:26
(lusteth),
26
(desireth)
21:5
(loatheth).
1
Samuel
2:16
(desireth).
Job
6:7
(refused);
33:20
(abhorreth).
Psalm
107:18
(abhorreth).
Proverbs
6:30
(hunger);
13:25
(satisfying).
Isaiah
29:8
(empty),
8
(hath
appetite).
Micah
7:1
(desired
...
figs). |
17 |
|
|
| 2. "pleasure".
Deuteronomy
23:24. |
1 |
|
|
| 3. "lust".
Psalm
78:18. |
1 |
|
|
| 4. "appetite".
Proverbs
23:2.
Ecclesiastes
6:7. |
2 |
|
|
| 5. "greedy".
Isaiah
56:11. |
1 |
|
|
| |
__ |
|
|
|
22 |
- Nephesh
is
used
of
Man,
as
exercising
mental
faculties,
and
manifesting
certain
feelings
and
affections
and
passions,
in
231
passages,
and
rendered
in
twenty
different
ways
:-
| 1. "soul".
Genesis
34:3
(clave),
8
(longeth);
42:21
(anguish);
49:6
(come
not).
Leviticus
26:11
(not
abhor),
15
(abhor),
30
(abhor),
43
(abhor).
Numbers
21:4
(discouraged).
Deuteronomy
4:9
(keep),
29
(seek);
6:5
(love);
10:12
(serve);
11:13
(love),
18
(lay
up
in);
13:3
(love);
26:16
(keep);
30:2
(return),
6
(love),
10
(turn).
Joshua
22:5
(serve);
23:14
(know).
Judges
10:16 *
(grieved);
| |