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
Pyschology, 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); 16:16 (vexed).
1 Samuel
1:10
(bitterness of), 15 (poured
out); 18:1 (knit
with), 1 (loved
as); 20:4
(desireth); 23:30 (desire);
30:6 (grieved).
2 Samuel
5:8 (hated).
1 Kings
2:4 (walk);
8:48 (return);
11:37 (desired).
2 Kings
4:27 (vexed);
23:3 (keep),
25 (turned).
1 Chronicles
22:19 (seek).
2 Chronicles
6:38 (return);
15:12 (seek);
34:31 (keep).
Job 3:20 (bitter);
7:11
(bitterness); 9:21 (know)
(Revised Version myself); 10:1 (weary),
1
(bitterness); 14:22 (mourn);
19:2 (vex);
21:25
(bitterness); 23:13 * (desireth); 24:12 (wounded);
27:2 (vexed);
30:16 (poured
out), 25 (grieved).
Psalm 6:3 (sore
vexed); 11:5 * (hateth); 13:2 (take
counsel); 19:7
(converting); 24:4 (not
lifted up); 25:1 (lifted
up), 13 (dwell at
ease); 31:7 (in
adversities), 9 (consumed
with grief); 33:20 (waiteth)
34:2 (boast);
35:9 (be
joyful); 42:1 (panteth),
2
(thirsteth), 4 (pour
out), 5 (cast
down), 6 (cast
down), 11 (cast
down); 43:5 (cast
down); 44:25 (bowed
down); 49:18 (blessed);
57:1
(trusteth), 6 (bowed
down); 62:1 (waiteth),
5 (wait);
63:1
(thirsteth), 5
(satisfied), 8 (followeth
hard); 69:10
(chastened); 77:2 (refused
comfort); 84:2 (longeth);
86:4
(rejoiced), 4 (lift up);
88:3 (full of
troubles); 94:19 (delight);
103:1,
2, 22; 104:1, 35 (bless);
107:5 (fainted),
9
(satisfied), 9 (filled
with goodness), 26 (melted);
116:7 (return to
rest); 119:20 (longing),
25 (cleaveth
unto the dust) 28 (melteth
for heaviness), 81
(fainteth), 129 (keep),
167 (kept);
123:4 (filled
with scorning); 130:5 (wait),
6 (waiteth);
131:2 (quieted);
138:3
(strengthened) 139:14 (knoweth);
143:6
(thirsteth), 8 (lifted
up), 11 (bring out
of trouble), 12 (afflict);
146:1 (praise).
Proverbs 2:10 (knowledge
pleasant); 3:22 (be life
to); 13:4
(desireth), 4 (made
fat), 19;
16:24 (sweet
to); 19:2 (without
knowledge), 18 (spare)
(Revised Version heart); 21:10
(desireth); 22:25 (get a
snare to); 24:14 (wisdom
unto); 25:13
(refresheth); 29:17 (give
delight). Ecclesiastes 2:24 (enjoy
good); 6:3 (not
filled); 7:28 (seeketh).
Song 1:7;
3:1,
2, 3, 4 (loveth); 5:6 (failed);
6:12 * (made me like chariots). Isaiah
1:14 (hateth);
26:8 (desire),
9 (desire);
32:6 (made
empty); 38:15
(bitterness of); 42:1 * ; 52:2 (delight);
58:10 (drawn
out), 10
(afflicted), 11
(satisfied); 61:10 (joyful)
66:3
(delighteth). Jeremiah 4:31 (wearied);
5:9,
29 (avenged); 6:8 (depart),
16 (find
rest); 9:9 * (avenged); 12:7 (dearly
beloved of); 13:17 (shall
weep); 14:19 (lothed);
31:12 (watered),
14, 25
(satiated), 25
(sorrowful); 32:41 * (whole); 50:19
(satisfied). Lamentations 3:17 (removed),
20 (humbled),
24 (saith).
Ezekiel 7:19
(satisfied; 24:21 (pitieth).
Jonah 2:7 (fainted).
Habakkuk 2:4 (not
upright). Zechariah 11:8 (lothed),
8
(ahorred). |
176 |
2. "mind". Genesis
23:8 (your).
Deuteronomy 18:6 (desire);
28:65 (sorrow).
1 Samuel
2:35 * 2 Samuel
17:8 (chafed).
2 Kings
9:15.
1 Chronicles
28:9 (willing).
Jeremiah 15:1. * Ezekiel 23:17 (Revised
Version soul), 18 * (Revised Version soul) 18 * (Revised Version soul), 22 (Revised
Version soul) 28 (Revised
Version soul) (alienated); 24:25 (Revised
Version heart) (set); 36:5 (Revised
Version soul) (despiteful). |
15
|
3. "heart". Exodus
23:9. Leviticus
26:16.
Deuteronomy 24:15.
1 Samuel
2:33 (grieve).
2 Samuel
3:21
(desireth). Psalm 10:3 (desire).
Proverbs 23:7 (Revised
Version himself); 28:25 (proud
heart. Revised Version greedy spirit); 31:6 (heavy
heart. Revised Version bitter in soul). Jeremiah 42:20
(dissembled. Revised Version souls). Lamentations 3:51 (affected.
Revised Version soul). Ezekiel 25:6 (rejoiced.
Revised Version soul), 15
(desipteful. Revised Version soul); 27:31
(bitterness). Hosea 4:8
(set). |
15
|
4. "hearty". Proverbs
27:9
(counsel). |
1
|
5. "will". Deuteronomy
21:14 (she
will). Psalm 27:12;
41:2. Ezekiel
16:27.
|
4
|
6. "desire". Ecclesiastes
6:9. Jeremiah
22:27;
44:14. Micah
7:3 (Revised
Version soul). Habakkuk 2:5.
|
5
|
7. "pleasure". Psalm
105:22. Jeremiah
34:16.
|
2
|
8. "lust". Exodus
15:9.
|
1
|
9. "angry". Judges
18:25.
|
1
|
10 "discontented".
1 Samuel
22:2.
|
1
|
11. "thyself". Esther
4:13.
|
1
|
12. "myself". Psalm
131:2.
|
1
|
13. "he". Proverbs
16:26 (Revised
Version appetite). |
1
|
14. "his own". Proverbs
14:10 (Revised
Version its own). |
1
|
15. "Him". Proverbs
6:16 .* |
1
|
16. "himself". Jonah
4:8.
|
1
|
17. "herself". Isaiah
5:14 (Revised
Version her desire).. |
1
|
18. "yourselves". Jeremiah
37:9.
|
1
|
19. "man". Isaiah
49:7.
|
1
|
20. "so would we have it".
Psalm 35:25.
|
1
|
|
____
|
|
231
|
- Nephesh is used of Man, (a) as being "cut
off" by God; (b) and as being slain or killed by man, in
fifty-four passages: and is rendered in eight different ways:-
(a). Soul cut off by God,
in twenty-two passages, and rendered "soul". Genesis
17:14. Exodus
12:15,
19; 31:14. Leviticus
7:20,
21, 25, 27;
17:10;
18:29;
19:8;
20:6;
22:3;
23:29,
30. Numbers 9:13;
15:30,
31; Ezekiel 18:4, 20.
|
22 |
(b). Slain or killed by man, in
thirty-two passages, rendered in eight different way:- |
|
- 1. "soul". Joshua
10:28, 30, 32, 35,
37, 37, 39;
11:11.
Jeremiah 2:34. Ezekiel
13:19;
22:25,
27.
|
12
|
- 2. "person". Deuteronomy
27:25. Joshua
20:3,9.
1 Samuel
22:22.
Proverbs 28:17. Ezekiel
17:17;
33:6.
|
7
|
- 3. "any". Leviticus
24:17.
|
1
|
- 4. "any person". Numbers
31:19;
35:11, 15, 30,
30.
|
5
|
- 5. "him". Genesis
37:21.
Deuteronomy 19:6;
22:26.
|
3
|
- 6. "mortally".
Deuteronomy 19:11.
|
1
|
- 7. "life" 2 Samuel
14:7.
|
1
|
- 8. "thee". Jeremiah
40:14,
15.
|
2
|
|
__
|
|
54
|
- Nephesh is used of Man as being mortal, subject to
death of various kinds, from which it can be saved and delivered and
life prolonged, in 243 passages, rendered in eleven different
ways:-
1. "soul". Genesis
12:13;
19:20. Exodus
30:12,
15, 16. Leviticus 17:11, 11. (Revised
Version life). Numbers 16:38 (Revised
Version lives); 31:50.
1 Samuel
24:11;
25:29,
29, 29; 26:21 (Revised
Version life). 2 Samuel
4:9.
1 Kings
1:29;
17:21,
22. Job 7:15;
27:8. Psalm
3:2;
6:4;
7:2,
5; 11:1;
17:13;
22:20,
29; 23:3;
25:20;
26:9;
33:19;
34:22;
35:3,
4, 12, 17;
40:14;
41:4;
49:8,
15; 54:3, 4;
55:18;
56:6,
13; 57:4;
59:3;
63:9;
66:9,
16; 69:1, 18;
70:2;
71:10,
13, 23; 72:13, 14;
74:19;
78:50;
86:2,
14; 88:14;
94:21;
97:10;
106:15;
109:20, 31;
116:4,
8; 119:109,
175; 120:2;
121:7;
124:4,
5, 7; 141:8;
142:4,
7; 143:3. Proverbs
18:7;
24:12;
29:10. Isaiah
3:9;
10:18;
44:20;
53:10,
11, 12; 55:3. Jeremiah
4:10;
20:13;
26:19;
38:17,
20; 44:7;
51:6 (Revised
Version life), 45 (Revised
Version yourselves). Lamentations 1:11, 16,
19; 2:12;
3:58. Ezekiel
3:19,
21; 13:18, 19;
14:14,
20; 18:27;
33:5,
9. Hosea 9:4 (Revised
Version appetite). Jonah 2:5. Habakkuk
2:10.
|
117 |
2. "life, lives". Genesis
9:5,
5; 19:17, 19;
32:30;
35:18;
44:30,
30. Ezekiel 4:19;
21:23,
23, 30. Numbers 35:31.
Deuteronomy 19:21, 21;
24:6. Joshua
2:13,
14; 9:24. Judges
5:18;
9:17;
12:3;
18:25,
25. Ruth 4:15.
1 Samuel
19:5,
11; 20:1;
22:23,
23; 23:15;
26:24,
24; 28:9, 21;
2 Samuel
1:9;
4:8;
16:11;
18:13;
19:5,
5, 5, 5; 23:17.
1 Kings
1:12,
12; 2:23;
3:11;
19:2,
2, 3, 4, 10, 14;
20:31,
39, 39, 42, 42.
2 Kings
1:13,
13, 14; 7:7;
10:24,
24. 1 Chronicles
11:19,
19. 2 Chronicles
1:11. Esther
7:3,
7; 8:11;
9:16. Job
2:4,
6; 6:11 (Revised
Version be patient); 13:14;
31:39. Psalm
31:13;
38:12. Proverbs
1:18,
19; 6:26;
7:23;
13:3,
8. Isaiah 15:4 (Revised
Version soul); 43:4. Jeremiah
4:30;
11:21;
19:7,
9; 21:7, 9;
22:25;
34:20,
21; 38:2, 16;
39:18;
44:30,
30; 45:5;
46:26;
48:6;
49:37.
Lamentations 2:19;
5:9. Ezekiel
32:10. Jonah
1:14;
4:3.
|
110
|
3. "ghost". Job
11:20. Jeremiah
15:9.
|
2
|
4. "person". 2 Samuel
14:14 (Revised
Version life). |
1
|
5. "tablets". Isaiah
3:20 (Revised
Version perfume boxes). Hebrew "houses of the soul"
= boxes of sent for the nose. |
1
|
6. "deadly". Psalm
17:9 (Hebrew
"enemies against my nephesh"). |
1
|
7. "himself". 1 Kings
19:4. Amos
2:14,
15. |
3
|
8. "me". Numbers
23:10. Judges
16:30.
1 Kings
20:32.
|
3
|
9. "they". Job
36:14.
|
1
|
10 "themselves". Isaiah
47:14.
|
1
|
11. "yourselves".
Deuteronomy 4:15. Joshua
23:11.
|
2
|
|
____
|
|
243
|
- Nephesh is used of man, as actually dead, in
thirteen passages, and is rendered in three different ways:-
1. "the dead". Leviticus
19:28;
21:1;
22:4. Numbers
5:2;
6:11.
|
5 |
2. "dead body". Numbers
9:6,
7, 10. |
3
|
3. "body". Leviticus
21:11. Numbers
6:6;
19:11,
13. Haggai 2:13.
|
5
|
|
__
|
|
13
|
- Nephesh, in thirteen passages (all rendered
"soul"), is spoken of as going to a place described by
four different words, rendered as shown below:-
i. "sheol"
= THE grave (as distinct from keber, A
grave), gravedom (or the dominion of death), in five
passages, rendered in this connection in two different
ways:- |
|
- 1. "grave". Psalm 30:3 (Revised
Version "Sheol"); 89:48 (Revised
Version "Sheol", margin grave).
Compare Psalm 49:10.
|
2 |
- 2. "hell". Psalm 16:10 (Revised
Version "Sheol"); 86:13 (margin
grave. Revised Version "pit". margin
lowest Sheol). Proverbs 23:14 (Revised
Version "Sheol", margin the
grave).
|
3
|
ii. "shachath" = a pit (for
taking wild beasts); hence, a a grave. The
Septuagint and New Testament take it in the sense of
corruption; but, if so, not implying putridity, but
destruction. Occurs in six passages, and is rendered
in two different ways:- |
|
- 1. "pit". Job 33:18, 28,
30. Psalm 35:7 Isaiah
38:17.
|
5
|
- 2. "grave". Job 33:22 (Revised
Version "pit").
|
1
|
iii. "shuchah" = a deep pit
(compare all the occurrences, Proverbs 22:14;
23:27. Jeremiah
2:6;
18:20,
22). In one passage only :- |
|
- 1. Pit. Jeremiah 18:20.
|
1
|
iv. "dumah" = silence.
Psalm 94:17.
|
1
|
|
__
|
|
13
|
|
____ |
Total |
754 |
NOTES
* Used of God. ** Literally and "the
soul of man ... were 32,000".
1 It is used of the
lower animals four times before it is used of man; and out of the first
thirteen times in Genesis, it is used ten times of the lower animals.
|