Nephesh
Nephesh (Biblical Hebrew: נֶ֫פֶשׁ, romanized: nép̄eš), also spelled nefesh, is a term in the Hebrew Bible used to refer to the aspects of sentience, and human beings and other animals are both described as being nephesh.[1][2][3] Not all living organisms are referred to as "nefesh": arthropods ("bugs") and plants, for example, are not described in the Hebrew Bible as nephesh. The English corresponding term to nephesh is the Christian term "soul," which has very similar connotations, and is customarily used to translate it. [4]
See also
[edit]- Golem § Earliest stories
- Human spirit
- Immortality
- On the Soul by Aristotle
- Pikuach nefesh
- Soul in the Bible
- Nefesh B'Nefesh
References
[edit]- ^ Pleijel, Richard (2019). "Translating the Biblical Hebrew Word Nephesh in Light of New Research". The Bible Translator. 70 (2): 154–166. doi:10.1177/2051677019856683. ISSN 2051-6770. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "In Search of the Soul: Between Torah and Science". TheTorah.com. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ Carlson, Reed (2024). "Rûaḥ in the Hebrew Bible: A Survey of Past Scholarship". Currents in Biblical Research. 22 (2): 115–132. doi:10.1177/1476993X241234908. ISSN 1476-993X. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ Robert Alter, Genesis, W. W. Norton & CO, 1996 PP.XXIX-XXX
Bibliography
[edit]- Horst Balz (ed.), Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (3 Volume Set), 1993
- A.B. Davidson, The Theology of the Old Testament, Edinburgh: T.& T. Clark, 1904/25, p.200-201
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