נֶ֫פֶשׁ 756 noun feminineGenesis 49:6 (so even
Genesis 2:19;
Numbers 31:28;
1 Kings 19:2 see Albr
ZAW xvi (1896), 42 SS)
soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion (
Ecclesiasticus 3:18;
4:1 (twice in verse);
Ecclesiasticus 4:2 (twice in verse);
Ecclesiasticus 13:12;
Ecclesiasticus 14:11); —
נ׳ Genesis 1:20 +;
נָ֑פֶשׁ Genesis 37:21 +; suffix
נַפְשִׁי Genesis 12:13 +; plural
נְפָשׁוֺת Ezekiel 13:18 +
13 times;
נְפָשֹׁת Exodus 12:4;
Leviticus 27:2;
construct נַפְשׁוֺת Genesis 36:6 +
4 times;
נַפְשֹׁת Leviticus 21:11;
נְפָשִׁים Ezekiel 13:20 (but read
חָפְשִׁים, see Co Berthol Toy); suffix
נַפְשׁוֺתָם 2 Samuel 23:17 +;
נַפְשֹׁתָם Numbers 17:3 +: —
1. = that which breathes, the breathing substance or being = ψυχή, anima, the soul, the inner being of man:
b. both the inner
נפשׁ and the outer
בשׂר are conceived as resting on a common substratum:
אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֺ עָלָיו יִכְאָ֑ב וְנַפְשׁוֺ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָֽל׃ Job 14:22 only his flesh upon him is in pain, and his soul upon him mourneth; compare
Psalm 42:5;
Psalm 42:7;
Psalm 131:2;
Job 30:16;
Lamentations 3:20 [see
עַל 1d], all poetical (compare
6 c).
2. The
נפשׁ becomes a living being: by God's breathing
נשׁמת חיים into the nostrils of its
בשׂר; of man
Genesis 2:7 (J); by implication of animals also
Genesis 2:19 (J); so
Psalm 104:29;
Psalm 104:30; compare
Psalm 66:9; man is
נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, a living, breathing being
Genesis 2:7 (J); elsewhere
נפשׁ חיּה always of animals
Genesis 1:20,
24,
30;
Genesis 9:12,
15,
16 (all P),
Ezekiel 47:9; so
נפשׁ החיּה Genesis 1:21;
Genesis 9:10 (both P),
Leviticus 11:10,
46 (H);
נפשׁ השׁרצת Leviticus 11:46 (H);
נפשׁ כל חי Job 12:10.
נפשׁ is frequently used with the verb
׃חיה וחיתה נפשׁ Genesis 12:13;
Genesis 19:20 (both J),
1 Kings 20:32 (E),
Psalm 119:175;
Jeremiah 38:17,
20;
חֵי נַפְשְׁךָ 1 Samuel 1:26;
1 Samuel 17:55;
1 Samuel 20:3;
1 Samuel 25:26;
2 Samuel 11:11;
2 Samuel 14:9;
2 Kings 2:2,
4,
6;
2 Kings 4:30 (all J E); compare †
יְחַיֶּה נ׳ 1 Kings 20:31 (E),
Ezekiel 18:27;
Psalm 22:30; also
Genesis 19:19;
Isaiah 55:3;
Proverbs 3:22.
3. The נפשׁ (without חיה noun or verb) is specified:
a. a living being whose life resides in the blood [so in Arabic We
Skizzen iii. 217 G. Jacob
Arab. Dicht. iv. 9 f.] (hence sacrificial use of blood, and its prohibition in other uses; first in D),
Deuteronomy 12:23,
24 only be sure that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is the living being (
הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ);
and thou shalt not eat the living being with the flesh (
הַנֶּפֶשׁ עִם הַבָּשָׂר);
thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water; this is enlarged in H,
Leviticus 17:10,
11,
12,
14 and in P
Genesis 9:4,
5, compare
Jeremiah 2:34.
c. נפשׁ is used for life itself +
171 times, of animals
Proverbs 12:10, and of man
Genesis 44:30 (J);
נפשׁ תחת נפשׁ life for life Exodus 21:23 (E),
Leviticus 24:18 (H),
1 Kings 20:39,
42;
2 Kings 10:24;
נפשׁנו תחתיכם Joshua 2:14 (J);
נפשׁ בנפשׁ Deuteronomy 19:21;
בנפשׁ for the life of 2 Samuel 14:7;
Jonah 1:14;
שׂם נפשׁ בכף put life in one's own hand Judges 12:3;
1 Samuel 19:5;
1 Samuel 28:21;
Job 13:14;
חרף נפשׁו למות Judges 5:18 risked his life to die; †
בנפשׁ at the risk of life Numbers 17:3 (P),
2 Samuel 23:17 =
1 Chronicles 11:19 (twice in verse),
1 Kings 2:23;
Proverbs 7:23;
Lamentations 5:9; †
בקּשׁ נפשׁ Exodus 4:19 (J),
1 Samuel 20:21;
1 Samuel 22:23 (twice in verse);
1 Samuel 23:15;
1 Samuel 25:29;
2 Samuel 4:8;
2 Samuel 16:11;
1 Kings 19:10,
14;
Jeremiah 4:30;
11:21;
19:7,
9;
21:7;
22:25;
34:20,
21;
38:16;
44:30 (twice in verse);
46:26;
49:37;
Psalm 35:4;
38:13;
40:15;
54:5;
63:10;
70:3;
86:14;
Proverbs 29:10; †
שׁאל נ׳ 1 Kings 3:11 2 Chronicles 1:11;
1 Kings 19:4 =
Jonah 4:8; †
הִכָּה נפשׁ smite mortally Genesis 37:21 (J),
Deuteronomy 19:6,
11;
Jeremiah 40:14,
15; †
לקח נ׳ 1 Kings 19:4;
Jonah 4:3;
Psalm 31:14;
Proverbs 1:19; †
הִצִּיל נֶפֶשׁ מִמָּוֶת deliver life from death Joshua 2:13;
Psalm 33:19; Psalm 56:14; †
מלּט נפשׁ 1 Samuel 19:11;
2 Samuel 19:6 (
4 times in verse);
1 Kings 1:12 (twice in verse);
Jeremiah 48:6;
Jeremiah 51:6,
45;
Ezekiel 33:5;
Amos 2:14,
15;
Psalm 89:49;
Psalm 116:4; †
פדה נ׳ 2 Samuel 4:9;
1 Kings 1:29; Psalm 34:23;
Psalm 49:16;
Psalm 55:19;
Psalm 71:23; †
שׁמר נ׳ Psalm 25:20;
Psalm 97:10;
Job 2:6;
Proverbs 13:3;
Proverbs 16:17;
Proverbs 19:16;
Proverbs 22:5.
4. The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself:
a. paraphrase for personal pronoun especially in poetry and ornate discourse, + 70 times;
(2) נַפְשְׁךָ =
thee: לְאֻמִּים תַּחַת נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ Isaiah 43:4 peoples instead of thee;
אָֽמְרוּ לְנַפְשֵׁךְ Isaiah 51:23.
(3) נַפְשׁוֺ = he: נפשׁו בטוב תלין Psalms he will not dwell in good circumstances.
(4) נַפְשֵׁנוּ =
we: נִמְלְטָה כְּצפּוֹר נַפְשֵׁנוּ יוֺקְשִׁים מִפַּח Psalm 124:7.
(5) נַפְשָׁם =
they, them: נַפְשָׁם בַּשְּׁבִי הָלָ֑כָה Isaiah 46:2 they are gone into captivity;
אוי לנפשׁם Isaiah 3:9.
(1) נַפְשִׁי =
myself: לא אדע נפשׁי Job 9:21 I know not myself.
(4) נַפְשָׁהּ =
herself: צדּקה נ׳ Jeremiah 3:11 justified herself.
(7) נַפְשׁוֺתֵינוּ =
ourselves: על נ׳ Jeremiah 26:19 against ourselves.
c. = person of man, individual, + 144 times, first in D2; especially in H, P, and kindred writers:
(1) with
אָדָם:
אדם נ׳ Leviticus 24:17 opposed to
בהמה נ׳ Leviticus 24:18 (both H), and so
אדם נ׳ human persons Numbers 31:35,
40,
46 (P)
1 Chronicles 5:21;
Ezekiel 27:13. Elsewhere without
אדם :
ברכה נ׳ Proverbs 11:25 one who blesses;
רְמִיָּה נ׳ Proverbs 19:15 idle person;
תחת נ׳ נ׳ person in place of person,
Job 16:4;
כפּר על נ׳ Exodus 30:15,
16;
Numbers 15:28;
Numbers 31:50 (all P)
Leviticus 17:11 (H).
(2) נפשׁ =
person, any one: Deuteronomy 24:7;
Deuteronomy 27:25;
Proverbs 28:17;
Ezekiel 18:4 (
3 times in verse);
Ezekiel 33:6; elsewhere only H P:
Leviticus 2:1;
Leviticus 4:2,
27;
5:1,
2,
4,
15,
17; 5:21;
7:18,
20,
21,
25,
27;
23:29,
30 (twice in verse);
Numbers 5:6;
15:27,
30;
19:22;
31:19,
28;
35:11,
15,
30 (twice in verse);
Joshua 20:3,
9 (all P),
Leviticus 17:10,
12,
15;
20:6 (twice in verse);
22:6,
11 (all H);
נכרתה הנ׳ הַהִוא מן that person shall be cut off from: only in
Genesis 17:14;
Exodus 12:15,
19;
31:14;
Leviticus 7:20,
21,
27;
Numbers 9:13;
15:30,
31;
19:13,
20 (all P),
Leviticus 19:8;
Leviticus 22:3 (both H).
† (3) נפשׁ collective for
persons, in enumerations:
Deuteronomy 10:22;
Joshua 10:28,
30,
32,
35,
37 (twice in verse);
Joshua 10:39;
Joshua 11:11 (all D
2)
Jeremiah 43:6;
Jeremiah 52:29,
30 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 22:25; elsewhere only
Genesis 12:5;
Genesis 46:15,
18,
22,
25,
26 (twice in verse);
Genesis 46:27 (twice in verse);
Exodus 1:5 (twice in verse);
Exodus 12:16;
Numbers 31:35,
40 (all P).
5. נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 times) —
6. = נ׳ seat of emotions and passions (151 times) —
7. נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts +
לבב (see
10); possibly also alone, owing to unconscious assimilation by late writers; but most, if not all, examples may be otherwise explained:
נפשׁי ידעת מאד Psalm 139:14 my soul knoweth well (or
I know well; compare
4 a);
בלא לא טוב דעת נ׳ Proverbs 19:2 that the soul be without knowledge is not good (but RV
m desire without knowledge, compare
6 a);
דעה חכמה לנ׳ Proverbs 24:14 know wisdom for thy soul (or
according to thy desire, compare
6a);
אל תדמי בנ׳ Esther 4:13 think not in thy soul (or
in thyself, compare
4b);
כמו שׁער בג׳ Proverbs 23:7 as he reckoneth in his soul (but RV
in himself, compare
4 b);
מה תאמר נ׳ 1 Samuel 20:4 (but AV RV following
ἐπιθυμεῖ =
תְּאַוֶּה; see
6 a).
9. נפשׁ = character is still more dubious:
בּוֹ נ'לא־יָֽשְׁרָה Habakkuk 2:4 his soul is not right in him (but
οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ [
εὐδοκεῖ =
רצתה], see
6);
נַפְשִׁי לאֹ מְטֻמָּאָה Ezekiel 4:14 my soul hath not (or
I have not,
4a)
been polluted.
a. שׁמן וקטרת ישׂמח לב ומתק רעהו מעצת נפשׁ Proverbs 27:9. Ges (after Döderlein) renders
מעצת נ׳ more than odorous trees, so later edds., even Buhl; but
De SS transpose)
מֵעֲצַת רֵעֵהוּ וּמֶתֶק נ׳.
Hi Bi
ומתקרעה =
the soul is rent asunder by cares. In any case
נפשׁ is ||
לב, compare
10.
b. נַפְשׁוֺ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט Job 41:13 his breath kindleth coals (of the crocodile). The piece is one of the latest in the book; primitive meaning hardly in such a passage; context favours reference to
passion or
fury; perhaps below
6f,
his passion or
fury kindleth coals.
c. בָּתֵּי הַנֶּפֶשׁ Isaiah 3:20 perfume boxes; meaning evident from context; but not necessarily
scent (breath)-boxes; may be
6 a,
boxes of desire, or
5,
boxes exciting the sense of smell; = smelling boxes or bottles. No sufficient evidence in Biblical Hebrew, therefore, for meaning
breath, odour. — See, for complete study of
נֶפֶשׁ (all passages), Br
JBL 1897,17 ff.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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