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SOUL AND SPIRIT

What is the meaning of “soul” and “spirit”; and what is the relationship between the two? If there is a distinction what is the manner of the distinction?

Meaning of “soul”

The word for “soul” in the Old Testament is nephesh and is from the root naphash , “to breathe”; it appears in the Hebrew over 700 times, translated “soul” over 400 times, “life” over 100 times, “person” 30 times, “self” 19, and “creature” 9 times in KJV. Consider the following passages where nephesh is used of man:

man became a living being (nephesh) (Gen. 2:7);

and the people (nephesh) whom they had acquired in Haran (Gen. 12:5);

that I (nephesh) may live because of you (Gen. 12:13);

as her soul (nephesh) was departing (Gen. 35:18);

fourteen persons (nephesh) in all (Gen. 46:22);

when anyone (nephesh) offers a grain offering (Lev. 2:1);

the person (nephesh) who touches any unclean thing (Lev. 7:21);

defiled by a corpse (nephesh) (Num. 5:2);

he shall not go near a dead body (nephesh) (Num. 6:6);

whatever your heart (nephesh) desires (Deut. 12:15);

with all the desire of his mind (nephesh) (Deut. 18:6);

deliver our lives (nephesh) from death (Josh. 2:13);

He restores my soul (nephesh) (Ps. 23:3);

the will (nephesh) of my adversaries (Ps. 27:12);

as he thinks in his heart (nephesh), so is he (Prov. 23:7);

to Him whom man (nephesh) despises (Isa. 49:7);

take heed to yourselves (nephesh) (Jer. 17:21);

as their life (nephesh) is poured out (Lam. 2:12);

the soul (nephesh) who sins shall die (Ezek. 18:4, 20).

From the above verses it is seen that nephesh can be translated: “being,” “people,” “I,” “soul,” “anyone,” “person,” “corpse,” “body,” “heart,” “mind,” “life,” “will,” “man,” and “yourselves.” So nephesh speaks of the individual, regardless of which word is used in translation.

The word for “soul” in the New Testament is psuche and appears over 100 times, translated “soul” over 50 times, “life” approx. 40 times, and “mind” 3 times in KJV; in the Septuagint the Hebrew nephesh is translated by the Greek psuche, so nephesh and psuche are identical or nearly so. Consider the following passages where psuche is used of man:

do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (psuche). But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul (psuche) and body in hell (Matt. 10:28; man has power to end physical life, but God controls the destiny);

He who finds his life (psuche) will lose it, and he who loses his life (psuche) for My sake will find it (Matt. 10:39);

what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul (psuche) (Matt. 16:26; loses his own life, chooses the present world over eternity);

to give His life (psuche) a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28);

love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul (psuche), and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37; the total person is to love God);

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life (psuche) or to destroy (Lu. 6:9);

this night your soul (psuche) will be required of you (Lu. 12:20);

do not worry about your life (psuche), what you will eat (Lu. 12:22; “worry about your soul, what you will eat”—the close identification of the soul with the body);

I will lay down my life (psuche) for Your sake (Jo. 13:37);

fear came upon every soul (psuche) (Acts 2:43);

for his life (psuche) is in him (Acts 20:10);

there will be no loss of life (psuche) among you (Acts 27:22);

let every soul (psuche) be subject to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1);

Adam became a living being (psuche)” (I Cor. 15:45);

may your whole spirit, soul (psuche), and body be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess. 5:23; the total believer will be preserved);

those who believe to the saving of the soul (psuche) (Heb. 10:39);

abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (psuche) (I Pet. 2:11);

eight souls (psuche) were saved through water (I Pet. 3:20);

He laid down His life (psuche) for us (I Jo. 3:16).

From the above verses it is obvious that “soul” and “life” are interchangeable. The soul is not a separate component that comprises man; rather, the "soul” and “life” of man are simply different means of describing man. Man is his life, his soul. In Matthew 22:37, the words “heart” and “mind” are used in the same manner. (See: Nature of the Soul)

Meaning of “spirit”

The Hebrew word ruach, from a root meaning “to blow,” appears over 375 times in the Old Testament; in the KJV it is translated as “spirit” (232), “wind” (90), “breath” (28), and “blast” (4). Consider the following passages where ruach is used of man’s breath:

to destroy . . . all flesh in which is the breath (ruach) of life (Gen. 6:17);

of all flesh in which is the breath (ruach) of life (Gen. 7:15);

He will not allow me to catch my breath (ruach), but fills me with bitterness” (Job 9:18);

in whose hand is . . . the breath (ruach) of all mankind (Job 12:10);

my spirit (ruach) is broken, the grave is ready for me (Job 17:1);

and the breath (ruach) of God in my nostrils (Job 27:3);

there is a spirit (ruach) in man, and the breath (neshamah) of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8);

into Your hand I commit my spirit (ruach) (Ps. 31:5);

they were but flesh, a breath (ruach) that passes away (Ps. 78:39);

You take away their breath (ruach), they die and return to the dust (Ps. 104:29);

nor is there any breath (ruach) in their mouths (Ps. 135:17);

Let everything that has breath (ruach) praise the Lord (Ps. 150:6);

for the spirit (ruach) would fail before Me and the souls . . . I have made (Isa. 57:16);

there is no breath (ruach) in them (Jer. 10:14; 51:17);

the breath (ruach) of our nostrils . . . was caught in their pits (Lam. 4:20);

I will cause breath (ruach) to enter into you, and you shall live (Ezek. 37:5, 6, 8, 9, 10).

When used of man it is obvious from the above verses that ruach is used of the breath that man breathes which brings life, and when the breath is taken, death results.

Like “soul,” (see: Nature of the Soul) “spirit” is used of emotions that are experienced by the individual:

they were a grief of mind (ruach) to Isaac (Gen. 26:35);

in the morning . . . his spirit (ruach) was troubled (Gen. 41:8);

the spirit (ruach) of Jacob their father revived (Gen. 45:27);

if the spirit (ruach) of jealousy comes upon him (Num. 5:14, 30);

his spirit (ruach) returned and he revived (Jud. 15:19);

I am a woman of sorrowful spirit (ruach) (I Sam. 1:15);

Why is your spirit (ruach) so sullen that you eat no food (I Ki. 21:5);

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit (ruach) (Job 7:11);

and saves such as have a contrite spirit (ruach) (Ps. 34:18);

renew a steadfast spirit (ruach) within me (Ps. 51:10);

my spirit (ruach) was overwhelmed (Ps. 77:3);

and he who rules his spirit (ruach) than he who takes a city (Prov. 16:32);

whoever has no rule over his own spirit (ruach) (Prov. 25:28);

the Lord stirred up the spirit (ruach) of Joshua (Hag. 1:14);

additional verses: Ps 142:3; Prov. 15:13; 16:18, 19, 32; Eccl. 1:14 “vexation of spirit” in KJV, but “grasping for the wind” in NKJV; Isa. 66:2; Dan. 2:1.

Also, ruach is used of God’s Spirit (Gen. 1:2; 6:3; Ex. 35:31; Jud. 3:10; 6:34; I Sam. 16:13), the wind that blows (Gen. 8:1; Ex. 10:13; Job 1:19; Ps. 1:4), and evil spirits (Jud. 9:23; I Sam. 16:14; II Chron. 33:6). Ruach is even used of animals (Gen. 7:15; Eccles. 3:19-21).

The word for “spirit” in the New Testament is pneuma, a word meaning “breath” or “breeze”; in the Septuagint the Hebrew ruach is consistently translated by the Greek pneuma, so ruach and pneuma must be identical or nearly so. Consider the following passages where pneuma is used of man:

the poor in spirit (pneuma) (Matt. 5:3);

the spirit (pneuma) indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41);

He groaned in the spirit (pneuma) (Jo. 11:33);

his spirit (pneuma) was provoked (Acts 17:16);

being fervent in spirit (pneuma) (Acts 18:25);

I serve with my spirit (pneuma) in the gospel of His Son (Rom. 1:9);

the spirit (pneuma) of man which is in him (I Cor. 2:11);

that his spirit (pneuma) may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (I Cor. 5:5);

be renewed in the spirit (pneuma) of your mind (Eph. 4:23);

may your whole spirit (pneuma), soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess. 5:23; the total believer will be preserved);

as the body without the spirit (pneuma) is dead (Jas. 2:26);

a gentle and quiet spirit (pneuma) (I Pet. 3:4).

From the above samples it is evident that “spirit” is used of man’s life, at times his emotional and intellectual life, even used of character traits, but nearly always as a virtual synonym for man and his life. But most often in the New Testament it is used of the Holy Spirit or of an evil spirit, and of angels.

Thoughts

Note: it seems that “breath,” “spirit,” “soul,” and “flesh” are used at times interchangeably in the OT; consider the relationship of the words in the following verses:

in whose hand is the life (nephesh) of every living thing, and the breath (ruach) of all mankind (Job 12:10; again, it seems that nephesh and ruach are almost used interchangeably);

there is a spirit (ruach) in man, and the breath (neshamah) of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8; if these are not identical concepts, then they are related concepts);

My soul (nephesh) thirsts for You; my flesh (basar) longs for You (Ps. 63:1; it seems that these two words are virtual synonyms in this verse; example of Hebrew parallelism);

“my soul (nephesh) refused to be comforted” and “my spirit (ruach) was overwhelmed” (Ps. 77:2-3; clearly an example of Hebrew parallelism);

With my soul (nephesh) I have desired you in the night, yes, by my spirit (ruach) within me I will seek You early (Isa. 26:9; it seems that these two words are virtual synonyms in this verse);

Who gives breath (neshamah) to the people on it, and spirit (ruach) to those who walk on it (Isa. 42:5; the two words are closely related in thought, if not identical);

For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit (ruach would fail before Me, and the souls (neshamah – “breath”) which I have made (Isa. 57:16; it seems that these two words are virtual synonyms in this verse).

From the above it seems that ruach (spirit), neshamah (breath), nephesh (soul), and basar (flesh) can be used interchangeably; there are obvious differences, but the concepts are close enough in meaning so that the words can be used to speak of the same entity—the individual, the person (see: Ps. 31:9 for “eye,” “soul,” and “body”);

Nephesh is what results when basar is animated by ruach” (Edmond Jacob, Theology of the Old Testament, 161).

Note: it seems that “spirit” and “soul” are used at times interchangeably in the NT; consider the relationship of the words in the following verses:

My soul (psuche) magnifies the Lord, and my spirit (pneuma) has rejoiced in God my Savior (Lu. 1:46-7; obviously an example of Hebrew parallelism in the NT);

“spirit” and “soul” seem to be synonyms in the following statements concerning Christ: “My soul (psuche) is troubled” (Jo. 12:27) and “He was troubled in spirit (pneuma)” (Jo. 13:21); surely two different independent entities are not spoken of, but both words and statements are used to speak of a state Jesus was experiencing, and Jesus as a person was having the experience;

consider the following concepts: “that his spirit (pneuma) may be saved” (I Cor. 5:5) and “save your souls (psuche)” (Jas. 1:21).

From the above it seems that “spirit” (pneuma) and “soul” (psuche) can be used interchangeably; there are obvious differences, but the concepts are close enough so that the words can be used to speak of the same entity—the individual, the person.

If a distinction is to be made between “spirit” (ruach or pneuma) and “soul” (nephesh or psuche) it seems to be in the fact that “spirit” speaks of man’s life in terms of that which is from God and “soul” speaks of man’s life in terms of that which is belonging to man. So, both words speak of life, with a slightly different nuance.

Spirit is life from God,
whereas soul is the life of man
brought into existence by the spirit,
the breath, the life that is from God.

QUOTES

The difference between nephesh and ruach in man is that nephesh designates man in relation to other men as man living the common life of men, while ruach is man in his relation to God. However, neither nephesh nor ruach is conceived of as a part of man capable of surviving the death of basar. They both designate man as a whole viewed from different perspectives (George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, 458-9).

In the intertestamental period, a distinct development is to be noted; both pneuma and psyche are conceived as entities capable of separate existence (Ladd, A Theology, 459).

The Pauline usage of psyche is closer to the Old Testament than is the intertestamental literature. Paul never uses psyche as a separate entity in man, nor does he ever intimate that the psyche can survive the death of the body. Psyche is ‘life’ understood against a Hebrew background (Ladd, A Theology, 459-60).


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