In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered (or will soon cover), and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Hebrew terms for "man"
The Hebrew language is very rich in terms descriptive of humanity - richer than the Greek language, and far richer than the English language.
Check out this list:
Hebrew [H120 - adam]; Greek [G444 - anthropos] = human, in contrast to spirits and beasts (see Gen 6:7)
Hebrew [H376 - aish or iysh]; Greek [G435 - aner] = man, husband (see Gen 2:23) in contrast to Hebrew [H802 - ashe or ishshah]; Greek [G1135 - gune] woman, or wife (see John 4:17)
Hebrew [H2145 - zkr or zakar]; Greek [G730 - arsen] male (see Gen 1:27), in contrast to Hebrew [H5347 - nqbe or neqebah]; Greek [G2338 - thelus] female (see Mat 19:4)
... one more: [H582 - enosh; mortal]
Why spell all this out?
The last term, "mortal" cannot be used of man before death entered in the Hebrew texts.
The first three words [adam - human, aish - man, zakar - male] are all used in connection with creation.
One distinguishes the sexes, another views the distinction from the relationship of husband and wife.
The first term adam, however, brushes all these differences aside, including both sexes, and distinguishes the human race from the creatures above as well as below.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man [H120 - adam, mankind] whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Here's the point... we can rest assured that in this passage we have the beginning of mankind [H120 - adam], apart from any divisions which come later, such as the sexes, etc.
ALL of mankind [H120 - adam] is of the ground and it is there that ALL of mankind is doomed to return as seen in the judgment scene of Gen 3:19.
Man is Soil'ish
What is the "man"?
BEFORE God imparted His Spirit, the body is called "the human". Which means, "the human" is essentially "soil". "The first human, Adam, BECAME a living soul".
Paul confirms this for us, and I'll use a very literal translation so you can see the intent of the original language:
1 Co 15:45-49 If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first human, Adam, became a living soul: the last Adam a vivifying Spirit. But not first the spiritual, but the soulish, thereupon the spiritual. The first human was out of the earth, soilish; the second Human is the Lord out of heaven. Such as the soilish one is, such are those also who are soilish, and such as the Celestial One, such are those also who are celestials. And according as we wear the image of the soilish, we should be wearing the image also of the Celestial.
The first human was not only "soul'ish" but also "soil'ish"... the dirt of the ground... of the earth.
It is actually contrary to Scripture to say that man was formed of "dust".
The body is composed primarily of moisture.
The Hebrew word ophr, translated in the KJV as "dust" is the exact same word translated as "mortar" in Lev 14:42 & Lev 14:45 where water is absolutely necessary, it "grows into hardness" (Job 38:38), and it forms "caves" or "tunnels" (Isa 2:19).
In its basic meaning the Hebrew word refers to a part of the ground; the moist, fertile layer which covers the surface. Mankind returns to it at death because it was taken from it.
The point of all this?
Mankind is "soil'ish" and "soul'ish" while Jesus is "Spiritual" and celestial (not of the earth).
If you call mankind "earthy" as does the KJV, you suggest man's relationship it to the earth rather than man's source of origin (the soil)... and - you lose an important connection.
Also note, that it is from the same soil that humanity derives the food which sustain our bodies! Whether vegetable or animal, it is all traced back to the that part of the ground which will sustain plant life! The SOIL!
Not only was mankind formed of the soil, it is through the soil that we are maintained!
Diligence
Once again, the Hebrew and Greek are the infallible, inspired language we should look to. Our English translations put us at a severe disadvantage concealing their true force.
In the New Testament, the Greek word psuche is translated as "life" so often that the distinction between soul and life, as well as between soul and Spirit (the SOURCE of all life) is almost obliterated!
In the Old Testament, with two exceptions the word soul, as found in the KJV always represent the Hebrew word nephesh.
Job 30:15 and Isaiah 57:16 have no reference to the soul. They should be rendered "breath".
Apart from these two, every occurrence of "soul" is correct.
Unfortunately, in a lot of instances of the Old Testament, nephesh has been translated by other English expressions. The Scriptural reference list is too long to post here, but I do have a copy of every passage in my notes.
Here are examples of all the different English words, as translated in the KJV, from one Hebrew word: nephesh
any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, dead, dead body, deadly, desire, fihs, ghost, heart, hearty, him, life, lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, person, pleasure, self, they, thing, whither will, will, would have...
Unbelievable! This is just from the Old Testament!
The list above doesn't even include the multiple times nephesh is completely omitted from the verse!
It's no wonder there's so much confusion concerning the soul!
The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word: nephesh is: psuche.
I also have a list of every passage in the New Testament in my notes and exactly how they should be translated: soul, souls, of soul, of the soul, of souls, in soul, in souls, etc.
Why in the world couldn't the translators have remained consistent? You can't translate nephesh as "life" if it means soul. "Life" has it's own Hebrew and Greek word...
If the translators remained consistent and used "life" all the time for nephesh, why would Job say this:
"My life is weary of my life" (Job 10:1)
No! It makes no sense. It is correctly translated as:
"My soul is weary of my life"
Now, I can make something of that verse!
Or what about "man became a living life"... huh?!
No! "man became a living soul"
Soul and Spirit Separate
Besides Hebrews 4:12 (above), we also have:
1 Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit [G4151 - pneuma] and soul [G5590 - psuche] and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the passage above doesn't really speak to the relationship of the soul to the spirit and body at all, but only to its blameless preservation unto the presence of our Lord.
This verse doesn't teach of the union of Spirit and body, resulting in the soul.
However, Paul clearly spells out the distinctions in the difference between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Jesus.
The first became a living soul, the last a life-giving (vivifying) Spirit.
The same contrast is even more apparent in the correct adjectives "Spiritual" and "soulish".
1 Co 2:14 But the natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Not the "natural", but the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the Spirit of God. Those things are reserved for the Spiritual man.
1 Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The same is true of:
1 Co 15:44 It is sown a natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] body; it is raised a Spiritual body. There is a natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] body, and there is a Spiritual body.
Soul Speaks of Sensations
The truth that the soul refers to sensation or conscious experience is usually acknowledged by the translators themselves, though they have concealed it from their readers by their renderings (translation).
Many who think of the soul as the seat of our highest Spiritual faculties would be surprised to know that it finds its fitting place between such words as "terrestrial" and "demoniacal".
In James 3:15 we have "terrestrial, soulish, demoniacal".
The translators rendered it:
"earthly, sensual, devilish".
Here, however, if we take the word sensual in its present day acceptation, they have overshot the mark.
But in their day it probably meant very nearly what soulish means - one who is swayed by physical sensation.
The proof of their dislike to spirit is found in its last occurrence. There we read of those who are "soulish, not having the spirit" (Jude 1:19). Here again the translators rendered it "sensual".
The Soul in Genesis
Having noted that there is distinction between life and Spirit and soul, we are now ready to inquire more closely into the characteristics which define the soul.
The first few occurrences in Genesis supply us with the information which we need at this point.
There we find developed the broad distinctions between plants and animals.
It is most instructive to note the contrast between the introduction of plants on the third day of God's work of restoring the earth and the creation of living souls on the fifth and sixth days.
Plants are living organisms quite as much as animals, yet they differ from animals in a number of important particulars which are emphasized.
Plants do not swarm. But the first mention of living souls brings out this characteristic.
Gen 1: 20 Let the waters swarm with the swarming thing, the living soul.
This rendering may, perhaps, best convey to our minds the fact that the words "bring forth abundantly" and "moving" of the common text are but different grammatical forms of one expression in the Hebrew.
To breed may be involved but it is not so stated. Swarm expresses the idea of motion, which is further developed in the next occurrence of the word "soul."
Plants cannot move. They are rooted in their place. But not so with animals.
This is brought out in the second statement:
Gen. 1:21 Elohim created ... every moving, living soul.
Plants are never called souls, yet, like the animals, they derive their nourishment from the soil and the air. But, in them this combination causes no sensation or consciousness, which is the chief characteristic of soul.
Generally speaking, soul is spoken of only in those forms of life which can move from place to place, which possess the further function of sensing the outward world, of being conscious of their own existence.
Now when, a few verses later, man is brought upon the scene, we are informed that he, too, becomes "living soul" (Gen.2:7).
What should this convey to our minds?
Simply that he, too, like the animals, would be able to move from place to place, would have the power of sensing the world around him and conscious realization of his own existence.
He is not plant, but an animal, and possesses these endowments in common with other animals. Instead of this phrase marking difference between the man and the previously created animals, it shows his similarity to them.
In fact, until we study and appreciate what has already been said of living souls, we are at distinct loss to realize what is meant when the man is said to "become a living soul".
Recognition of man's distinctly human attributes is found in the Apostle Paul's address at Athens (Acts 17:28).
Act 17:28 For in Him [Jesus] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
The spirit is recognized in the statement that "In Him we are living".
The soul is implied in the word "move", and the body in the third item, which is the usual word for "are", for the identification of the man with his material structure, is consistently confirmed throughout the Scriptures.
"In Him we are living and moving and are" is clear indication of the Apostle's analysis of mankind. And that he considered it most elementary is shown by the fact that he does not hesitate to proclaim it to unbelieving idolators.
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
________________________
Hebrew terms for "man"
The Hebrew language is very rich in terms descriptive of humanity - richer than the Greek language, and far richer than the English language.
Check out this list:
Hebrew [H120 - adam]; Greek [G444 - anthropos] = human, in contrast to spirits and beasts (see Gen 6:7)
Hebrew [H376 - aish or iysh]; Greek [G435 - aner] = man, husband (see Gen 2:23) in contrast to Hebrew [H802 - ashe or ishshah]; Greek [G1135 - gune] woman, or wife (see John 4:17)
Hebrew [H2145 - zkr or zakar]; Greek [G730 - arsen] male (see Gen 1:27), in contrast to Hebrew [H5347 - nqbe or neqebah]; Greek [G2338 - thelus] female (see Mat 19:4)
... one more: [H582 - enosh; mortal]
Why spell all this out?
The last term, "mortal" cannot be used of man before death entered in the Hebrew texts.
The first three words [adam - human, aish - man, zakar - male] are all used in connection with creation.
One distinguishes the sexes, another views the distinction from the relationship of husband and wife.
The first term adam, however, brushes all these differences aside, including both sexes, and distinguishes the human race from the creatures above as well as below.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man [H120 - adam, mankind] whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Here's the point... we can rest assured that in this passage we have the beginning of mankind [H120 - adam], apart from any divisions which come later, such as the sexes, etc.
ALL of mankind [H120 - adam] is of the ground and it is there that ALL of mankind is doomed to return as seen in the judgment scene of Gen 3:19.
Man is Soil'ish
What is the "man"?
BEFORE God imparted His Spirit, the body is called "the human". Which means, "the human" is essentially "soil". "The first human, Adam, BECAME a living soul".
Paul confirms this for us, and I'll use a very literal translation so you can see the intent of the original language:
1 Co 15:45-49 If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first human, Adam, became a living soul: the last Adam a vivifying Spirit. But not first the spiritual, but the soulish, thereupon the spiritual. The first human was out of the earth, soilish; the second Human is the Lord out of heaven. Such as the soilish one is, such are those also who are soilish, and such as the Celestial One, such are those also who are celestials. And according as we wear the image of the soilish, we should be wearing the image also of the Celestial.
The first human was not only "soul'ish" but also "soil'ish"... the dirt of the ground... of the earth.
It is actually contrary to Scripture to say that man was formed of "dust".
The body is composed primarily of moisture.
The Hebrew word ophr, translated in the KJV as "dust" is the exact same word translated as "mortar" in Lev 14:42 & Lev 14:45 where water is absolutely necessary, it "grows into hardness" (Job 38:38), and it forms "caves" or "tunnels" (Isa 2:19).
In its basic meaning the Hebrew word refers to a part of the ground; the moist, fertile layer which covers the surface. Mankind returns to it at death because it was taken from it.
The point of all this?
Mankind is "soil'ish" and "soul'ish" while Jesus is "Spiritual" and celestial (not of the earth).
If you call mankind "earthy" as does the KJV, you suggest man's relationship it to the earth rather than man's source of origin (the soil)... and - you lose an important connection.
Also note, that it is from the same soil that humanity derives the food which sustain our bodies! Whether vegetable or animal, it is all traced back to the that part of the ground which will sustain plant life! The SOIL!
Not only was mankind formed of the soil, it is through the soil that we are maintained!
Diligence
Once again, the Hebrew and Greek are the infallible, inspired language we should look to. Our English translations put us at a severe disadvantage concealing their true force.
In the New Testament, the Greek word psuche is translated as "life" so often that the distinction between soul and life, as well as between soul and Spirit (the SOURCE of all life) is almost obliterated!
In the Old Testament, with two exceptions the word soul, as found in the KJV always represent the Hebrew word nephesh.
Job 30:15 and Isaiah 57:16 have no reference to the soul. They should be rendered "breath".
Apart from these two, every occurrence of "soul" is correct.
Unfortunately, in a lot of instances of the Old Testament, nephesh has been translated by other English expressions. The Scriptural reference list is too long to post here, but I do have a copy of every passage in my notes.
Here are examples of all the different English words, as translated in the KJV, from one Hebrew word: nephesh
any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, dead, dead body, deadly, desire, fihs, ghost, heart, hearty, him, life, lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, person, pleasure, self, they, thing, whither will, will, would have...
Unbelievable! This is just from the Old Testament!
The list above doesn't even include the multiple times nephesh is completely omitted from the verse!
It's no wonder there's so much confusion concerning the soul!
The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word: nephesh is: psuche.
I also have a list of every passage in the New Testament in my notes and exactly how they should be translated: soul, souls, of soul, of the soul, of souls, in soul, in souls, etc.
Why in the world couldn't the translators have remained consistent? You can't translate nephesh as "life" if it means soul. "Life" has it's own Hebrew and Greek word...
If the translators remained consistent and used "life" all the time for nephesh, why would Job say this:
"My life is weary of my life" (Job 10:1)
No! It makes no sense. It is correctly translated as:
"My soul is weary of my life"
Now, I can make something of that verse!
Or what about "man became a living life"... huh?!
No! "man became a living soul"
Soul and Spirit Separate
Besides Hebrews 4:12 (above), we also have:
1 Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit [G4151 - pneuma] and soul [G5590 - psuche] and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the passage above doesn't really speak to the relationship of the soul to the spirit and body at all, but only to its blameless preservation unto the presence of our Lord.
This verse doesn't teach of the union of Spirit and body, resulting in the soul.
However, Paul clearly spells out the distinctions in the difference between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Jesus.
The first became a living soul, the last a life-giving (vivifying) Spirit.
The same contrast is even more apparent in the correct adjectives "Spiritual" and "soulish".
1 Co 2:14 But the natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Not the "natural", but the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the Spirit of God. Those things are reserved for the Spiritual man.
1 Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The same is true of:
1 Co 15:44 It is sown a natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] body; it is raised a Spiritual body. There is a natural [G5591 - psuchikos, soulish] body, and there is a Spiritual body.
Soul Speaks of Sensations
The truth that the soul refers to sensation or conscious experience is usually acknowledged by the translators themselves, though they have concealed it from their readers by their renderings (translation).
Many who think of the soul as the seat of our highest Spiritual faculties would be surprised to know that it finds its fitting place between such words as "terrestrial" and "demoniacal".
In James 3:15 we have "terrestrial, soulish, demoniacal".
The translators rendered it:
"earthly, sensual, devilish".
Here, however, if we take the word sensual in its present day acceptation, they have overshot the mark.
But in their day it probably meant very nearly what soulish means - one who is swayed by physical sensation.
The proof of their dislike to spirit is found in its last occurrence. There we read of those who are "soulish, not having the spirit" (Jude 1:19). Here again the translators rendered it "sensual".
The Soul in Genesis
Having noted that there is distinction between life and Spirit and soul, we are now ready to inquire more closely into the characteristics which define the soul.
The first few occurrences in Genesis supply us with the information which we need at this point.
There we find developed the broad distinctions between plants and animals.
It is most instructive to note the contrast between the introduction of plants on the third day of God's work of restoring the earth and the creation of living souls on the fifth and sixth days.
Plants are living organisms quite as much as animals, yet they differ from animals in a number of important particulars which are emphasized.
Plants do not swarm. But the first mention of living souls brings out this characteristic.
Gen 1: 20 Let the waters swarm with the swarming thing, the living soul.
This rendering may, perhaps, best convey to our minds the fact that the words "bring forth abundantly" and "moving" of the common text are but different grammatical forms of one expression in the Hebrew.
To breed may be involved but it is not so stated. Swarm expresses the idea of motion, which is further developed in the next occurrence of the word "soul."
Plants cannot move. They are rooted in their place. But not so with animals.
This is brought out in the second statement:
Gen. 1:21 Elohim created ... every moving, living soul.
Plants are never called souls, yet, like the animals, they derive their nourishment from the soil and the air. But, in them this combination causes no sensation or consciousness, which is the chief characteristic of soul.
Generally speaking, soul is spoken of only in those forms of life which can move from place to place, which possess the further function of sensing the outward world, of being conscious of their own existence.
Now when, a few verses later, man is brought upon the scene, we are informed that he, too, becomes "living soul" (Gen.2:7).
What should this convey to our minds?
Simply that he, too, like the animals, would be able to move from place to place, would have the power of sensing the world around him and conscious realization of his own existence.
He is not plant, but an animal, and possesses these endowments in common with other animals. Instead of this phrase marking difference between the man and the previously created animals, it shows his similarity to them.
In fact, until we study and appreciate what has already been said of living souls, we are at distinct loss to realize what is meant when the man is said to "become a living soul".
Recognition of man's distinctly human attributes is found in the Apostle Paul's address at Athens (Acts 17:28).
Act 17:28 For in Him [Jesus] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
The spirit is recognized in the statement that "In Him we are living".
The soul is implied in the word "move", and the body in the third item, which is the usual word for "are", for the identification of the man with his material structure, is consistently confirmed throughout the Scriptures.
"In Him we are living and moving and are" is clear indication of the Apostle's analysis of mankind. And that he considered it most elementary is shown by the fact that he does not hesitate to proclaim it to unbelieving idolators.
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