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Hebrew

Soul

נֶ֫פֶשׁStrong’s H5315

nephesh (ne-phesh)

Appears in 683 verses of the Old Testament

In short

Soul: the whole living person, not a part locked inside. God breathed into Adam "and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Genesis 2:7 KJV
Meaning
  1. Soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passionthat which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man · living being · living being (with life in the blood) · the man himself, self, person or individual · seat of the appetites · seat of emotions and passions · activity of mind · activity of the will · activity of the character
How it's translated
  • self my 76
  • life my 60
  • life his 35
  • person 33
  • self his 31
  • self your 30
  • life your 28
  • life of 24

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Psalms 141
  • Jeremiah 58
  • Proverbs 54
  • Leviticus 48
  • Numbers 44
  • Genesis 39

31 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 683 verses, by book
Ruth 1
4:15
1 Chronicles 4
5:2111:1922:1928:9
2 Chronicles 4
1:116:3815:1234:31
Song of Solomon 7
1:73:13:23:33:45:66:12
Hosea 2
4:89:4
Micah 3
6:77:17:3
Habakkuk 3
2:42:52:10
Haggai 1
2:13
Zechariah 1
11:8
Hebrew dictionary

נֶ֫פֶשׁ nephesh · soul

1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion 1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man 1b) living being 1c) living being (with life in the blood) 1d) the man himself, self, person or individual 1e) seat of the appetites 1f) seat of emotions and passions 1g) activity of mind 1g1) uncertain 1h) activity of the will 1h1) uncertain 1i) activity of the character 1i1) uncertain

From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “soul” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

SOUL, noun

  1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government.
  2. The understanding; the intellectual principle.
  3. Vital principle.
  4. Spirit; essence; chief part; as charity, the soul of all the virtues.
All definitions and other forms of “soul”
  1. Life; animation principle or part; as, an able commander is the soul of an army.
  2. Internal power.
  3. A human being; a person.
  4. Animal life.“To deliver their soil from death, and to keep them alive in famine” Psalms 33:19
  5. Active power.
  6. Spirit; courage; fire; grandeur of mind.
  7. Generosity; nobleness of mind; a colloquial use.
  8. An intelligent being.
  9. Heart; affection.
  10. In Scripture, appetite; as the full soul; the hungry soul Proverbs 27:7Job 33:18
  11. A familiar compellation of a person, but often expressing some qualities of the mind; as alas, poor soul; he was a good soul

SOUL, verb transitive

To endure with a soul [Not in use.]

    SOUL, SOWL, verb intransitive

    To afford suitable sustenance. [Not in use.]

      Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

      Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.