What is the soul? The Hebrew word is nephesh; the Greek term is psuchē. The Hebrew word is first used for animals. In Genesis 1:21-22, God creates every living creature (nephesh hayah) that moves or swarms in the sea. In 1:24 the cattle bring forth living creatures (nephesh hayah) according to their kind. In 1:30 the land animals, the birds, and the moving things are said to have nephesh hayah—the soul of life—in them. In all these uses, nephesh appears to mean life itself. For animals to have nephesh hayah means simply that they have life in them. They are living beings. For animals, soul is not a part of their being. It is simply their life.
God created the animals already alive, but he made the first human in two stages. First, He fashioned the man’s body from the dust of the ground. Then He breathed life into that body. At that point, the man became nephesh hayah (Gen 2:7). The animals experienced no inbreathing. Their life is not separable from their bodies. For humans, life (soul) and body are distinct. Still, the main point is that humans became living beings.
The words for soul often refer to the animating principle. In this sense, the soul (life) is in the blood (Deu 12:23). The connection between life and blood may be why Scripture views animal death differently than plant death. While plants grow and reproduce, and thus possess a kind of life, they have no blood and hence no “soul.” God told the sons of Israel not to eat blood because the nephesh was in the blood. This means that when an animal loses enough blood, it dies.
Probably this usage of soul is behind the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 16:10. Peter quotes this verse about Christ in Acts 2:27. The verse says that God would not abandon Messiah’s soul in sheol or hades (the realm of the dead). God also would not permit Christ’s flesh to experience corruption. Peter applies this verse at the resurrection (2:31) when God raised Christ alive from the dead. The fact that the psuche of Christ entered hades provides evidence that the soul is distinct from the body.
Sometimes the connection between soul and life is so pronounced that life is the better translation. Examples abound. Herod, wishing to kill the Christ child, was seeking His psuche (Matt 2:29). The Son of Man came to give His psuche a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). The good shepherd gives His psuche for the sheep (John 10:11). Epaphroditus risked his psuche and was near death (Phil 2:30).
Numbers 11:6 contains an interesting metaphorical use. The Israelites in the wilderness grew tired of eating manna. They found God’s provision tiresome. They complained, “Now our soul (nephesh) has dried away.” Here, soul functions in the sense of whatever makes life worth living. Their diet was tedious, so their lives felt intolerable.
Jesus uses psuche in this sense in Matthew 16:25. He challenges His followers that they must not try to keep their psuche. This means that they must not cling to whatever they think makes life worth living. If they try to, they will lose it. But if they lose their psuche for Jesus’ sake, then they will find it. In other words, by giving one’s self up for Christ, one finds what truly makes life worth living.
In both testaments, the soul experiences desires and emotions. In the prelude to the fiery serpents, the children of Israel declared that their nephesh loathed or detested the manna (Num 21:5). Job’s nephesh grieved for the poor (Job 30:25). The rich fool told his psuche to eat, drink, and be merry (Luke 12:19). The psuche of fallen Babylon craved fruits (Rev 18:14).
Perhaps in these instances the word soul is simply being used to designate the self. The term is even used of God in this sense. God promises that His nephesh will not abhor His obedient people (Lev 26:11). On the other hand, if anyone draws back, God’s psuche will have no pleasure in him (Heb 10:38).
An important truth is that the soul can be saved or lost. Peter writes that the goal of faith is “the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:9). This salvation is not directly connected to the fate of the body. One can kill the body without harming the soul (Matt 10:28). But in Gehenna God destroys soul and body together.
The soul can be tempted and led astray. Peter warns against fleshly lusts that war against the soul (1 Pet 2:11). He says that believers were once like wandering sheep. Now they have returned to the shepherd and overseer of their souls (1 Pet. 2:25). Also, apostate teachers lure or entice unstable souls (2 Pet 2:14).
The good news is that even a polluted soul can be purified. Peter addressed those who have purified their souls (1 Pet 1:21). This purification takes the form of “obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren.”
James contrasts good wisdom, which is from God, with a kind of bad wisdom. This bad wisdom leads to jealousy and selfish ambition. According to James, this wisdom is earthly, “soulish,” and demonic (James 3:15). To say that it is soulish is to suggest that it appeals most strongly to the soul.
Why would that be? Perhaps because the soulish person does not welcome the things of the Spirit of God. The things of God are spiritually discerned. Hence, the soulish person sees them as foolishness (1 Cor 2:14).
The words for soul are common in both testaments. Certainly, this summary has not examined every use. Even so, a picture of the soul is beginning to emerge.
The soul is the life principle. All animate creatures, including humans, either are or have souls. In the case of humans, the soul is integrally tied to personal identity. Indeed, soul and self are nearly indistinguishable. The soul is distinct from the body and survives its destruction. It can be tempted. It can wander and return. It can be saved or lost. Evidently, it is also a center of human desire and feeling.
Soulish people do not welcome truth that is spiritually discerned. This suggests a possible distinction between soul and spirit. Does the Bible provide other reasons for distinguishing soul from spirit? We can only answer that question when we examine the biblical uses of the term spirit. That task comes next.
This essay is by Kevin T. Bauder, Research Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Not every one of the professors, students, or alumni of Central Seminary necessarily agrees with every opinion that it expresses.
Father, Whate’er of Earthly Bliss
Anne Steele (1717–1778)
Father, whate’er of earthly bliss
Thy sov’reign will denies,
Accepted at thy throne of grace,
Let this petition rise:
“Give me a calm, a thankful heart,
From ev’ry murmur free:
The blessings of thy grace impart,
And make me live to thee.
Let the sweet hope that I am thine,
My life and death attend;
Thy presence thro’ my journey shine,
And crown my journey’s end.”
