Becoming A Soul Keeper
Jesus offers us pracitical ways to keep our souls healthy by His lifestyle and offers us rest when we abide in Him.
Understanding and Defining the Soul
Concept Summary
In Hebrew, the concept of the soul is mainly expressed by the noun נֶפֶשׁ (nepeš, “soul”). It is the basic term for a living being’s vital life-force that interacts with its surroundings and needs to be satisfied for life to be sustained. It usually refers to humans (Gen 2:7), but occasionally is used for animals (Gen 9:5). There is a related verb, נָפַשׁ (nāpaš, “to be refreshed”), from the same root (Exod 23:12). Often, the word nepeš refers to the individual; thus, it is used for the whole human being.
In Greek, the soul is expressed by the noun ψυχή (psyche, “soul”), which has a similar semantic range as nepeš and usually translates it in the Septuagint. In the NT, psychē refers to the inner self, life, and the person, and often has a holistic sense to it (e.g., Matt 6:25), as does nepeš. There is a related adjective, ψυχικός (psychikos, “natural”) that describes unspiritual and natural humanity as opposed to spiritual humanity (1 Cor 2:14).
It is clear in both Hebrew and Greek that the relevant terms refer to the life-force, and often to the living being itself. It is the natural life-force that sustains a person and is the center of emotion, will, and desire. In the biblical usage of these terms, context indicates whether the writer refers to the life-force of a living being or to the essence of a person that continues after physical death. The soul is an object of both the judgment of God and God’s saving work in both the OT and NT (e.g., Psa 62:1; Mic 6:7; Matt 10:28).