Question:
Dear Greg,
Thank
you for your daily radio program. It’s
been very uplifting for me and I am recommending it to many friends.
I see that you refer to the “soul/spirit” as the non-material aspect
of our being. But in looking at the
word, “naphesh” I see that it can refer to the human body.
Life. Even to dead bodies.
How am I to truly get a good balance in this area of understanding?
Please
let me know.
Thank
you for your answer,
Pablo
Answer: Dear Pablo,
Delighted
to hear that you enjoy daily Plain Truth—and that you are telling friends to
join us! Thank you!
Yes,
the term soul in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), can refer to the human
body (the Hebrew word nephesh). However,
that is not the only use of the word “soul” in the Bible, and when it is
used for the human body it does not mean humans do not have a non-physical
component.
Jesus
knew Hebrew, he knew the word nephesh to which you refer, but he still said,
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”
(Matthew
It
is obvious that humans have a body because it is something we can see and feel.
The Bible also clearly refers to the non-material part of us, the part
that humans cannot kill, by the terms soul or spirit.
Both English words can be used to describe the non-material part of who
we are, and neither is biblically forbidden.
In
Christ,