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Body, Heart, Soul and Spirit in the Bible
Dec 2012
Peter Eyland
Usage of the words for body, heart, soul and spirit
Hebrew | simple meaning | English equiv. | developed meanings |
ba·sar | outer (visible) person | flesh/body | physical body |
lév | inner (invisible) person | heart | mind/thought/will |
nephesh | living (breathing) person | soul | emotions/feelings/self |
ru·ach | breath/wind/animation | spirit | energy/strength |
Examples from the Bible - Heart as:
mind | Job 12:3; Ecc 9:3 |
knowledge | Deut 8:5 |
thinking | Isaiah 10:7; Psalm 73:7; Job 17:11 |
memory | 1 Samuel 21:13; Job 22:22 |
will | 1 Sam 7:3; 1 Chr 29:18; 2 Chr 20:33; Deut 29:17; Exodus 14:5 |
conscience | Job 27:6 |
moral character | 1 Chon 29:17; Deut 9:5; Gen 20:5,6 |
Examples from the Bible - Person/Self/Soul as:
that which breathes | Isaiah 10:18; Deut 12:25 |
departs at death | Genesis 35:18 |
has hunger | Psalm 107:9 |
has thirst | Jer 31:25 |
desires | Deut 12:20; Deut 23:25 |
loathes | Leviticus 26:11 |
has sorrow | Judges 18:25 |
has joy | Psalm 35:9 |
loves | Song of Sol 1:7 |
hates | Jer 6:8 |
other emotions | Psalm 19:8; Ezek 24:21; Numbers 21:4 |
Breath/Spirit appears 378 times in Old Testament:
breath | Psalm 135:17; Jer 10:14 |
word of command | Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 34:16; Isaiah 11:4 |
"snorting" with anger | Job 4:9; Exodus 15:8 |
sign of life | Gen 6:17; 7:15 |
wind | Gen 8:1 "he made ruach blow over the earth" |
emptiness | Job 7:7 "my life is ruach" |
animation | 1 Kings 10:5; 1 Kings 21:5 |
anger | Judges 9:23 "God sent an evil ruach between them" i.e. God allowed a feud to develop |
impatience | Micah 2:7 being "short of ruach" |
administrative skill | Genesis 41:38 "a man in whom ruach of God is" |
God's breath/spirit | |
gives life | Zech 12:1; Gen 6:3 |
inspires ecstatic prophesy | Numbers 11:17,25 |
impels prophet to give warning | Numbers 24:2 |
gives warlike energy and executive administrative power |
Judges 3:10; Isaiah 11:2; Judges 14:6 |
gives technical skill | Exodus 31:3 |
is God's presence | Haggai 2:5; Psalm 143:10; Nehemiah 9:20 Zechariah 4:6; Psalm 139:7 |
"holy spirit" 3 times in OT | Isaiah 63:9 - 11 Holy Spirit = angel of the presence! |
Psalm 51: 11 probably the same meaning as above |
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