Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>]

Dan Ebert wrote:

> What was the OT Hebrew concept of the body and soul. Did the Hebrew word
> for death 'muwth' carry with it the idea of a separation? Or did they view
> the body and soul as a unit and what happened with one happened with the
> other?

In the OT, the body and spirit are interconnected, though not entirely 
inseperable. Just thinking
in terms of the spirit of YHWH, the deity can be in his own abode while his 
spirit rushes back and
forth over the Ocean, or over individual people like leaders and prophets. 
It's clear that the body
returns to earth, but the essence of a person - their soul - is seen as going 
down to She'ol which
appears to be an abode (under the earth?) where people are in a kind of 
nothingness or limbo or
non-consciousness. The comment is frequently made in the Psalms that the dead 
in She'ol cannot
praise God.

Key passages to study would be the raising of Samuel's spirit by the medium 
at Eyn Dor, the Psalms,
and Qohelet. Admittedly, these passages may present us with ideas spanning 
many centuries, but they
are worthwhile following up.

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--
GEORGE ATHAS
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
- Email: gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au
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