Biblical Hebrew Forum

["David Gray" <david_gray AT sil.org>]

Dear Sesamo,

Re. "you can be dirty with the blood of a nephesh":

Only, you shall not eat flesh with its nephesh, that is, its blood.
(Gen 9:4)
For the nephesh of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for
making atonement for your nepheshes on the altar; for, as nephesh, it is the
blood that makes atonement.
(Lev 17:11)

In Hebrew thought, it seems that breath gives life, and loss of blood drains
it away i.e. blood is the seat of nephesh. True?

David Gray

-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Sesamo m.
Sent: 05 February 2003 09:25
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [b-hebrew] Re: Soul


The shift might be the other way.
Gen 2:7 indicates when the Creator gave Adam the breath of life he became a
nephesh. So, the basic meaning of nephesh would be a living human being.
That's why you can find quotes in the OT stating that the nephesh can be
hungry, you can be dirty with the blood of a nephesh, you can kill a
nephesh, etc. What makes a nephesh being a nephesh is the breath of life, so
a dead human body could be called a dead nephesh.
The translation of nephesh as psike and the influence of the Greek ideas
about the inmortality of the psike (on the part of some philosophers;
others, such as Aristotle taught different ideas) led to the concept of an
inmortal soul.





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