The immortality of the soul – A grievous error of doctrine (Part 2)

Part 2: What is the "soul" anyway? 

The Old Testament View.   

Most English versions of our Bible liberally use the word "soul" in their translations. 

Most people understand this word to be a reference to one's immortal soul but if you've read Part 1 of this topic, you'd know that the idea of an immortal soul is completely incompatible with the idea that death is no more than a complete cessation of life.   

In the teachings of the churchmen, the immortal soul is an indestructible part of your very being which survives after you draw your last breath. That soul then either goes to heaven (if you've been good), to hell (if you've been bad) or (especially for Catholics) to Purgatory. 

Let's start dismantling this idea with some scrutiny of the word translated as "soul" in our English versions.   

Nephesh 

In the OT, the word we know as soul in the Hebrew is "Nephesh". It is defined in Strong's Concordance in accordance with the link below as "a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion"  https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5315.htm  

We come across this word Nephesh in Genesis 2 where is recounted the creation of man.   

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2 v 7  

This word Nephesh is used 754 times in the Old Testament Scriptures. When you look at the usage of the word across all the places it appears in the OT, you will note a few key points:  

 Nephesh is not used exclusively for humans Nephesh is not inherently a word in relation to humans. It is used in relation to animals first and foremost in the creation account. In Genesis 1 v 20,21 and 24 is used in relation to the creation of birds, fish and land animals. In Genesis 1 v 30, the same word is used again by God in his communication with Adam where he describes the fact that all animals in creation had been given plant life for their food.   

Solomon recognised the fact that men and beasts were equal in God's sight from the perspective of the worth and endurance of their life.   

"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity." Ecclesiastes 3 v 19.   

Nephesh = Life itself. 

Jephthah, one of the Judges talking to his brethren. 

"And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life [Nephesh]in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?" Judges 12 v 3  

David, talking to Jonathan, son of Saul.   

"And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? [Nephesh]." 1 Samuel 20 v 1.   

"Jezebel, threatening Elijah after the destruction of the prophets of Baal.   Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life [Nephesh]as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time." 1 Kings 19 v 2  

(Also, Elijah uses the same word in his communication with the Angel of God in 1 Kings 19 v 14).  

Nephesh - A very perilous, fragile state of being. 

I would encourage you to go to the online Strongs concordance and see for yourself the usage of this word "Nephesh". Once you do, you will understand the word very differently.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_5315.htm  

I read one statistic (which I have not tried to replicate) that of the 754 places where the word Nephesh is used, it is connected with the concept of death on 652 of those times. It is variously said to be "subject to", "in danger of" or "delivered from" death in all of those times referred. 

Far from immortality, the use of the word shows it means something far more fragile and transient being in a perilous position with regards to death itself.  Contrast this against the indestructible idea of the immortal soul. 

The soul is said to survive death and to live on somewhere else. It hardly can be squared with the Hebrew "Nephesh". In fact, it's probably the opposite of what is meant by the word which means that what you might term Orthodox teaching is again out of step with what the Bible truly says

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