The
following verses show the nephesh as slain or killed by
man.
Josh 10:28 |
And that day Joshua took
Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the
king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the
souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he
did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of
Jericho. |
Josh 10:30 |
And the LORD delivered it
also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he
smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls
that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the
king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho. |
Josh 10:32 |
And the LORD delivered Lachish
into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and
smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls
that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah. |
Josh 10:35 |
And they took it on that day,
and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the
souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that
day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. |
Josh 10:37 |
And they took it, and smote it
with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the
cities thereof, and all the souls that were
therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had
done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls
that were therein. |
Josh 10:39 |
And he took it, and the king
thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with
the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the
souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as
he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king
thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king. |
Josh 11:11 |
And they smote all the
souls that were therein with the edge of the sword,
utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe:
and he burnt Hazor with fire. |
Jer 2:34 |
Also in thy skirts is found
the blood of the souls of the poor innocents:
I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. |
Ezek 13:19 |
And will ye pollute me among
my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to
slay the souls that should not die, and to
save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my
people that hear your lies? |
Ezek 22:25 |
There is a conspiracy of her
prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening
the prey; they have devoured souls; they have
taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her
many widows in the midst thereof. |
Ezek 22:27 |
Her princes in the midst
thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and
to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. |
Deut 27:25 |
Cursed be he that taketh
reward to slay an innocent person
(lit. slay an
innocent soul). And all the
people shall say, Amen. |
Josh 20:3 |
That the slayer that killeth
any person
(lit. killeth any
soul) unawares and
unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge
from the avenger of blood. |
Josh 20:9 |
These were the cities
appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger
that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any
person
(lit. killeth any
soul)
at unawares might flee
thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood,
until he stood before the congregation. |
1 Sam 22:22 |
And David said unto Abiathar,
I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he
would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the
persons
(lit. death of all
the souls) of thy father's
house. |
Prov 28:17 |
A man that doeth violence to
the blood of any person
(lit. blood of any
soul) shall flee to the
pit; let no man stay him. |
Ezek 17:17 |
Neither shall Pharaoh with his
mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by
casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many
persons: |
Ezek 33:6 |
But if the watchman see the
sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not
warned; if the sword come, and take any person
from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his
blood will I require at the watchman's hand. |
Lev 24:17 |
And he that killeth
any man
(Heb. nephesh
adam.. killeth the soul of any man)
shall surely be put to death. |
Num 31:19 |
And do ye abide without the
camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person
(lit. hath
killed any soul), and
whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and
your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. |
Num 35:11 |
Then ye shall appoint you
cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may
flee thither, which killeth any person
(lit. which
killeth any soul)
at unawares. |
Num 35:15 |
These six cities shall be a
refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger,
and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth
any person
(lit. which
killeth any soul)
unawares may flee thither. |
Num 35:30 |
Whoso killeth any
person
(lit. which
killeth any soul), the
murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but
one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him
to die. |
Gen 37:21 |
And Reuben heard it, and he
delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill
him
(lit. let us not
kill his soul). |
Deut 19:6 |
Lest the avenger of the blood
pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him,
because the way is long, and slay him
(lit. slay his
soul); whereas he was not
worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. |
Deut 22:26 |
But unto the damsel thou shalt
do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for
as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth
him
(lit. slayeth his
soul), even so is this
matter: |
Deut 19:11 |
But if any man hate his
neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him,
and smite him mortally
(lit. smite his
soul) that he die, and
fleeth into one of these cities: |
2 Sam 14:7 |
And, behold, the whole family
is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him
that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the
life of his brother whom he slew
(lit. soul of his
brother whom he slew); and
we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my
coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither
name nor remainder upon the earth. |
Jer 40:14 |
And said unto him, Dost thou
certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee
(lit. slay
thy soul)? But Gedaliah the
son of Ahikam believed them not. |
Jer 40:15 |
Then Johanan the son of Kareah
spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I
pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and
no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee
(lit. slay
thy soul), that all the
Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the
remnant in Judah perish? |
To those for whom language means anything at all,
the above verses need no explanation. What we have here are souls
being hit with swords, souls bleeding, souls dying, etc. To attempt
to maintain that a soul is an invisible entity within man which is
not subject to death is impossible in the above
verses.
Those who seek to maintain this position must
argue that soul has multiple meanings, which it obviously does. The
real question is, can a word which is so often used to express
mortality, animal life, and animal appetite also mean 'invisible,
immortal self which is not subject to death'? If so, where are the
verses which emphatically and explicitly state that nephesh
can carry such a definition? Is God the author of confusion?
The
following verses show the nephesh as being cut off by God.
Gen 17:14 |
And the uncircumcised man
child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that
soul shall be cut off from his people; he
hath broken my covenant. |
Ex 12:15 |
Seven days shall ye eat
unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven
out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from
the first day until the seventh day, that soul
shall be cut off from Israel. |
Ex 12:19 |
Seven days shall there be no
leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which
is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off
from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or
born in the land. |
Ex 31:14 |
Ye shall keep the sabbath
therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it
shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work
therein, that soul shall be cut off from
among his people. |
Lev 7:20 |
But the soul that eateth of
the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain
unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that
soul shall be cut off from his people.
|
Lev 7:21 |
Moreover the soul that shall
touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any
unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the
flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto
the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off
from his people. |
Lev 7:25 |
For whosoever eateth the fat
of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto
the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall
be cut off from his people. |
Lev 7:27 |
Whatsoever soul it be that
eateth any manner of blood, even that soul
shall be cut off from his people. |
Lev 17:10 |
And whatsoever man there be of
the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among
you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face
against that soul that eateth blood, and will
cut him off from among his people. |
Lev 18:29 |
For whosoever shall commit any
of these abominations, even the souls that
commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
|
Lev 19:8 |
Therefore every one that
eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned
the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul
shall be cut off from among his people. |
Lev 20:6 |
And the soul that turneth
after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go
a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that
soul, and will cut him off from among his
people. |
Lev 22:3 |
Say unto them, Whosoever he be
of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the
holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the
LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul
shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD. |
Lev 23:29 |
For whatsoever soul
it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall
be cut off from among his people. |
Lev 23:30 |
And whatsoever soul it be that
doeth any work in that same day, the same soul
will I destroy from among his people. |
Num 9:13 |
But the man that is clean, and
is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even
the same soul shall be cut off from among his
people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his
appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. |
Num 15:30 |
But the soul that doeth ought
presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger,
the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul
shall be cut off from among his people. |
Num 15:31 |
Because he hath despised the
word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that
soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity
shall be upon him. |
Num 19:13 |
Whosoever toucheth the dead
body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself,
defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul
shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation
was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his
uncleanness is yet upon him. |
Num 19:20 |
But the man that shall be
unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul
shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath
defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation
hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. |
Ezek 18:4 |
Behold, all souls are mine; as
the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine:
the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
|
Ezek 18:20 |
The soul that
sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of
the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the
son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and
the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. |
To 'cut off' means to
perish or destroy. Clearly there is no intimation of an immortal
soul in the above passages.
The
following verses use nephesh in regard to man as
actually dead.
Lev 19:28 |
Ye shall not make any cuttings
in your flesh for the dead
(lit. dead soul),
nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. |
Lev 21:1 |
And the LORD said unto Moses,
Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them,
There shall none be defiled for the dead
(lit. dead
soul)
among his people: |
Lev 22:4 |
What man soever of the seed of
Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of
the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any
thing that is unclean by the dead
(lit. dead soul),
or a man whose seed goeth from him; |
Num 5:2 |
Command the children of
Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every
one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the
dead: |
Num 6:11 |
And the priest shall offer the
one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering,
and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the
dead
(lit. dead soul),
and shall hallow his head that same day. |
Num 9:6 |
And there were certain men,
who were defiled by the dead body
(lit. dead soul)
of a man, that they could
not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses
and before Aaron on that day: |
Num 9:7 |
And those men said unto him,
We are defiled by the dead body
(lit. dead soul)
of a man: wherefore are we
kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in
his appointed season among the children of Israel? |
Num 9:10 |
Speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall
be unclean by reason of a dead body
(lit. dead soul),
or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover
unto the LORD. |
Lev 21:11 |
Neither shall he go in to any
dead body
(lit. dead soul),
nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; |
Num 6:6 |
All the days that he
separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead
body
(lit. dead soul). |
Num 19:11 |
He that toucheth the dead
body
(lit. dead soul)
of any man shall be unclean
seven days. |
Num 19:13 |
Whosoever toucheth the dead
body
(lit. dead soul)
of any man that is dead,
and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the
LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the
water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be
unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. |
Hag 2:13 |
Then said Haggai, If one that
is unclean by a dead body
(lit. dead soul)
touch any of these, shall
it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be
unclean. |
The first thing we notice about the above
passages, is that in NONE of them have our translators rendered
nephesh as 'soul'. Why have they done this? The answer should
be obvious: The King James translators all believed in the
immortality of the soul. Clearly these verses are completely
inconsistent with that view. A soul cannot be immortal in ANY sense
if it's said to be DEAD. Immortality means, at the very least, not
subject to corruption, and in its fullest sense, deathlessness...
neither can be said of a corpse!
Please notice in these passages that nephesh
isn't merely speaking of the person who had died, but refers
directly to the corpse of the dead person. What we have
literally is a dead soul.
We learned in the previous chapter the formula
for what makes up a soul:
Body + Breath of Life = Living Soul
So obviously
Body - Breath of Life = DEAD SOUL and that is
precisely what we have in these passages regardless of our
translators refusal to make the truth of the matter known. When
people die, they are dead souls not immortal souls... that
is what your Bible says. How far removed is this from the teaching
of our mainline denominations with the 'immortal soul which departs
at death'.
Whatever conclusions you come to regarding the
soul, you must take into account these verses. They simply cannot be
ignored as though they didn't exist and have no bearing upon the
truth of what we are to believe.
The
following verses show nephesh as something which is subject
to death and mortality, from which it can obtain salvation.
This section contains a few Old Testament occurances of nephesh
which are often cited to teach that man has an immortal soul. I
have highlighted these verses with a red border.
Gen 12:13 |
Say, I pray thee, thou art my
sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my
soul shall live because of thee. |
Gen19:20 |
Behold now, this city is near
to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape
thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul
shall live. |
Gen 35:18 |
And it
came to pass, as her soul was in departing,
(for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father
called him Benjamin. |
Ex 30:12 |
When thou takest the sum of
the children of Israel after their number, then shall they
give every man a ransom for his soul unto the
LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among
them, when thou numberest them. |
Ex 30:15 |
The rich shall not give more,
and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they
give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your
souls. |
Ex 30:16 |
And thou shalt take the
atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint
it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that
it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the
LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. |
Lev 17:11 |
For the life of the flesh is
in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to
make an atonement for your souls: for it is
the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. |
Num 16:38 |
The censers of these sinners
against their own souls, let them make them
broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered
them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they
shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. |
Num 31:50 |
We have therefore brought an
oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels
of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets,
to make an atonement for our souls before the
LORD. |
1 Sam 24:11 |
Moreover, my father, see, yea,
see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off
the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see
that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and
I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my
soul to take it. |
1 Sam 25:29 |
Yet a man is risen to pursue
thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of
my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy
God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out,
as out of the middle of a sling. |
1 Sam 26:21 |
Then said Saul, I have sinned:
return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because
my soul was precious in thine eyes this day:
behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. |
2 Sam 4:9 |
And David answered Rechab and
Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and
said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my
soul out of all adversity, |
1 King 1:29 |
And the king sware, and said,
As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul
out of all distress, |
1 King 17:21 |
And he
stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto
the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this
child's soul come into him again. |
1 King 17:22 |
And the
LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul
of the child came into him again, and he revived. |
Job 7:15 |
So that my soul
chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. |
Job 27:8 |
For what is the hope of the
hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his
soul? |
Ps 3:2 |
Many there be which say of my
soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. |
Ps 6:4 |
Return, O LORD, deliver my
soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. |
Ps 7:2 |
Lest he tear my soul
like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to
deliver. |
Ps 7:5 |
Let the enemy persecute my
soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my
life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. |
Ps 11:1 |
In the LORD put I my trust:
how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your
mountain? |
Ps 17:13 |
Arise, O LORD, disappoint him,
cast him down: deliver my soul from the
wicked, which is thy sword: |
Ps 22:20 |
Deliver my soul
from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. |
Ps 22:29 |
All they that be fat upon
earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust
shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own
soul. |
Ps 23:3 |
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake. |
Ps 25:20 |
O keep my soul,
and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in
thee. |
Ps 26:9 |
Gather not my soul
with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: |
Ps 33:19 |
To deliver their soul
from death, and to keep them alive in famine. |
Ps 34:22 |
The LORD redeemeth the
soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in
him shall be desolate. |
Ps 35:3 |
Draw out also the spear, and
stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my
soul, I am thy salvation. |
Ps 35:4 |
Let them be confounded and put
to shame that seek after my soul: let them be
turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. |
Ps 35:12 |
They rewarded me evil for good
to the spoiling of my soul. |
Ps 35:17 |
Lord, how long wilt thou look
on? rescue my soul from their destructions,
my darling from the lions. |
Ps 40:14 |
Let them be ashamed and
confounded together that seek after my soul
to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame
that wish me evil. |
Ps 41:4 |
I said, LORD, be merciful unto
me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against
thee. |
Ps 49:8 |
(For the redemption of their
soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) |
Ps 49:15 |
But God will redeem my
soul from the power of the grave: for he shall
receive me. Selah. |
Ps 54:3 |
For strangers are risen up
against me, and oppressors seek after my soul:
they have not set God before them. Selah. |
Ps 54:4 |
Behold, God is mine helper:
the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. |
Ps 55:18 |
He hath delivered my
soul in peace from the battle that was against me:
for there were many with me. |
Ps 56:6 |
They gather themselves
together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they
wait for my soul. |
Ps 56:13 |
For thou hast delivered my
soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my
feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of
the living? |
Ps 57:4 |
My soul is
among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire,
even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and
their tongue a sharp sword. |
Ps 59:3 |
For, lo, they lie in wait for
my soul: the mighty are gathered against me;
not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD. |
Ps 63:9 |
But those that seek my
soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of
the earth. |
Ps 66:9 |
Which holdeth our soul
in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. |
Ps 66:16 |
Come and hear, all ye that
fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my
soul. |
Ps 69:1 |
Save me, O God; for the waters
are come in unto my soul. |
Ps 69:18 |
Draw nigh unto my soul,
and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies. |
Ps 70:2 |
Let them be ashamed and
confounded that seek after my soul: let them
be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. |
Ps 71:10 |
For mine enemies speak against
me; and they that lay wait for my soul take
counsel together, |
Ps 71:13 |
Let them be confounded and
consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let
them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. |
Ps 71:23 |
My lips shall greatly rejoice
when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which
thou hast redeemed. |
Ps 72:13 |
He shall spare the poor and
needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. |
Ps 72:14 |
He shall redeem their
soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall
their blood be in his sight. |
Ps 74:19 |
O deliver not the soul
of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not
the congregation of thy poor for ever. |
Ps 78:50 |
He made a way to his anger; he
spared not their soul from death, but gave
their life over to the pestilence; |
Ps 86:2 |
Preserve my soul;
for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth
in thee. |
Ps 86:14 |
O God, the proud are risen
against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought
after my soul; and have not set thee before
them. |
Ps 88:14 |
LORD, why castest thou off my
soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? |
Ps 94:21 |
They gather themselves
together against the soul of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent blood. |
Ps 97:10 |
Ye that love the LORD, hate
evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints;
he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. |
Ps 106:15 |
And he gave them their
request; but sent leanness into their soul. |
Ps 109:20 |
Let this be the reward of mine
adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against
my soul. |
Ps 109:31 |
For he shall stand at the
right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn
his soul. |
Ps 116:4 |
Then called I upon the name of
the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. |
Ps 116:8 |
For thou hast delivered my
soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my
feet from falling. |
Ps 119:109 |
My soul is
continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law. |
Ps 119:175 |
Let my soul
live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me. |
Ps 120:2 |
Deliver my soul,
O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. |
Ps 121:7 |
The LORD shall preserve thee
from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. |
Ps 124:4 |
Then the waters had
overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: |
Ps 124:5 |
Then the proud waters had gone
over our soul. |
Ps 124:7 |
Our soul is
escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare
is broken, and we are escaped. |
Ps 141:8 |
But mine eyes are unto thee, O
GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul
destitute. |
Ps 142:4 |
I looked on my right hand, and
beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed
me; no man cared for my soul. |
Ps 142:7 |
Bring my soul
out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall
compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. |
Ps 143:3 |
For the enemy hath persecuted
my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the
ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that
have been long dead. |
Prov 18:7 |
A fool's mouth is his
destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. |
Prov 24:12 |
If thou sayest, Behold, we
knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it?
and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he
know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his
works? |
Prov 29:10 |
The bloodthirsty hate the
upright: but the just seek his soul. |
Isa 3:9 |
The shew of their countenance
doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as
Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul!
for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. |
Isa 10:18 |
And shall consume the glory of
his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul
and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. |
Isa 44:20 |
He feedeth on ashes: a
deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver
his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my
right hand? |
Isa 53:10 |
Yet it pleased the LORD to
bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his
seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. |
Isa 53:11 |
He shall see of the travail of
his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities. |
Isa 53:12 |
Therefore will I divide him a
portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he
bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors. |
Isa 55:3 |
Incline your ear, and come
unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and
I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David. |
Jer 4:10 |
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD!
surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto
the soul. |
Jer 20:13 |
Sing unto the LORD, praise ye
the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of
the poor from the hand of evildoers. |
Jer 26:19 |
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and
all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD,
and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil
which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure
great evil against our souls. |
Jer 38:17 |
Then said Jeremiah unto
Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of
Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of
Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live,
and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt
live, and thine house: |
Jer 38:20 |
But Jeremiah said, They shall
not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD,
which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and
thy soul shall live. |
Jer 44:7 |
Therefore now thus saith the
LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye
this great evil against your souls, to cut
off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah,
to leave you none to remain; |
Jer 51:6 |
Flee out of the midst of
Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be
not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the
LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. |
Jer 51:45 |
My people, go ye out of the
midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul
from the fierce anger of the LORD. |
Lam 1:11 |
All her people sigh, they seek
bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to
relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider;
for I am become vile. |
Lam 1:16 |
For these things I weep; mine
eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter
that should relieve my soul is far from me:
my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. |
Lam 1:19 |
I called for my lovers, but
they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost
in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their
souls. |
Lam 2:12 |
They say to their mothers,
Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in
the streets of the city, when their soul was
poured out into their mothers' bosom. |
Lam 3:58 |
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the
causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my
life. |
Ezek 3:19 |
Yet if thou warn the wicked,
and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way,
he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul. |
Ezek 3:21 |
Nevertheless if thou warn the
righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not
sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou
hast delivered thy soul. |
Ezek 13:18 |
And say, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and
make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls!
Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the
souls alive that come unto you? |
Ezek 13:19 |
And will ye pollute me among
my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to
slay the souls that should not die, and to
save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my
people that hear your lies? |
Ezek 14:14 |
Though these three men, Noah,
Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own
souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord
GOD. |
Ezek 14:20 |
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job,
were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver
neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own
souls by their righteousness. |
Ezek 18:27 |
Again, when the wicked man
turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and
doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his
soul alive. |
Ezek 33:5 |
He heard the sound of the
trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him.
But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. |
Ezek 33:9 |
Nevertheless, if thou warn the
wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his
way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul. |
Hos 9:4 |
They shall not offer wine
offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto
him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of
mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their
bread for their soul shall not come into the
house of the LORD. |
Jon 2:5 |
The waters compassed me about,
even to the soul: the depth closed me round
about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. |
Hab 2:10 |
Thou hast consulted shame to
thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against
thy soul. |
Gen 9:5 |
And surely your blood of your
lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I
require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's
brother will I require the life of man. |
Gen 19:17 |
And it came to pass, when they
had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy
life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou
in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be
consumed. |
Gen 19:19 |
Behold now, thy servant hath
found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy,
which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life;
and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me,
and I die: |
Gen 32:30 |
And Jacob called the name of
the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my
life is preserved. |
Gen 44:30 |
Now therefore when I come to
thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that
his life is bound up in the lad's
life; |
Ex 4:19 |
And the LORD said unto Moses
in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead
which sought thy life. |
Ex 21:23 |
And if any mischief follow,
then thou shalt give life for life, |
Ex 21:30 |
If there be laid on him a sum
of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his
life whatsoever is laid upon him. |
Num 35:31 |
Moreover ye shall take no
satisfaction for the life of a murderer,
which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. |
Deut 19:21 |
And thine eye shall not pity;
but life shall go for life,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. |
Deut 24:6 |
No man shall take the nether
or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's
life to pledge. |
Josh 2:13 |
And that ye will save alive my
father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and
all that they have, and deliver our lives
from death. |
Josh 2:14 |
And the men answered her, Our
life for yours, if ye utter not this our
business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the
land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. |
Josh 9:24 |
And they answered Joshua, and
said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the
LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the
land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from
before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives
because of you, and have done this thing. |
Judg 5:18 |
Zebulun and Naphtali were a
people that jeoparded their lives unto the
death in the high places of the field. |
Judg 9:17 |
(For my father fought for you,
and adventured his life far, and delivered
you out of the hand of Midian: |
Judg 12:3 |
And when I saw that ye
delivered me not, I put my life 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? |
Judg 18:25 |
And the children of Dan said
unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry
fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life,
with the lives of thy household. |
Ruth 4:15 |
And he shall be unto thee a
restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of
thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee,
which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. |
1 Sam 19:5 |
For he did put his
life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the
LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it,
and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against
innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? |
1 Sam 19:11 |
Saul also sent messengers unto
David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning:
and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy
life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. |
1 Sam 20:1 |
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? |
1 Sam 22:23 |
Abide thou with me, fear not:
for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life:
but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. |
1 Sam 23:15 |
And David saw that Saul was
come out to seek his life: and David was in
the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. |
1 Sam 26:24 |
And, behold, as thy life was
much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life
be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me
out of all tribulation. |
1 Sam 28:9 |
And the woman said unto him,
Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off
those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the
land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life,
to cause me to die? |
1 Sam 28:21 |
And the woman came unto Saul,
and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold,
thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my
life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy
words which thou spakest unto me. |
2 Sam 1:9 |
He said unto me again, Stand,
I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon
me, because my life is yet whole in me. |
2 Sam 4:8 |
And they brought the head of
Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold
the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which
sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my
lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. |
2 Sam 16:11 |
And David said to Abishai, and
to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my
bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now
may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse;
for the LORD hath bidden him. |
2 Sam 18:13 |
Otherwise I should have
wrought falsehood against mine own life: for
there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself
wouldest have set thyself against me. |
2 Sam 19:5 |
And Joab came into the house
to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of
all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life,
and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives
of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; |
2 Sam 23:17 |
And he said, Be it far from
me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of
the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?
therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three
mighty men. |
1 Kings 1:12 |
Now therefore come, let me, I
pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own
life, and the life of thy son Solomon. |
1 Kings 2:23 |
Then king Solomon sware by the
LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have
not spoken this word against his own life. |
1 Kings 3:11 |
And God said unto him, Because
thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself
long life; neither hast asked riches for
thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast
asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; |
1 Kings 19:2 |
Then Jezebel sent a messenger
unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also,
if I make not thy life as the life
of one of them by to morrow about this time. |
1 Kings 19:3 |
And when he saw that, he
arose, and went for his life, and came to
Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant
there. |
1 Kings 19:4 |
But he himself went a day's
journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a
juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die;
and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life;
for I am not better than my fathers. |
1 Kings 19:10 |
And he said, I have been very
jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel
have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and
slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am
left; and they seek my life, to take it away. |
1 Kings 19:14 |
And he said, I have been very
jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of
Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars,
and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am
left; and they seek my life, to take it away. |
1 Kings 20:31 |
And his servants said unto
him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of
Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth
on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king
of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. |
1 Kings 20:39 |
And as the king passed by, he
cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into
the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and
brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any
means he be missing, then shall thy life be
for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent
of silver. |
1 Kings 20:42 |
And he said unto him, Thus
saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man
whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life
shall go for his life, and thy people for his
people. |
2 Kings 1:13 |
And he sent again a captain of
the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty
went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and
besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee,
let my life, and the life of
these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. |
2 Kings 1:14 |
Behold, there came fire down
from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former
fifties with their fifties: therefore let my
life now be precious in thy sight. |
2 Kings 7:7 |
Wherefore they arose and fled
in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and
their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their
life. |
2 Kings 10:24 |
And when they went in to offer
sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men
without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into
your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life
shall be for the life of him. |
1 Chron 11:19 |
And said, My God forbid it me,
that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these
men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the
jeopardy of their lives they brought it.
Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three
mightiest. |
2 Chron 1:11 |
And God said to Solomon,
Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked
riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies,
neither yet hast asked long life; but hast
asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge
my people, over whom I have made thee king: |
Est 7:3 |
Then Esther the queen answered
and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if
it please the king, let my life be given me
at my petition, and my people at my request: |
Est 7:7 |
And the king arising from the
banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and
Haman stood up to make request for his life
to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined
against him by the king. |
Est 8:11 |
Wherein the king granted the
Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together,
and to stand for their life, to destroy, to
slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and
province that would assault them, both little ones and women,
and to take the spoil of them for a prey, |
Est 9:16 |
But the other Jews that were
in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and
stood for their lives, and had rest from
their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five
thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey, |
Job 2:4 |
And Satan answered the LORD,
and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give
for his life. |
Job 2:6 |
And the LORD said unto Satan,
Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. |
Job 6:11 |
What is my strength, that I
should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my
life? |
Job 13:14 |
Wherefore do I take my flesh
in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? |
Job 31:39 |
If I have eaten the fruits
thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to
lose their life: |
Ps 31:13 |
For I have heard the slander
of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel
together against me, they devised to take away my life. |
Ps 38:12 |
They also that seek after my
life lay snares for me: and they that seek my
hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day
long. |
Prov 1:18 |
And they lay wait for their
own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. |
Prov 1:19 |
So are the ways of every one
that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life
of the owners thereof. |
Prov 6:26 |
For by means of a whorish
woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress
will hunt for the precious life. |
Prov 7:23 |
Till a dart strike through his
liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it
is for his life. |
Prov 13:3 |
He that keepeth his mouth
keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide
his lips shall have destruction. |
Prov 13:8 |
The ransom of a man's
life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. |
Isa 15:4 |
And Heshbon shall cry, and
Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore
the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life
shall be grievous unto him. |
Isa 43:4 |
Since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee:
therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. |
Jer 4:30 |
And when thou art spoiled,
what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson,
though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou
rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make
thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy
life. |
Jer 11:21 |
Therefore thus saith the LORD
of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life,
saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die
not by our hand: |
Jer 19:7 |
And I will make void the
counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause
them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the
hands of them that seek their lives: and
their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the
heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. |
Jer 19:9 |
And I will cause them to eat
the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and
they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege
and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek
their lives, shall straiten them. |
Jer 21:7 |
And afterward, saith the LORD,
I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and
the people, and such as are left in this city from the
pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand
of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their
enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their
life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the
sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have
mercy. |
Jer 21:9 |
He that abideth in this city
shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the
pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the
Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his
life shall be unto him for a prey. |
Jer 22:25 |
And I will give thee into the
hand of them that seek thy life, and into the
hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the
Chaldeans. |
Jer 34:20 |
I will even give them into the
hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek
their life: and their dead bodies shall be
for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of
the earth. |
Jer 34:21 |
And Zedekiah king of Judah and
his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and
into the hand of them that seek their life,
and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are
gone up from you. |
Jer 38:2 |
Thus saith the LORD, He that
remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine,
and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the
Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life
for a prey, and shall live. |
Jer 38:16 |
So Zedekiah the king sware
secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made
us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I
give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy
life. |
Jer 39:18 |
For I will surely deliver
thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy
life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast
put thy trust in me, saith the LORD. |
Jer 44:30 |
Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I
will give Pharaoh-hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his
enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life;
as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his
life. |
Jer 45:5 |
And seekest thou great things
for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil
upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life
will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou
goest. |
Jer 46:26 |
And I will deliver them into
the hand of those that seek their lives, and
into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the
hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as
in the days of old, saith the LORD. |
Jer 48:6 |
Flee, save your lives,
and be like the heath in the wilderness. |
Jer 49:37 |
For I will cause Elam to be
dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their
life: and I will bring evil upon them, even
my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword
after them, till I have consumed them: |
Lam 2:19 |
Arise, cry out in the night:
in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like
water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward
him for the life of thy young children, that
faint for hunger in the top of every street. |
Lam 5:9 |
We gat our bread with the
peril of our lives because of the sword of
the wilderness. |
Ezek 32:10 |
Yea, I will make many people
amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for
thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they
shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own
life, in the day of thy fall. |
Jon 1:14 |
Wherefore they cried unto the
LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let
us not perish for this man's life, and lay
not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it
pleased thee. |
Jon 4:3 |
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I
beseech thee, my life from me; for it is
better for me to die than to live. |
Job 11:20 |
But the
eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and
their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. |
Jer 15:9 |
She that
hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the
ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she
hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will
I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD. |
2 Sam 14:14 |
For we must needs die, and are
as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up
again; neither doth God respect any person:
yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled
from him. |
Ps 17:9 |
From the wicked that oppress
me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me
about. |
1 Kings 19:4 |
But he himself went a day's
journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a
juniper tree: and he requested for himself
that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take
away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. |
Amos 2:14 |
Therefore the flight shall
perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his
force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: |
Amos 2:15 |
Neither shall he stand that
handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not
deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse
deliver himself. |
Num 23:10 |
Who can count the dust of
Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let
me die the death of the righteous, and let my
last end be like his! |
Judg 16:30 |
And Samson said, Let
me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself
with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and
upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he
slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his
life. |
1 Kings 20:32 |
So they girded sackcloth on
their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the
king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-ha'dad saith, I pray
thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet
alive? he is my brother. |
Job 36:14 |
They die in
youth, and their life is among the unclean. |
Isa 47:14 |
Behold, they shall be as
stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver
themselves from the power of the flame: there
shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. |
Deut 4:15 |
Take ye therefore good heed
unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of
similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb
out of the midst of the fire: |
Josh 23:11 |
Take good heed therefore unto
yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. |
It should be quite obvious from the above that
the soul is mortal and is subject to death and destruction. How far
removed is this from the teaching of an immortal never-dying soul?
However, in almost any debate over this issue,
Genesis 35:18 (as her soul was in departing) will almost
always be quoted to 'prove', against overwhelming evidence to the
contrary, that the concept of an un-dying soul was not foreign to
the Old Testament writers. A good example of this can be seen in
Peter Ruckman's Bible Believers Commentary on Genesis:
The reader will notice that Rachel's
soul departs from her body in verse 18, then she dies (vs. 19),
and then she is buried. If 'hell' is the grave, Rachel got out of
her body before she went to 'hell'. pg. 655
Matthew Henry writes:
Her dying is here called the
departing of her soul. Note, The death of the body is but the
departure of the soul to the world of spirits.
I would ask any sincere reader: given the context
of how nephesh is used throughout the entire Old Testament,
is such a conclusion valid, logical, or even possible? We have
listed over 700 verses, half of which teach that the soul is mortal,
subject to death, or actually dead. Are we to believe
that a doctrine so central to the teachings of our modern churches
would only be mentioned in SO FEW VERSES; NONE OF WHICH SAY THAT THE
SOUL IS IMMORTAL, OR GIVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THIS SOUL
SUPPOSEDLY GOES AFTER DEATH?
We hear much about how to study the Bible. We are
told to always consider context, and that doctrines are not to be
drawn from isolated passages but interpreted in light of clear
passages. What makes those who believe in the immortal soul read
Genesis 35:18 in such a way that is absolutely foreign to the way
nephesh is used throughout the entire Old Testament?
Is this really teaching that Rachel's undying
soul departed into the spirit world? Furthermore, does 1 Kings 17:21
(And he stretched himself upon the child three
times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray
thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard
the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again,
and he revived.) teach this?
If you answer yes then you must also admit that
we are supposed to believe that this doctrine is taught in the Old
Testament based on TWO passages out of over 700! That is, less than
three tenths of one percent of all Old Testament passage
which contain nephesh could even begin to be brought forth
in an attempt to maintain this doctrine, while neither passage is
explicit in stating the matter!
On a teaching as important as this, are we to
suppose that God inspired such carelessness in using a word in so
many ways that the result would surely be confusion? In our modern
day churches, when we hear of the 'soul' do we think of the entire
being including the body or some immortal entity within a person?
Based on the overwhelming evidence from the Old testament, how do
you believe the writers understood what a nephesh was?
For me it is impossible to believe that Moses,
after writing that animals were also souls, that souls could be
killed, and that dead bodies were DEAD SOULS, could have possibly
meant that Rachel had some immortal spiritual entity inside her
which departed into another realm at death.
So, what are we to make of the passage?
The Hebrew word which has been translated
'departing' is yatsa, and can be used in a great many
different ways. Strong gives the following definition:
3318 yatsa' (yaw-tsaw');
a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great
variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and
proxim.:
KJV-- X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X begotten, break
out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat,
without), + be condemned, depart (-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the
end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away
(forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth,
on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie)
out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X
scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out,
stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any time, X to
[and fro], utter.
We see this same word used in Genesis 42:28:
And
he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is
even in my sack: and their heart failed
(Heb. yatsa)
them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this
that God hath done unto us?
Are we to take this passage in its most literal
sense and say that their heart departed from them? The
meaning is that their courage failed, ended or ebbed away.
Song of Solomon 5:6 states:
I opened to my beloved; but my
beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul
failed (Heb. yatsa)
when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called
him, but he gave me no answer.
Are we to assume here that this soul departed as
well? No, the context will not allow for such an interpretation. My
point is this:
Given the way soul is used throughout
the entire Old Testament, such an interpretation of Genesis 35:18 is
also impossible. The sense of the passage is that Rachel's life and
being failed, or ebbed away. The passage has nothing to do with a
teaching which is nowhere else to be located within the pages of the
Old Testament. The passage is in perfect harmony with everything
else said regarding the nephesh.
The exact same thought can be seen in 1 Kings
17:21. Elijah prayed for the child's life to return to him,
not an undying, immortal soul which is completely foreign to Old
Testament teaching.
As for the verses where nephesh has been
translated 'ghost', it must be admitted that there is no authority
for rendering the word in such a way. In fact the King James
translation is the only one to translate these verses in
such a way. Other verses translate the 'giving up the ghost', as
'breathed their last', or 'expired'.
In the following passages the soul is said
to go to a place described by four different Hebrew words which have
been rendered in various ways.
Ps 30:3 |
O LORD, thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave
(Heb. sheol):
thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. |
Ps 89:48 |
What man is he that liveth,
and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul
from the hand of the grave
(Heb. sheol)?
Selah. |
Ps 16:10 |
For thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell
(Heb. sheol);
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. |
Ps 86:13 |
For great is thy mercy toward
me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the
lowest hell
(Heb. sheol). |
Prov 23:14 |
Thou shalt beat him with the
rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell
(Heb.
sheol). |
Job 33:18 |
He keepeth back his
soul from the pit
(Heb shachath),
and his life from perishing by the sword. |
Job 33:28 |
He will deliver his
soul from going into the pit
(Heb. shachath),
and his life shall see the light. |
Job 33:30 |
To bring back his soul
from the pit
(Heb. shachath),
to be enlightened with the light of the living. |
Ps 35:7 |
For without cause have they
hid for me their net in a pit
(Heb.
shachath), which without
cause they have digged for my soul. |
Isa 38:17 |
Behold, for peace I had great
bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul
delivered it from the pit
(Heb. shachath)
of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. |
Job 33:22 |
Yea, his soul
draweth near unto the grave
(Heb. shachath),
and his life to the destroyers. |
Ps 94:17 |
Unless the LORD had been my
help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence
(Heb
dumah). |
Jer 18:20 |
Shall evil be recompensed for
good? for they have digged a pit
(Heb. shuchah)
for my soul. Remember that I stood before
thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from
them. |
In the passages above the soul is said to go to
'hell', 'the grave', 'the pit', and 'silence'. The first thing we
must take into consideration about the above verses is that when the
nephesh is said to go to 'hell', the actual Hebrew word for
this place is Sheol.
It is very easy for some, based on preconceived
ideas to immediately seize upon passages such as these as 'proof'
that after a man dies his 'soul' can go to 'hell'. But first,
consider this: out of hundreds of passages which speak of a
nephesh being subject to death or mortality, we only have five
which speak of it as going to Sheol; the only
Hebrew word which is translated 'hell'. Furthermore in
two of these cases Sheol has been translated 'grave'
because the translators knew that a rendering of the word 'hell' in
the context was impossible.
But even beyond this; look at the five verses
above where the 'soul' is said to go to 'Sheol'. In every
instance the 'soul' is 'delivered' from Sheol, 'brought up'
from Sheol, or 'not left' in Sheol! Now, try to
square that with what we have been taught about hell!.
Now this should seem very strange to those who
teach that 'salvation' is the act of 'rescuing a soul from hell'. If
the Bible was written in order that our immortal souls be saved from
'hell', then we can also be sure that this teaching is completely
absent from the Old Testament! Doesn't anyone feel this is a bit
strange?
In all fairness, most Bible scholars who seek to
uphold the immortality of the soul admit that Sheol is not
used as the final place of punishment for the wicked. They do
however seek to maintain that Sheol is a temporary holding
place for immortal souls between death and the resurrection. I
believe that by examining the remaining verses above about where the
soul goes at death that this simply cannot be maintained.
The soul is also said to go to a shachath,
or a pit. Strong gives the following definition of shachath:
7845 shachath (shakh'-ath);
from 7743; a pit (especially as a trap); figuratively,
destruction:
KJV-- corruption, destruction, ditch, grave, pit.
The word is used in a literal sense as hole dug in the ground for
trapping animals, hence, a grave, and used figuratively for
destruction. By using the word interchangeably with Sheol we
can see that 'grave' is the proper meaning of the above verses, not
some subterranean holding place for immortal souls.
Those who maintain the soul's immortality make
much of the fact that a dead body is never said to go to Sheol,
whereas a soul is never said to go to a 'grave' as translated from
the Hebrew word qubewrah, literally a tomb. Some take this
as emphatic proof that the soul and the body separate at death and
go to different destinations.
This however is a straw argument as a slight
amount of reasoning should be able to show.
Remember again how man was created:
Body + Breath of Life = Living Soul
A living soul is living sentient being, or that
person's principle of life. In
chapter one we talked
about the death of Abel, and how Adam and Eve would have reasoned
about what had happened to him when they saw his lifeless corpse.
That corpse was not their son, the living soul Abel because it no
longer contained God's breath of life. The living soul had been
destroyed. They buried his corpse in a tomb, but not the living
sentient being which was his 'soul'. You don't put a living soul
in a tomb, only a dead body. It should not come as a surprise
to us that a 'soul' is never said to be put in a tomb or a sepulcher
when the majority of passages in the Old Testament speak of the soul
as being the whole man. The living soul is a combination of two
components, the body and the breath of life, which are separated at
death.
However, you can dig a pit, or a shachath
for a living animal in order to destroy them, and this is
why this word is used figuratively for the destruction of
the soul, or nephesh. No one sets a trap for dead animals
only for living ones. Therefore it makes perfect sense that a
nephesh is never said to go to Sheol, but that a shachath can
be dug to trap and destroy one.
We have seen literally scores of passages which
teach that souls can be hit with swords, souls can be slain, souls
bleed, souls can be killed and that dead bodies are dead souls! Why
are these passages always ignored? How is it that an argument from
silence (that souls are never said to go to Sheol) carries
more weight than these plain, clear and abundant passages of
scripture?
Again, I do not believe, or teach that
nephesh can only carry one definition. What I do believe from
the evidence presented here is that a definition which would make
nephesh into an invisible, immortal entity inside man which
departs at death simply cannot be maintained from the Old Testament.
You must ASSUME this definition to be true, and then read it back
into whatever passages you can find which may be construed as to
support your theory. while at the same time ignoring all those which
make this position untenable..
The Hebrews in describing what had happened to a
dead person used the term Sheol, which was simply a
metaphorical way of describing the common death state, condition
or place of all who died whether good or bad. This definition
is not based on speculation or the theories of philosophers, but
upon careful study of all scripture passages in which Sheol
is used. If we believe that the Bible is God's only inspired written
revelation to mankind, this is the only safe course for determining
the proper meaning of Biblical terms.
For a detailed discussion of the use of Sheol in the Old
Testament please see Chapter Seven.
Some authors such as Robert Morey attempt to
maintain a man becomes a departed spirit in Sheol upon
death based on the Hebrew word Rapha, which is defined in
some lexicons, as 'shade', 'ghost', or 'departed spirit'. For a
discussion about the true identity of the Rapha, and why
they cannot be the departed spirits of men, please
click here.
Such authors, like Morey, also make much of the
fact that the Jewish literature which originated in the time between
the writings of the Old and New Testaments clearly shows a belief in
man's conscious continued existence after death. Morey uses this in
order to attempt to prove that the Jews ALWAYS held this belief, and
consequently was a belief held by Jesus and the New Testament
writers.
Whether or not such conclusions are valid will be
the subject of sections two and three of this chapter.
SECTIONS TWO AND THREE
FORTHCOMING
HOME
TOP
NEXT
PREVIOUS |