בְּ/נַפְשׁ֥/וֹ
𐤁/𐤍𐤐𐤔/𐤅
nephesh
with its life
The animate self; a living being with breath; the seat of life or vitality in animals and humans. In the Hebrew Bible, 'nephesh' refers to living creatures, the essential self or person, appetite, desire, and occasionally the seat of emotions or consciousness. It can indicate the life that animates a body, a specific individual, or one's being in a holistic sense. Unlike later concepts of an immortal soul distinct from the body, 'nephesh' primarily expresses the living, breathing person or animal, often rendered as 'life', 'person', or 'being.'
Genesis 9:4 · Word #3
Lexicon H5315
| Lemma | נֶפֶשׁ |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤍𐤐𐤔 |
| Transliteration | nephesh |
| Strong's | H5315 |
| Definition | The animate self; a living being with breath; the seat of life or vitality in animals and humans. In the Hebrew Bible, 'nephesh' refers to living creatures, the essential self or person, appetite, desire, and occasionally the seat of emotions or consciousness. It can indicate the life that animates a body, a specific individual, or one's being in a holistic sense. Unlike later concepts of an immortal soul distinct from the body, 'nephesh' primarily expresses the living, breathing person or animal, often rendered as 'life', 'person', or 'being.' |
Morphology HR/Ncbsc/Sp3ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | b — Both — Both (masculine and feminine) |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | with its life |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5315-05
in his living-self
| Morphological Notes | Preposition בְּ + noun common singular construct נֶפֶשׁ + 3ms pronominal suffix; masculine singular possessive. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun נֶפֶשׁ denotes the breathing, living self or life-being. In construct with a 3rd masculine singular suffix and prefixed בְּ, the form literally expresses location or state within "his living-self," preserving both the preposition and possessive morphology. |
View full lexicon entry for H5315 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
in his life
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Standardized from "with its life". Hebrew בְּנַפְשׁוֹ literally means “in/with its life.” There is nothing in the Genesis 9:4 context that forces a different sense; “in his life” conveys the same meaning as “with its life” and should be used for consistency with the chosen standard rendering. |