נַפְשְׁ/כֶ֡ם
𐤍𐤐𐤔/𐤊𐤌
nephesh
soul-your(pl)
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.'
Job 16:4 · Word #7
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 HNcbsc/Sp2mp
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 | soul-your(pl) |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5315-35
your living-being
| Morphological Notes | Noun, common, singular construct + 2nd person masculine plural pronominal suffix. |
| Rendering Rationale | "Nephesh" denotes the breathing, animate self—the life-bearing being. The singular noun in construct with a 2nd person masculine plural suffix yields "your living-being," addressing a group as possessing this singular, holistic animate self. |
View full lexicon entry for H5315 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
your life
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | Standardized from "your living being". The Hebrew phrase is בְּכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶם (nefesh) which is regularly rendered in SIBI as “your life.” The context pairs “heart” and “nefesh” as an idiom for the whole person, so “your life” is accurate and clearer than the literalistic “your living being.” For consistency and readability, standardize to “your life.” |