לְ/נַפְשֹׁתָֽ/ם
𐤋/𐤍𐤐𐤔𐤕/𐤌
nephesh
for their lives
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.'
Proverbs 1:18 · Word #5
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/Ncbpc/Sp3mp
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 | p — Plural — Plural |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | for their lives |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5315-25
for their living-selves
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לְ + noun feminine plural construct + 3mp pronominal suffix. |
| Rendering Rationale | The plural construct form נַפְשׁוֹת with 3rd person masculine plural suffix denotes "their living beings/selves," and the prefixed לְ adds "for." "Living-selves" preserves the root sense of breathing, animate life rather than an abstract "soul." |
View full lexicon entry for H5315 →
SILEX v2