Scriptural Meaning of the Word Soul.
By Editor
WE have referred to Prof. Bush on this subject, and now quote almost an entire section from him. We are disposed to make use of his words for two reasons: 1. He has cited the original more largely on neh-phesh than any other author with whom we are acquainted. 2. Being entirely a disbeliever in the literality of the resurrection, or in the resurrection of the dead, he naturally did the best that he possibly could do for the spiritualizing view, namely, that the soul is an intangible, immortal entity, the man proper, of which the body is a temporary tenement, to be laid off and never to be resumed. After quoting fifty texts in which he says neh-phesh, soul, is used “as the seat of sensation, the subject of bodily appetites, desires, and the various kinds of sensual or animal affections,” he adds:— “We believe it [the list] contains, on the whole, a pretty fair exhibit of the usage which recognizes the word soul as expressing the seat of what may be termed—whether correctly or not—corporeal sensation and affection, and with which the idea of intellectual attributes is not necessarily connected. Under the next division we are advanced to a higher sense.” It is this “next division,” in which are given instances of the use of the word soul in “a higher sense,” which we here quote. Our quotation marks will indicate the beginning and end of the quotation from him:— “Neh-phesh in the sense of Animus, Rational Soul, Mind, and considered as the seat of various Passions, Emotions, and Affections pertaining to a Rational Being, such as Love, Joy, Fear, Sorrow, Hope, Hatred, Revenge, Contempt, etc.
Gen. 23:8. If it be in your mind that I should bury my dead.
Gen. 34:3. His soul clave unto Dinah. So also verse 8.
Gen. 42:29. We saw the anguish of his soul.
Ex. 23:9. Ye know the heart (the soul, i. e., the feelings) of a stranger.
Lev. 10:29. Ye shall afflict your souls. So also chap. 23:27; 29:32, and often elsewhere.
Lev. 26:15. If your soul abhor my judgments.
Verse 16. And cause sorrow of heart.
Verse 43. Their soul abhorred my statutes.
Num. 21:4. The soul of the people was much discouraged.
Deut. 4:9. Keep thy soul diligently.
Verse 29. Seek him with all thy soul.
Deut. 6:5. With all thy soul and all thy might. So also chap. 10:12, and often elsewhere.
Deut. 11:18. In your heart and in your soul.
Deut. 18:16. With all the desire of his mind.
Deut. 28:68. The Lord shall give . . . thee sorrow of mind.
Judg. 16:16. His soul was vexed unto death.
1 Sam. 1:10. She was in bitterness of soul.
1 Sam. 2:33. To grieve thine heart.
1 Sam. 18:3. He loved him as his own soul.
1 Sam. 22:2. Every one that was discontented—bitter of soul.
1 Sam. 30:6. The soul of all the people was grieved.
2 Sam. 5:8. That are hated of David’s soul.
2 Sam. 17:8. They be chafed in their minds—bitter of soul.
2 Kings 9:15. If it be in your minds, then let none go.
1 Chron. 28:9. Serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind.
Job 30:20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul.
Job 7:11. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. So also chap. 10:1.
Job 7:15. My soul chooseth strangling.
Job 10:1. My soul is weary of life.
Job 14:22. And his soul within him shall mourn.
Job 19:2. How long will ye vex my soul.
Job 30:25. Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
Ps. 6:3. My soul is also sore vexed.
Ps. 10:3. The wicked boasteth of his soul’s desire.
Ps. 11:5. Him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Ps. 27:12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies. So also chap. 41:2.
Ps. 33:20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord.
Ps. 35:9. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord.
Ps. 42:1. So panteth my soul after thee.
Ps. 42:6. My soul is cast down within me. So verse 5, chap. 43:6; 44:25; 57:6.
Ps. 57:1. My soul trusteth in thee.
Ps. 63:8. My soul followeth hard after thee.
Ps. 77:2. My soul refused to be comforted.
Ps. 84:2. My soul longeth . . . for the courts of the Lord.
Ps. 86:4. Rejoice the soul of thy servant.
Ps. 88:3. My soul is full of troubles.
Ps. 94:19. Thy comforts delight my soul.
Ps. 107:26. Their soul is melted because of trouble.
Ps. 119:20. My soul breaketh for the longing it hath unto thy judgments.
Ps. 119:25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust.
Ps. 119:8. My soul melteth for heaviness.
Ps. 123:4. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease.
Ps. 143:12. Destroy all them that afflict my soul.
Prov. 2:10. Knowledge is pleasant to the soul.
Prov. 13:19. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.
Prov. 21:10. The soul of the wicked desireth evil.
Prov. 28:25. He that is of a proud heart.
Prov. 29:17. He shall give delight unto thy soul.
Prov. 36:1. Give wine to those that be of heavy hearts—bitter of soul.
Eccl. 6:3. And his soul be not filled with good.
Cant. 3:1. O thou whom my soul loveth. So also 2, 3, 4.
Isa. 61:10. My soul shall be joyful in God.
Jer. 4:30. My soul is wearied of murderers.
Jer. 6:16. Ye shall find rest for your souls.
Lam. 1:16. The comforter that should relieve my soul.
Lam. 3:51. Mine eye affecteth my heart.
Eze. 23:17. Her mind was alienated from them. So also verses 18, 22, 28.
Eze. 24:21. That which your soul pitieth.
Eze. 25:6. Rejoiced in heart with thy despite.
Eze. 25:15. Taken vengeance with a despiteful heart.
Eze. 36:5. Which have appointed my land . . . with despiteful minds.
Hos. 4:8. They set their heart on their iniquity.
Jon. 2:7. When my soul fainted.
Mic. 7:3. He uttereth his mischievous desire—Heb., the mischief of his soul.
Hab. 2:4. Behold his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him.
Hab. 2:5. Who enlargeth his desire as hell.” The foregoing is the entire list given by Prof. Bush under that head. We quoted thus at length because we wished the readers to notice particularly two points in connection with his citations. 1. That these texts give the idea of personality, as we have all along claimed that the soul is used to express the person, the being, the man, wholly and entirely. In this list it will be seen that neh-phesh with the pronouns, as his soul, my soul, your souls, their souls, etc., may with all propriety be rendered himself, myself, yourselves, themselves, etc. And, 2. The qualities here ascribed to neh-phesh, where the Professor says it is used in “a higher sense,” are ascribed to the lower animals. Therefore its use in this higher sense proves nothing whatever as respects the immaterial or immortal nature of man. And this Prof. Bush admits in other places, as we will now show. We note that in the heading of this section he says that neh-phesh in these texts is used “in the sense of a rational soul, mind,” that is, in “a higher sense” than in the texts in a preceding list, and ascribes to that rational soul the “various passions, emotions, and affections pertaining to a rational being, such as love, joy, fear, sorrow, hope, hatred, revenge, contempt, etc.” Yet in another place he uses the following language:— “Advancing still farther in the gradation of sense, we find the term extending its import to embrace the idea of a higher class of affections, such as pertain to a rational being, and imply the exercise of those various passions and emotions which have their seat in a higher region of intellect. The examples, however, of this usage, given under the fourth head [the one we have copied herein], evince that we are still within the range of that import of the word which applies to beasts as well as to man. Nothing is more obvious than that the brute creation is possessed of emotions and passions as truly as man. While the degree of intelligence they manifest is often astonishing, they give proof also of being affected by love, joy, fear, sorrow, hatred, jealousy, and shame. So far therefore as these affections in man can be predicated of the psuchee, or soul [same as neh-phesh], as their subject, so far must they be referred to the same subject in the nature of beasts. Still man is distinguished by a heaven-wide difference from the highest grade of the brute tribes, yet not upon the ground of the psuchee,” or neh-phesh. This is a remarkable concession to be made by a man who labored so long and so ardently to prove that the higher nature and immortality of man is found in the neh-phesh, or psuchee, soul. He has claimed the impropriety of applying the term soul, which is from neh-phesh, to beasts. He has predicated certain passions and emotions of “a higher region of intellect.” And then concedes that these passions and emotions are manifested in beasts, and that man’s superiority to the beasts is entirely outside of the neh-phesh, or psuchee, or soul. He assumes that the superiority of man is found in the possession of the roo-ach, or spirit, which is never, he says, ascribed to beasts. But in this he is as greatly mistaken as he was on the neh-phesh, for the Scriptures directly affirm that man and beasts have one roo-ach, or spirit. But on this subject we are not speaking at present.