ב/נפש/ו
𐤁/𐤍𐤐𐤔/𐤅
nephesh
against his 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.'
2 Samuel 18:13 · 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 | against his life |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5315-63
in his living-being
| Morphological Notes | Noun, common singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; prefixed preposition ב ("in"). |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun נֶפֶשׁ denotes the animate, breathing self—the living being as a whole. In construct with a 3ms suffix and prefixed ב, it yields "in his living-being," preserving both the possessive morphology and the root sense of breathed life. |
View full lexicon entry for H5315 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
against his life
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | P1 'in his living-being' is contextually awkward. The phrase denotes acting against someone's life. Standard rendering is 'against his life.' Adjusted for typical legal idiom in context. |