לְ/נַפְשׁ֣/וֹ
𐤋/𐤍𐤐𐤔/𐤅
nephesh
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.'
Ecclesiastes 6:2 · Word #11
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 |
SIBI-P1 Translation H5315-24
for his living-self
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לְ + noun feminine singular construct נֶפֶשׁ + 3ms pronominal suffix; literally "for/to his nephesh." |
| Rendering Rationale | The preposition לְ marks "for/to," and נֶפֶשׁ in construct with a 3ms suffix denotes "his nephesh"—his animate, breathing self. "Living-self" preserves the root idea of breath-animated life rather than an abstract immortal soul. |
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