נַפְשׁ֖/וֹ
𐤍𐤐𐤔/𐤅
nafesho
his life
from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental); any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, [phrase] slay, soul, [phrase] tablet, they, thing, ([idiom] she) will, [idiom] would have it.
Jeremiah 21:9 · Word #18
Lexicon H5315
| Lemma | נֶפֶשׁ |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤍𐤐𐤔 |
| Transliteration | nephesh |
| Strong's | H5315 |
| In-context | his life |
Morphology HNcbsc/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 H5315-38
his life-breath
| Root | נפש (n-p-sh) |
| Core Meanings | breath, life, living being, vitality, self |
| Semantic Range | breath, life, living being, person, self, inner desire, appetite, emotional center, life-force, corpse (as departed life) |
| Conceptual Significance | נֶפֶשׁ expresses the holistic Hebrew view of a person as a living, breathing being rather than a dualistic body–soul divide. It encompasses physical life, personal identity, and inner desire, highlighting the integrated nature of human existence in biblical thought. |
| Morphological Notes | Common feminine singular noun in construct form (נַפְשׁ) with 3rd masculine singular pronominal suffix (וֹ), literally "the life-breath of him." |
| Rendering Rationale | נֶפֶשׁ derives from the root נ-פ-שׁ, associated with breathing and animating life. Rendering it as "life-breath" preserves the concrete sense of living vitality rather than the later abstract idea of an immaterial soul. The 3rd masculine singular pronominal suffix is reflected in "his," and the singular form of the noun is maintained. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root נפש (breath, life, living being, vitality, self)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H5315-01 |
banefesh | against the life-being |
H5315-02 |
benafesham | in their living-being |
H5315-04 |
benafeshi | with my life-breath |
Word Usage (757 occurrences of H5315)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 1:20 | נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | of living creatures |
| Genesis 1:21 | נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | living creature |
| Genesis 1:24 | נֶ֤פֶשׁ | nefesh | living creatures |