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FAQ: What is meant by soul?
REPLY: Soul began appearing in the Bible in the book of Genesis by the
Hebrew word nephesh (neh'-fesh) which isn't unique to human life. Its first
appearance is at Gen 1:20-21 in reference to aqua creatures and winged
creatures; again at Gen 1:24 as terra creatures; viz: cattle, creepy crawlies,
and wild beasts; and again in Gen 2:7 as the human creature; and yet again
at Gen 9:10 to classify every living thing aboard Noah's ark.
Soul is somewhat ambiguous but basically refers to consciousness, self
awareness, and individuality. It's sometimes a reference to one's heart, e.g.
Gen 34:3, and to the core of one's being, e.g. Gen 27:4.
All in all, soul is just another way of referring to that part of sentient life that
we call "self" which is basically the individuality and identity of a person. For
example according to Lev 26:11, Lev 26:30, Judg 10:16, Isa 42:1, Jer
32:41, and Zech 11:8, God has a soul too which makes sense seeing as how
God is a person rather than an extra terrestrial species of plant life, or a
machine, a chemical, or a mineral.
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