The first time nefesh is used in Scripture it refers to the animals in the sea, the air, and on the land when they were created as ‘breathing’ creatures. When it is used of man in Genesis 2:8, it includes the living, breathing person of Adam along with the neshama of God’s divine ‘breath’ giving Adam not just physical animal/flesh soul, but a living spiritual soul as well.
Category: Hebrew Lexicon
These articles give insight into the meaning of Hebrew words.
Soul – Hebrew: Neshama
The neshama seeks a relationship with its Creator. The neshama is self-aware and desires spiritual nourishment like “the deer pants for living water” (Psalm 42:2). The neshama gains wisdom from listening to the Word of God. Adam and Havah sinned against Elohim by listening to their carnal desire and lost the ability to ‘hear’ His voice. Consequently, though we are all born with a ‘soul,’ it does not contain the ‘holy breath’ of God.
Helper – Hebrew: Shammes
By the time of the Feast of Dedication, the Jewish people had been exiled to Babylon and Assyria and could very easily have incorporated ‘foreign’ words into their vocabulary just as we have with the days of the week: Thursday for Thor, Wednesday for Odin, even Saturday for Saturn. Perhaps even to worship the God of Israel in their exile, they used the term shamash in order to remain alive.
Sabbath – Hebrew: Shabbat
In the gospels, Yeshua says in Matthew that he is ‘Lord of the Sabbath.’ This means he is Lord of the seventh-day Sabbath as that was the commandment given by God. Had he disobeyed that commandment or even changed that commandment to another day, he would have been a sinful man instead of our Savior.