.
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.
God has a soul too. (Lev 26:11, Lev 26:30, Judg 10:16, Isa 42:1, Jer 32:41,
and Zech 11:8)
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.
The human soul is very durable. Although the body can be killed by man, the
soul can only be killed by the hand of God.
• Matt 10:28 . . Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
Hell.
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