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NASB | 2 Corinthians 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Corinthians 5:8 we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. |
Subject: body dies/soul goes where? |
Bible Note: IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL? In the Bible the word "soul" appears in many translations as a rendering for the Hebrew word ne´phesh and the Greek word psy·khe´. (See, for example, Ezekiel 18:4 and Matthew 10:28 in the Authorized Version, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version and Douay Version.) These same Hebrew and Greek terms have also been translated as "being," "creature" and "person." Regardless of whether your Bible consistently renders the original-language words as "soul" (as does the New World Translation), an examination of texts where the words ne´phesh and psy·khe´ appear will help you to see what these terms meant to God's people of ancient times. Thus you can determine for yourself the true nature of the soul. Describing the creation of the first man, Adam, the opening book of the Bible says: "Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul [ne´phesh]." (Genesis 2:7) We may note that the Bible does not say that 'man received a soul,' but that "man came to be a living soul." Did first-century Christian teaching differ from this concept of "soul"? No. In what is commonly called the "New Testament," the statement about Adam's creation is quoted as fact: "It is even so written: 'The first man Adam became a living soul."' (1 Corinthians 15:45) In the original language of this text the word for "soul," psy·khe´, appears. Accordingly, in this scripture the Greek word psy·khe´, like the Hebrew word ne´phesh, designates, not some invisible spirit residing in man, but man himself. Rightly, then, certain Bible translators have chosen to use such words as "being," "creature" and "person" in their renderings of Genesis 2:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:45.-New English Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Revised Standard Version; compare The Bible in Living English, which uses "person" at Genesis 2:7 but "soul" at 1 Corinthians 15:45. Belief in a fiery hell is thus seen to rest on the teaching that man has a soul that survives the death of the body. But is this teaching in harmony with the Bible? |