What does נֶפֶשׁ · חָבַל mean in the Bible?
e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)".
Hebrew · H5315, H2254
נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל
Properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) · to wind tightly (as a rope), i.e. to bind ; specifically, by a pledge ; figuratively, to pervert , destroy ; also to writhe in pain (especially of parturition)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
נֶפֶשׁ H5315 properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
Pronunciation nafsho
Vitality or lifeforce of a creature; ranges from physical breath to desire, appetite, and personal identity or selfhood.
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חָבַל H2254 to wind tightly (as a rope), i.e. to bind ; specifically, by a pledge ; figuratively, to pervert , destroy ; also to writhe in pain (especially of parturition)
Pronunciation yəḥabbel
Binding action that moves from physical restraint to covenant violation, corruption, and destructive harm of persons.
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What does נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל (nephesh hu chovel) mean in the Bible?
נֶפֶשׁ · חָבַל is a Hebrew phrase meaning "properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)".
Full entry for נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל (H5315, H2254) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H5315, H2254?
H5315, H2254 is connected to 784 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
Strong's H5315, H2254
Lexical occurrences 784 verses Source Gloss
properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל is built from this root:
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain