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Soul

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Spiritual Life › Soul

The question

Is it the soul or spirit that will be judged on judgment day?

The answer

The word SOUL is translated from the Hebrew word nepesh, a "breathing" creature or the Greek word psuche, "breath," etc., the equivalent of nepesh. In Arabic it is called "nafs". This word soul has two distinct meanings in the Holy Bible:
  1. The soul, which makes a human or animal body alive. This usage of the word soul refers to life in the physical body. "And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin" (Genesis 35:18). "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Elijah the Prophet brought a child back to life when "And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him"(1 Kings 17:21).



  2. The soul is  the inner life of man, his emotions, and his desires: love "His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman" (Genesis 34:3); longing for God "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1); rejoicing "Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (Psalm 86:4); knowing "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 139:14); and memory "My soul still remembers and sinks within me" (Lamentations 3:20); In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of His soul as being "exceedingly sorrowful" (Matthew 26:38). St. Mary proclaimed that her soul "magnifies the Lord" (Luke 1:46). St. John prayed that Gaius would "prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2).
The word SPIRIT is translated from the Hebrew word ruah, "breath, wind"; and the Greek. pneuma, "wind, breath," the "vital principle,". In Arabic it is translated "roh." The term is used in the Scriptures generally to denote purely spiritual being; also the spiritual, immortal part in man. While the term soul specifies that which is in the immaterial part of man that concerns life, action, and emotion, the term spirit is that part related to worship and divine communion. Animals do not have a spirit but do have a soul. There are verses that emphasize the  distinction between soul and spirit "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23); "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

However, sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably, the same functions being ascribed to each. Compare the Holy Book of James 5:20 to the Holy Book of 1 Corinthians 5:5 and the Holy Book of 1 Peter 2:11 to the Holy Book of 2 Corinthians 7:1.

In the Day of Judgment the whole person will be judged after the resurrection of the bodies.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 579 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.