A Word From Paul - April 2018

Word from Paul

ψυχη = psyche = soul

We have many words in English that begin with psych: In the New Testament this word is most commonly translated as “soul” or “life”.  This is a case where the context of the Greek word should determine its meaning.  Mark 10:45 refers to Jesus giving his ψυχη as a ransom for many referring to his death on the cross.  But this would not mean what we commonly call the soul.  In fact, most of the Biblical passages could use the word for life which means more than simply physical life.  The Greeks had another word for life meaning physical life, ζωη refers to “animal” life.  We derive the word zoo from this Greek word.  So the Greek word ψυχη means the whole of a person and not simply physical life.  Luke 12:23 is a good example of the meaning of soul though the translators have used the term life.  “For life  is more than food, and the body more than clothing”.