נפש

Hebrew

Root
נ־פ־שׁ (n-p-sh)

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /napʃ/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛ.fɛʃ/, [ˈnɛː.fɛʃ]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈna.faʃ/, [ˈnæː.fæʃ]
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈne.feʃ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *napš-. Compare Akkadian 𒆒 (napāšum, “to breathe”), 𒍣 (napištum, “life”), Arabic نَفْس (nafs, “a soul, a life”), and Ge'ez ነፍስ (näfs).

Noun

נֶפֶשׁ • (néfesh) f (plural indefinite נְפָשׁוֹת, singular construct נֶפֶשׁ־, plural construct נַפְשׁוֹת־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. a soul, psyche (spirit of a person or animal)
2. life (the state of being alive, of living)
   • Tanach, Genesis 9:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו אֶדְרֹשׁ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם

     umiyád haadám miyád ísh achív edrósh et-néfesh haadám

     and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man

3. a person (human being)
   • Tanach, Genesis 36:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיִּקַּח עֵשָׂו אֶת־נָשָׁיו וְאֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בְּנֹתָיו וְאֶת־כָּל־נַפְשׁוֹת בֵּיתוֹ וְאֶת־מִקְנֵהוּ וְאֶת־כָּל־בְּהֶמְתּוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־קִנְיָנוֹ

     vayikákh esáv et-nasháv v'et-banáv v'et-b'notáv v'et-kol-nafshót betó v'et-miknéhu v'et-kol-b'hemtó v'ét kol-kinyanó

     And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions

   • Tanach, Leviticus 21:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא־יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו

     l'néfesh lo-yitamá b'amáv

     There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people

4. will (intent, volition)
   • Tanach, Genesis 23:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     אִם־יֵשׁ אֶת־נַפְשְׁכֶם לִקְבֹּר אֶת־מֵתִי מִלְּפָנַי

     im-yésh et-nafsh'chém likbór et-metí mil'fanáy

     If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight

5. (dated) breath
   • Tanach, Job 41:13, with translation of the New International Version:

     נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט וְלַהַב מִפִּיו יֵצֵא׃

     Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.

Declension

Declension of נֶפֶשׁ

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	נֶפֶשׁ	first	נַפְשִׁי		נַפְשֵׁנוּ
	definite	הַנֶּפֶשׁ	second	נַפְשְׁךָ	נַפְשֵׁךְ	נַפְשְׁכֶם	נַפְשְׁכֶן
	construct	נֶפֶשׁ־	third	נַפְשׁוֹ	נַפְשָׁהּ	נַפְשָׁם	נַפְשָׁן
plural	indefinite	נְפָשׁוֹת	first	נפשותיי / נַפְשׁוֹתַי		נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ
	definite	הַנְּפָשׁוֹת	second	נַפְשׁוֹתֶיךָ	נפשותייך / נַפְשׁוֹתַיִךְ	נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם	נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶן
	construct	נַפְשׁוֹת־	third	נַפְשׁוֹתָיו	נַפְשׁוֹתֶיהָ	נַפְשׁוֹתָם	נַפְשׁוֹתָן

Derived terms

• (will): מה נפשך
• (life): שם נפשו בכפו
• מַחֲלַת נֶפֶשׁ (makhalát néfesh)
• פיקוח נפש / פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ (pikúakh néfesh)
• אַהֲבַת נֶפֶשׁ (ahavát néfesh)
• בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ (b'lev vanéfesh)

Descendants

• English: nephesh

Further reading

• H5315 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

Verb

נָפַשׁ • (nafásh) (pa'al construction)

1. to go on holiday/vacation

Conjugation

Conjugation of נָפַשׁ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לנפוש / לִנְפֹּשׁ action noun: — passive participle: —
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	נָפַשְׁתִּי		נָפַשְׁנוּ
	second	נָפַשְׁתָּ	נָפַשְׁתְּ	נְפַשְׁתֶּם1	נְפַשְׁתֶּן1
	third	נָפַשׁ	נָפְשָׁה	נָפְשׁוּ
present		נוֹפֵשׁ	נוֹפֶשֶׁת	נוֹפְשִׁים	נוֹפְשׁוֹת
future	first	אנפוש / אֶנְפֹּשׁ		ננפוש / נִנְפֹּשׁ
	second	תנפוש / תִּנְפֹּשׁ	תִּנְפְּשִׁי	תִּנְפְּשׁוּ	תנפושנה / תִּנְפֹּשְׁנָה2
	third	ינפוש / יִנְפֹּשׁ	תנפוש / תִּנְפֹּשׁ	יִנְפְּשׁוּ	תנפושנה / תִּנְפֹּשְׁנָה2
imperative		נפוש / נְפֹשׁ	נִפְשִׁי	נִפְשׁוּ	נפושנה / נְפֹשְׁנָה2
notes		Pronounced נָפַשְׁתֶּם and נָפַשְׁתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

נֹפֶשׁ • (nofesh) m

1. defective spelling of נופש