What is the Jehovah's Witness definition of the "soul"?

Question

From my last Jehovah's Witness question (see link below) I learned that JWs believe the "soul" is actually our physical body.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuW.RS42c_NPpRDz8gsAZfXsy6IX?qid=20070806101126AAbKu6b

Today in my studies I came across a couple of scriptures in which people died and came back to life through a miracle...

1King 17:21-22
And he proceeded to stretch himself upon the child three times and call to Jehovah and say: “O Jehovah my God, please, cause the soul of this child to come back within him.” Finally Jehovah listened to E·li´jah’s voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life.

Luke 8:53-55
At this they began to laugh at him scornfully, because they knew she had died. But he took her by the hand and called, saying: “Girl, get up!” And her spirit returned, and she rose instantly, and he ordered something to be given her to eat.

In the first account, it is said that the dead boy's soul came back into his body, and that is what restored him to life. In the second account, it is said that the dead girl's spirit came back into her body, and that is what restored her to life.

It seems to me that the soul and the spirit are synonymous. But according to Jehovah's Witnesses they are not (if I understand them correctly). Please explain.

Answer 1

Perform a text search with any bible on the word "soul". Try to read each verse substituting the word "ghost" and see how many make sense. Then try to read each verse substituting the word "life" and note that nearly every instance makes perfect sense.


What does the bible teach about "the soul"?

A "soul" is a life, with no implication regarding some immortal otherwordly entity. Each deceased life is in Jehovah God's remembrance (with the potential for future resurrection), but the dead do not exist anywhere but memories until and unless the life is resurrected.

(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning - it itself will die.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all

(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]

(Genesis 2:17) But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

(Genesis 17:14) And an uncircumcised male who will not get the flesh of his foreskin circumcised, even that soul must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

(Judges 16:30) And Samson proceeded to say: “Let my soul die with the Philistines.” Then he bent himself with power, and the house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the people that were in it, so that the dead that he put to death in his own death came to be more than those he had put to death during his lifetime.

(Job 33:22) And his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those inflicting death.

(Psalm 78:50) He did not hold back their soul from death itself; And their life he handed over even to the pestilence.

(Isaiah 53:12) he poured out his soul to the very death

(Acts 3:23) Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’

(Revelation 16:3) And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea. And it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.


Incidentally, the word "spirit" means "that which is invisible but whose effects can be seen".

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050501/article_02.htm

Answer 2

when the prophet Elijah performed a miracle regarding the dead son of the widow of Zarephath, the child’s ne′phesh (“soul,” or life as a creature) came back into him and “he came to life,” was again a living creature.—1Ki 17:17-23.
Because the creature’s life is so inseparably connected with and dependent on blood (shed blood standing for the life of the person or creature [Ge 4:10)the Scriptures speak of the ne′phesh (soul) as being “in the blood.” This is, obviously, not meant literally, inasmuch as the Scriptures also speak of the “blood of your souls” (Ge 9:5; compare Jer 2:34) and the many references already considered could not reasonably be applied solely to the blood or its life-supporting qualities.
Did not the Christian apostle Paul say that “the first man Adam was made a living soul”? Hence when Adam died at the age of 930 years and returned to the dust because he was dust to begin with, the human soul died. (Gen. 3:19; 5:5)

Answer 3

You have to understand what the soul is.

Psykhe (Greek) and Nephesh (Hebrew) are both translated soul. These word means living being, breath, life ect. So they are nothing more then the life of the person.

1King 17:21-22

Yes your Soul can come back to you if you are resurrected. Since the Soul is the breath, life of the person, it can come back.

Luke 8:53-55

Shows the spirit returning to the girl, but it has nothing to do with the soul. God can give spirit to those seeking it.

Answer 4

The spirit is the life force that keeps the body animated or alive, the soul is an entire person the being, Elijah was just asking Jehovah to return the life to the boy, asking to put the life force back in the boy.

Answer 5

Basically the soul is your whole being, your life and body together.

Compare it to a lamp. The lamp is your physical body. The elecricity to power it is your life force or your spirit. But the soul is both together. It's like the light produced.

Gen 2:7 also explains this a bit. Adam was just a body when he was created, then God blew the breath of life into his nostrils and he became a soul.

Answer 6

Both the words ne´phesh and psy·khe´ (soul) are also used to mean life—not merely as an abstract force or principle—but life as a creature, human or animal:

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=05315&version=kjv

(Note that of the 753 times ne´phesh was used, 117 times it meant "life")

So when Rachel was giving birth to Benjamin, her ne´phesh ("soul," or life as a creature) went out from her and she died. (Ge 35:16-19) She ceased to be a living creature. Similarly, when the prophet Elijah performed a miracle regarding the dead son of the widow of Zarephath, the child’s ne´phesh ("soul," or life as a creature) came back into him and "he came to life," was again a living creature.—1Ki 17:17-23.

Answer 7

He breathed into his nostrels the breath of life and he came to be a living soul.
So when this power or spirit leaves your dead. If this spirit is put back into the body then it would again be a living soul.
We see cases where a person is clinically dead. Then they do CPR and they start breathing again.
Jesus was killed and came back and showed himself for 40 days before assending to heaven. Making a soul or human body is for spirit persons not that hard. we are just ectoplasm stuck together.
But there is no record of them saying "hay you brought me back to this earth and I was having fun in heaven"
Or did you hear them say, "Thanks guys I was in hell"

Answer 8

I can answer your question but you need to get a copy of the Hebrew,Greek English translation to see for yourself. In the Hebrew scriptures, when God created the animals he called them NEPHESH, when He created humans he called them NEPHESH also. Nephesh is translated as "living soul". In order to support the false teaching of a soul that lives forever most translations started translating Nephesh as creature when referring to animals and translating it as soul when referring to humans, therefore making a distinction between creatures and humans. Mankind started translating one word (nephesh) to mean two different things to support there false teachingsThis is a little vague but if you get a copy of the translation I mentioned you can see for yourself that Nephesh was translated as living soul for both animals and humans in the original language. Hope this has helped to answer your question

Answer 9

Yeah, that's what they told me too. They also think that we are going to spend eternity here on earth. They also think that they are the 144,000. I am a Christian and I completely disagree. Please post your beliefs......

Answer 10

You have it right bro! JW's will try to tell you that those who aren't memebers of their watchtower cult will cease to be after death. This is isn't biblical. Our souls face judgment.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Heb. 9:27

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
soul /soʊl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sohl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation,
–noun
1.the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.