Jehovah witnes, REVELATION 8:9 new world translation says the creatures of the sea have souls. so why cant we?

Question

REVELATION 8:9
and a third of the creatures that are in the sea which have souls died, and a third of the boats were wrecked

please, what i am trying to get at is that in the NWT (which i copy pasted directly to quote it) it says the creatures of the sea have souls. not that they were living souls but have (or to be in possession of) a soul. how can you parrallell this with genisis, if it does not word it the same way?

Answer 1

Revelation 8:9 plainly belies the claim that a "soul" is an immortal entity which exists separately from a body. Does the questioner really intend to pretend that each fish has immortality in some spirit realm?

Note how several popular translations render Revelation 8:9, plainly indicating that the Greek word for "soul" is easily translated merely as "life".

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
one-third of the creatures that were living in the sea died, and one-third of the ships were destroyed.

King James Bible
And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died

Bible in Basic English
And destruction came on a third part of the living things which were in the sea

Darby Bible Translation
and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea which had life died

Tyndale New Testament
and the third part of the creatures which had life died

Weymouth New Testament
And a third part of the creatures that were in the sea--those that had life--died

Young's Literal Translation
and die did the third of the creatures that are in the sea, those having life


Of course, humans and fish have the same type of "soul" only as long as each is alive. Each living creature has its LIFE.

The bible teaches that 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.

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

The sea does have souls in it and that would include all the animal life in the seas. Read Genesis 2:7 and what does it say Adam became?
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Yes, Adam became a soul. It does not say he was given a soul or that he became a body and a soul. Moses as the writer of Genesis stated it very clearly as to what Adam became. And like Adam we are all living souls or persons.
Souls or people can be beheaded as shown at Revelation 20:4
Read Revelation 16:3---"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea."
Yes, all living creatures or souls died---more proof that the doctrine that says that souls cannot die, is totally false and not a Biblical teaching.
LOBT

Answer 3

The expression is also used at Lev 11:10. I think it refers to sea creatures that have blood. The word soul is used in many different ways in the bible so should not be considered exclusive to any particular setting. As humans we would be considered to be living souls. We don't have a soul, we are a soul.

To Greg H, your KJV has additions, so don't go spouting off like you are so righteous.

The verse refers to sea creatures, and I think it means the ones that have blood. I'm not a marine biologist, but Lev. talks of fish with scales and fins in addition to the ones considered souls.???

Answer 4

The word soul has different meanings. Aside from living being, it can also mean other things. In REv 8:9 it means "life" or "breath"


Thayer Definition of the word "Soul"
1) breath
1a) the breath of life
1a1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing
1a1a) of animals
1a1b) of men
1b) life
1c) that in which there is life
1c1) a living being, a living soul

Answer 5

The Genesis account reports that sea life and flying creatures were the first animal life on earth. It reads: “And God went on to say: ‘Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls and let flying creatures fly over the earth upon the face of the expanse of the heavens.’ ( Gen 1:20-)
Connect that Verse with the one you Bringing to our Attention... Ok.?

Answer 6

It's saying that the sea has souls. All living creatures are souls.

Answer 7

According to the bible
"The soul that is sinning, it will die"
This intimates that the soul and body are one and the same.
While the life force is our spirit, which belongs to God, and goes back to him when we die.

Answer 8

The New World Translation was purposely miss-translated to fit the many false theological positions of the JW's. The King James and NASB didn't hold to their views so they had their translators create one that did.

The New World is perfect for book burning ceremonies, boat anchors, and long range rifle targets.

Answer 9

First of all the Bible does not say that! Read it again and you will see that the creatures were full of life.We humans have a soul forever.

Answer 10

The n.w.t. is not the bible, & the third part of the creatures which were in the sea & had LIFE, died; & the third part of the ships were destroyed. K.J.V. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of the prophesy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, & out of the holy city, & from the things which are written in this book. Rev.21:19. K.J.V.