This passage may stand as the representative of a large number occurring in the Psalms, where the same expression in the original is sometimes rendered by “seeking the soul," and sometimes by "seeking the life." The import is undoubtedly to seek the life with a view to destroy it. We would therefore render the phrase uniformly by life instead of soul. In like manner the phrase "laying wait for the soul," we take to be equivalent to "laying wait for the life" with a persecuting or murderous intent. So again, preserving, delivering, redeeming the soul, is, we suppose, to be understood of performing these offices for the life, though it is possible there may be cases of this kind where a higher meaning may be attached to the word soul, and one that shall bring it under a subsequent head. Prov. 1. 18, "They lurk privily for their own lives ()." 6. 26, "The adulteress will hunt for the precious life (EE)." 7.23," And knoweth not that it is for his life (i)." "12. 10, "A righteous man regardeth the life (?) of his beast." 13. 3, "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life 13. 8, "The ransom of a man's life () are his Is. 15. 4, "His life (2) shall be grievous unto him." 48. 6, "Flee, save your lives (EE)." Lam. 2. 12, "When their soul () was poured out into their mother's bosom," i. e. their life. This is understood by some to be equivalent to the blood. 2. 19, 66 Lift up thine hands toward him for the life () of thy young children." 5.9, "We gat our bread with the peril of our lives ()." Ezek. 32. 10, "They shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life (?).” 47. 9, "And it shall come to pass that every thing that liveth (b, every soul of life) shall live." Jon. 1. 14, "Let us not perish for this man's life (W)." 4. 3, “Take, I beseech thee, my life (").” 66 Mat. 2. 20, "For they are dead which sought the young 66 child's life (yuziv).” 10. 39, "He that findeth his life (yvzny) shall lose it; and he that loseth his life (yvzv) for my sake, shall find it." So also ch. 16. 25. this that passage the word Mr. Barnes remarks upon life is used in two senses. The meaning may be expressed thus: He that is anxious to secure his temporal life, or his comfort and security here, shall lose eternal life; or shall fail of heaven. He that is willing to lose his comfort and life here, for my sake, shall find everlasting life, or shall be saved." In either case there is a superadded sense of enjoyment, which is frequently to be recognized in the use of the word life, both in the Old Testament and the New. Mat. 16 26," For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul (pvzny, life), or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (pvz, life) ?” In the parallel passage, Luke 9. 25, it is said, “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?" The word life or soul, therefore, in this connection must doubtless be taken in the same sense with No. 6, implying that which constitutes the ipseity or essential self of a man. This is the highest import of the word soul, and involves more than the simple idea of physical life. There is, therefore, some ground for rendering yun by soul here, though the same term is rendered in the preceding verse by life. Mat. 20. 28, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life (yvxv) a ransom for many." So Mark, 8. 45. Mark, 3. 4, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath-days, or to do evil? to save life (pvzny), or to kill?” Luke, 14. 26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and brethren, and sis ters, yea, and his own life (yvzn) also, he cannot be my disciple." John, 10. 11, "I am the good shepherd that giveth his life (yuz) for the sheep." So also ch. 10, 15. 13. 37, "I will lay down my life (yum) for thy sake." So v. 33, and 15. 13. Acts, 15. 26," Men that have hazarded their lives (pvzàs) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 20. 10, "Trouble not yourselves, for his life (yuzǹ) is in him." 20. 24, "Neither count I my life (yvzny) dear unto myself." 27. 10, "I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives (yuzar)." 27. 22, "There shall be no loss of any man's life (yuzhs) among you, but only of the ship." Rom. 11.3, "I am left alone, and they seek my life (yvznv).” 16. 4, “ Who have for my life (wuz's) laid down their own necks." Phil. 2. 30, So 1 John, 3. 16. "For the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life (yvx}).” Rev. 8. 9, 66 "And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life (yvzàs, souls), died.” 12. 11, "And they loved not their lives (yuzus) unto the death." This, however, may be rendered souls in the sense of themselves. The above list of citations contains nearly all the prominent instances to be found in the Old and New Testaments of the use of the word, yuz, in the sense of life. The passages omitted are mostly repetitions of certain texts that occur in our catalogue. The Greek rendering of p, we believe is, in every case, przǹ. The English representative soul occurs in a few instances, but the dominant term is correctly life. The most obvious idea which is to be attached to life in these connexions is simply that of the animal or vital principle by which a living is distinguished from a dead body. As the term is applied equally to men and to beasts, there is no necessary implication, as far as these passages are concerned, of those intellectual and moral attributes usually indicated by the word soul, and which constitute that element of our being of which immortality is more properly predicated. We shall find, indeed, in the classifications that follow, that the word is used extensively in a higher sense and one that involves the import of animus as well as anima, or of the rational faculties peculiar to man as standing at the head of the terrestrial order of creatures. In pursuing, however, the train of development which we have marked out, we encounter a peculiar difficulty in discriminating accurately between the purely intellectual and the emotional or sensitive part of our nature, alluded to in a great variety of texts. That the term in its genuine significance points often to that principle which is the seat of sensation and affection, rather than of intellection, we think is undoubted. Still as these principles co-exist and co-act together by the very constitution of our being, it is not perhaps to be expected that the line which separates their respective spheres should be made, by the sacred writers, very distinctly conspicuous. We can hardly expect, therefore, that the following, or in fact that any, classification can carry with it such ample evidence of its truth as to preclude all doubt. The usage of terms in all languages frequently varies by such nice and imperceptible shades, and, according to the genius of the writer or the scope of the context, their different senses so glide into and blend with each other, that the attempt to discriminate them is like the 'attempt to mark the precise line of separation between the tints of the rainbow. All that we can aim at is the nearest possible approximation to a correct estimate of the force of the term in question in its different textual relations. $4. as the Seat of Sensation, the Subject of Bodily Appetites, Desires, and the various kinds of Sensual or Animal Affections. Ex. 15. 9, "My lust (, my soul,) shall be satisfied upon them." Num. 21. 5, Our soul () loatheth this light bread." Deut. 12. 15, 20, 21, "Whatsoever thy soul (7) lusteth 66 66 after." 12. 20, “Thy soul (7) longeth to eat flesh." 14. 16, "Whatsoever thy soul () lusteth after, ... whatsoever thy soul (2) desireth." 13. 6, “With all the desire of his mind (?).” 21. 14, "If thou have no delight in her, thou shalt let her go whither she will (, lit. to her soul)." 24. 15, "For he is poor, and setteth his heart (?, his soul) upon it." 1 Sam. 2. 16, "Take as much as thy soul (2) desireth." Job, 6. 7, "The things that my soul (2) refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat." "" 24. 12, "And the soul (?) of the wounded crieth out." That which is the seat of sensation. 33. 20, “So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul (i) dainty meat." Ps. 10. 3, "The wicked boasteth of his heart's (i) de sire." 35. 13, "I humbled my soul (") with fasting." 69. 1, "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul ()." My troubles reach the inmost seat of sensation. |