נפש

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Hebrew

Root
נ־פ־שׁ (n-p-š)

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־)

  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
Descendants
  • English: nephesh
Further reading

Etymology 2

Verb

נָפַשׁ • (nafásh) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

  1. to go on holiday/vacation
Conjugation
Conjugation of נָפַשׁ (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 
non-finite forms
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
  1. Pronounced נָפַשְׁתֶּם and נָפַשְׁתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
  2. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

נֹפֶשׁ • (nofesh) m

  1. defective spelling of נופש
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