נפש

Hebrew

Root
נ־פ־שׁ (n-p-sh)
3 terms

Pronunciation

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
isolated forms with possessive pronouns
Number: 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) (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

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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