Daily Bible Nugget #766, Matthew 2:20

The Nugget:

Mat 2:20  Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.

My Comment:

My last several posts presented a careful and complete study of the terms soul and spirit as they are used in the Old Testament.

In this post I present a complete study of the use of the term soul as it is used in the New Testament.

Notice Category (2) below. This category utterly refutes the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other mistaken denominations, religions, and individuals who teach that your soul is you and dies when the body dies.

From the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury notes on Matthew 2:20

life. Gr. psuchē or psychē, *S# G5590. This Greek word occurs 105 times in the New Testament, and its uses and occurrences may be classified as follows:

(1) FS121A7, Metonymy of the Cause, “soul” put for “life,” which is the effect of it. The natural life of the body, Mat 2:20; Mat 6:25; Mat 6:25; Mat 10:39; Mat 10:39; Mat 16:25; Mat 16:25; Mat 20:28, Mar 3:4; Mar 8:35; Mar 8:35; Mar 10:45, Luk 6:9; Luk 9:56; Luk 12:22, 23; Luk 14:26; Luk 17:33 a. Joh 10:11; Joh 10:15; Joh 10:17; Joh 12:25 a, Joh 12:25 b. Joh 13:37, 38, Joh 15:13, Act 15:26; Act 20:10; Act 20:24; Act 27:10; Act 27:22, Rom 11:3; Rom 16:4, Php 2:30, 1Jn 3:16; 1Jn 3:16, Rev 8:9; Rev 12:11, Rendered “soul,” Mat 16:26; Mat 16:26, Mar 8:36, 37, Luk 12:20, 1Th 2:8,

(2) The immaterial, invisible part of man: **Mat 10:28, Act 2:27; Act 2:31, 1Th 5:23, Heb 4:12,

(3) The disembodied man (2Co 5:3, 4; 2Co 12:2): Rev 6:9; Rev 20:4,

(4) The seat of personality: Luk 9:24; Luk 9:24, Heb 6:19; Heb 10:39,

(5) FS121A9A. Metonymy of Cause. The seat of perception, feeling, desire: Mat 11:29, Luk 1:46; Luk 2:35, Act 14:2 (mind), Act 14:22; Act 15:24,

(6) FS121A9B. Metonymy of Cause. The seat of will and purpose: Mat 22:37, Mar 12:30; Mar 12:33, Luk 10:27, Act 4:32, Eph 6:6, Php 1:27, Col 3:23, Heb 12:3,

(7) The seat of appetite: Rev 18:14,

(8) FS121A8, Metonymy of Cause, soul put for person. FS171Q1A. Synecdoche of the Part, an integral part of man (individually) is put for the whole person. Used of persons or individuals: Act 2:41; Act 2:43; Act 3:23; Act 7:14; Act 27:37, Rom 2:9; Rom 13:1, *Jas 5:20, 1Pe 3:20, 2Pe 2:14, Rev 18:13,

(9) FS171Q2, Synecdoche of the Part. The expression “my soul,” “his soul,” etc., becomes by Synecdoche the idiom for me, myself, himself, etc. Used to emphasize the personal pronoun:

(a) in the first person: Mat 12:18; Mat 26:38, Mar 14:34, Luk 12:19; Luk 12:19, Joh 10:24 (us). Joh 12:27, 2Co 1:23, Heb 10:38 (soul);

(b) in the second person: 2Co 12:15 mg. Heb 13:17, Jas 1:21, 1Pe 1:9; 1Pe 1:22; 1Pe 2:25;

(c) in the third person: 1Pe 4:19, 2Pe 2:8,

(10) FS171Q3, Synecdoche of the Part. “Soul” (Gr. psychē) is also used of animals. An animate creature, human or other: 1Co 15:45, Rev 16:3,

(11) The “inward man,” seat of the new life: Luk 21:19, 1Pe 2:11, 3Jn 1:2,

Compare the classification of the corresponding Old Testament term nephesh at Gen 2:7 note.