Strong's Lexicon

G5590

G5590 — ψυχή

Greek entry for Bible study and original-language reference.

GreekpsuchenounOccurrences: 103

Definition / Gloss

Strong's Number:G5590
Word:ψυχή
Part of Speech:noun
Etymology:from G5594
Language:Greek
Occurrences:103
Transliteration:psuche
Phonetic Spelling/Pronunciation:psoo-khay'
Meaning:1. soul, inner being or life 2. (literally) breath 3. (figuratively) the heart's desire, the drive or passion of one's soul (i.e. that which brings satisfaction to one's being) {(the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants}
KJV Renderings:heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you

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Thayer's Greek Lexicon

ψυχή, ψυχῆς, (ψύχω, to breathe, blow), from Homer down, the Sept. times too many to count for ðÆôÆùÑ, occasionally also for ìÅá and ìÅáÈá;

1. breath (Latinanima), i. e.

a. the breath of life; the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing: Act 20:10; of animals, Rev 8:9 (Gen 9:4; Gen 35:18; ἐπιστραφήτω ψυχή τοῦ παιδαρίου, 1Ki 17:21); so also in those passages where, in accordance with the trichotomy or threefold division of human nature by the Greeks, ἡ ψυχή; is distinguished from τό πνεῦμα (see πνευαμ, 2, p. 520a (and references under the word πνεῦμα 5)), 1Th 5:23; Heb 4:12.

b. life: μέριμναν τῇ ψυχή, Mat 6:25; Luk 12:22; τήν ψυχήν ἀγαπᾶν, Rev 12:11; (μισεῖν, Luk 14:26); τιθέναι, Joh 10:11; Joh 10:15; Joh 10:17; Joh 13:37; Joh 15:13; 1Jn 3:16; παραδιδόναι, Act 15:26; διδόναι (λύτρον, which see), Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45; ζητεῖν τήν ψυχήν τίνος (see ζητέω, 1 a.), Mat 2:20; Rom 11:3; add, Mat 6:25; Mar 3:4; Luk 6:9; Luk 12:20; Luk 12:23; Act 20:24; Act 27:10; Act 27:22; Rom 16:4; 2Co 1:23; Php 2:30; 1Th 2:8; in the pointed aphorisms of Christ, intended to fix themselves in the minds of his hearers, the phrases εὑρίσκειν, σῴζειν, ἀπολλύναι τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ, etc., designate as ψυχή in one of the antithetic members the life which is lived on earth, in the other, the (blessed) life in the eternal kingdom of God: Mat 10:39; Mat 16:25; Mar 8:35-37; Luk 9:24; Luk 9:56 Rec.; ; Joh 12:25; the life destined to enjoy the Messianic salvation is meant also in the following phrases ((where R. V. soul)): περιποίησις ψυχῆς, Heb 10:39; κτᾶσθαι τάς ψυχάς, Luk 21:19; ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν (here A. V. (not R. V.) for you; cf.

c. below), 2Co 12:15.

c. that in which there is life; a living being: ψυχή ζῶσα, a living soul, 1Co 15:45; (Rev 16:3 R Tr marginal reading) (Gen 2:7; plural ); πᾶσα ψυχή ζωῆς, Rev 16:3 (G L T Tr text WH) (Lev 11:10); πᾶσα ψυχή, every soul, i. e. everyone, Act 2:43; Act 3:23; Rom 13:1 (so ëÈÌìÎðÆôÆùÑ, Lev 7:17 (27); ); with ἀνθρώπου added, every soul of man (àÈãÈí ðÆôÆùÑ, Num 31:40; Num 31:46 (cf. 1Ma 2:38)), Rom 2:9. ψυχαί, souls (like the Latincapita) i. e. persons (in enumerations; cf. German Seelenzahl): Act 2:41; Act 7:14; Act 27:37; 1Pe 3:20 (Gen 46:15; Gen 46:18; Gen 46:22; Gen 46:26-27; Exo 1:5; Exo 12:4; Lev 2:1; Num 19:11; Num 19:13; Num 19:18; (Deu 10:22); the examples from Greek authors (cf. Passow, under the word, 2, vol. ii, p. 2590b) are of a different sort (yet cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2)); ψυχαί ἀνθρώπων of slaves (A. V. souls of men (R. V. with marginal reading ’Or lives’)), Rev 18:13 (so (Num 31:35); Eze 27:13; see σῶμα, 1 c. (cf. Winer’s Grammar, § 22, 7 N. 3)).

2. the soul (Latinanimus), a. the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our soul, heart, etc. (R. V. almost uniformly soul); for examples from Greek writings see Passow, under the word, 2, vol. ii., p. 2589b; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 3); Hebrew ðÆôÆùÑ, cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus ii, p. 901 in 3): Luk 1:46; Luk 2:35; Joh 10:24 (cf. αἴρω, 1 b.); Act 14:2; Act 14:22; Act 15:24; Heb 6:19; 2Pe 2:8; 2Pe 2:14; ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς ψυχῆς, Rev 18:14; ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς εὑρίσκειν, Mat 11:29; ψυχή, ... ἀναπαύου, φάγε, πίε (WH brackets these three imperatives), εὐφραίνου (personification and direct address), Luk 12:19, cf. Luk 12:18 (ἡ ψυχή ἀναπαύσεται, Xenophon, Cyril 6, 2, 28; ἐυφραίνειν τήν ψυχήν, Aelian v. h. 1, 32); εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου (anthropopathically, of God), Mat 12:18; Heb 10:38; περίλυπος ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου, Mat 26:38; Mar 14:34; ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται, Joh 12:27; ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἀκλυόμενοι (fainting in your souls (cf. ἐκλύω, 2 b.)), Heb 12:3; ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχή σου, with all thy soul, Mat 22:37; (Luk 10:27 L text T Tr WH); ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου (Latinex toto animo), with (literally, from (cf. ἐκ, II. 12 b.)) all thy soul, Mar 12:30; Mar 12:33 (here T WH omit; L Tr marginal reading brackets the phrase); Luk 10:27 (R G) (Deu 6:5; (Epictetus diss. 3, 22, 18 (cf. Xenophon, anab. 7, 7, 43)); Antoninus 3, 4; (especially 4, 31; 12, 29); ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχή φροντίζειν τίνος (rather, with κεχαρισθαι), Xenophon, mem. 3, 11, 10); μία ψυχή, with one soul (cf. πνεῦμα, 2, p. 520a bottom), Php 1:27; τοῦ πλήθους ... ἦν ἡ καρδία καί ἡ ψυχή μία, Act 4:32 (ἐρωτηθεις τί ἐστι φίλος, ἔφη. μία ψυχή δύο σώμασιν ἐνοικουσα, (Diogenes Laërtius 5, 20 (cf. Aristotle, eth. Nic. 9, 8, 2, p. 1168b, 7; on the elliptical ἀπό μιᾶς (namely, ψυχῆς?), see ἀπό, III.)); ἐκ ψυχῆς, from the heart, heartily (Eph 6:6 (Tr WH with Eph 6:7)); Col 3:23 (ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς often in Xenophon; τό ἐκ ψυχῆς πένθος, Josephus, Antiquities 17, 6, 5).

b. "the (human) soul in so far as it is so constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life": 3Jn 1:2; ἀγρύπνειν ὑπέρ τῶν ψυχῶν, Heb 13:17; ἐπιθυμίαι, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατά τῆς ψυχῆς, 1Pe 2:11; ἐπίσκοπος τῶν ψυχῶν, 1Pe 2:25; σῴζειν τάς ψυχάς, Jas 1:21; ψυχήν ἐκ θανάτου, from eternal death, Jas 5:20; σωτηρία ψυχῶν, 1Pe 1:9; ἁγνίζειν τάς ψυχάς ἑαυτῶν, 1Pe 1:22; (τάς ψυχάς πιστῷ κτίστῃ παρατίθεσθαι, 1Pe 4:19).

c. the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from τό σῶμα, as the other part of human nature (so in Greek writings from Isocrates and Xenophon down; cf. examples in Passow, under the word, p. 2589{a} bottom; Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2)): Mat 10:28, cf. 4Ma 13:14 (it is called ἀθάνατος, Herodotus 2, 123; Plato Phaedr., p. 245 c., 246 a., others; ἄφθαρτος, Josephus, b. j. 2, 8, 14; διαλυθῆναι τήν ψυχήν ἀπό τοῦ σώματος, Epictetus diss. 3, 10, 14); the soul freed from the body, a disembodied soul, Act 2:27; Act 2:31 Rec.; Rev 6:9; Rev 20:4 (Wis 3:1; (on the Homeric use of the word, see Ebeling, Lex. Homer, under the word, 3, and references at the end, also Proudfit in Bib. Sacr. for 1858, pp. 753-805)).

Englishman's Greek Concordance

ψυχή (heart (+ -ily))

Matthew 2:20

KJV: 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
GK: λέγων εγερθείς παράλαβε το παιδίον και την μητέρα αυτού και πορεύου εις γην Ισραήλ τεθνήκασιν γαρ οι ζητούντες την ψυχήν του παιδίου

Matthew 6:25

KJV: Therefore I say unto you Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment
GK: διά τούτο λέγω υμίν μη μεριμνάτε τη ψυχή υμών τι φάγητε και τι πίητε μηδέ τω σώματι υμών τι ενδύσησθε ουχί η ψυχή πλείόν εστι της τροφής και το σώμα του ενδύματος

Matthew 10:28

KJV: And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell
GK: και μη φοβείσθε από των αποκτεινόντων το σώμα την δε ψυχήν μη δυναμένων αποκτείναι φοβήθητε δε μάλλον τον δυνάμενον και ψυχήν και σώμα απολέσαι εν γεέννη

Matthew 10:39

KJV: He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it
GK: ο ευρών την ψυχήν αυτού απολέσει αυτήν και ο απολέσας την ψυχήν αυτού ένεκεν εμού ευρήσει αυτήν

Matthew 11:29

KJV: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls
GK: άρατε τον ζυγόν μου εφ΄ υμάς και μάθετε απ΄ εμού ότι πράός ειμι και ταπεινός τη καρδία και ευρήσετε ανάπαυσιν ταις ψυχαίς υμών

Matthew 12:18

KJV: Behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased I will put my spirit upon him and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles
GK: ιδού ο παις μου ον ηρέτισα ο αγαπητός μου εις ον ευδόκησεν η ψυχή μου θήσω το πνεύμά μου επ΄ αυτόν και κρίσιν τοις έθνεσιν απαγγελεί

Matthew 16:25

KJV: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it
GK: ος γαρ αν θέλη την ψυχήν αυτού σώσαι απολέσει αυτήν ος δ΄ αν απολέση την ψυχήν αυτού ένεκεν εμού ευρήσει αυτήν

Matthew 16:26

KJV: For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul
GK: τι ωφεληείται άνθρωπος εάν τον κόσμον όλον κερδήση την δε ψυχήν αυτού ζημιωθή η τι δώσει άνθρωπος αντάλλαγμα της ψυχής αυτού

Matthew 20:28

KJV: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many
GK: ώσπερ ο υιός του ανθρώπου ουκ ήλθε διακονηθήναι αλλά διακονήσαι και δούναι την ψυχήν αυτού λύτρον αντί πολλών
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