What does ψυχή (psychḗ) mean in the Bible?
psyche can mean soul, life, inner life, or the whole person, with context deciding which shade is active. The New Testament does not use the word to invite a simplistic body-bad, soul-good scheme.
Greek · G5590
ψυχή
Soul
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ψυχή G5590
Pronunciation psychḗ
What does ψυχή (psychḗ) mean in the Bible?
psyche can mean soul, life, inner life, or the whole person, with context deciding which shade is active. The New Testament does not use the word to invite a simplistic body-bad, soul-good scheme.
Reader summary
Full entry for ψυχή (G5590) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5590?
The BSB source-word alignment has 102 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include life (30), soul (23), . . . (13), souls (13), lives (5).
Where does ψυχή (psychḗ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (16), Acts (15), Luke (14), John (10).
What This Word Actually Means
Psyche can mean soul, life, inner life, or the whole person, with context deciding which shade is active. The New Testament does not use the word to invite a simplistic body-bad, soul-good scheme. Jesus can warn that God can destroy both soul and body in hell, call disciples to lose their life for His sake, command love for God with all the soul, and describe His own life given as a ransom.
John speaks of the good shepherd laying down His life for the sheep and of losing one's life in this world to keep it for eternal life. For pastoral teaching, psyche helps readers see that human life is accountable before God, cannot be saved by self-preservation, and is redeemed by the self-giving life of Christ.
lexical_rangeCanonical synthesisPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
The selected passages show psyche as life before God, the self one might try to save, the life Jesus gives as ransom and shepherd, the soul engaged in love for God, and life relinquished for eternal life.
- Matt.10.28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus distinguishes those who can kill the body from the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. psyche here underscores accountability before God beyond human threats.
- Matt.16.25
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Disciples who try to save their life will lose it, while those who lose their life for Jesus' sake will find it. The term carries the paradox of self-preservation versus discipleship.
- Matt.20.28
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The Son of Man gives His life as a ransom for many. psyche becomes the language of Christ's costly self-giving for others.
- Matt.22.37
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
The command to love God includes all the soul. The word names the personal depth and whole-life devotion owed to God.
- John.10.11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John uses psyche for the shepherd's self-giving care that protects and saves the flock.
- John.12.25
Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Jesus warns that whoever loves his life loses it, while the one who hates his life in this world keeps it for eternal life. psyche is set within the cross-shaped pattern of discipleship.
Passage contextCanonical synthesisBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It life 30× Matthew 2:20, Matthew 6:25, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25
soul 23× Matthew 10:28, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 16:26, Matthew 22:37
. . . 13× Luke 12:19, John 10:24, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:43
souls 13× Matthew 11:29, Luke 21:19, Acts 14:22, 2 Corinthians 12:15
lives 5× Acts 15:26, Acts 27:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 1 John 3:16
being 2× Romans 2:9, 1 Corinthians 15:45
minds 2× Acts 14:2, Acts 15:24
[their] souls 1× Hebrews 10:39
[your] heart 1× Ephesians 6:6
life [ as well ] 1× Romans 11:3
living 1× Revelation 8:9
of [your] souls 1× 1 Peter 1:9
of life 1× Acts 27:22
of us 1× Acts 27:37
soul {also} 1× 3 John 1:2
soul’s 1× Revelation 18:14
still alive 1× Acts 20:10
thing 1× Revelation 16:3
with your whole being 1× Colossians 3:23
You 1× Luke 12:19
your life 1× Luke 12:22
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:20 ψυχὴν to life Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 6:25 ψυχῇ to life Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 6:25 ψυχὴ to life Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:28 ψυχὴν to soul Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:28 ψυχὴν to soul Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:39 ψυχὴν to life Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:39 ψυχὴν to life Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 11:29 ψυχαῖς to souls Noun - Dative Feminine Plural Matthew 12:18 ψυχή to soul Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 16:25 ψυχὴν to life Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:20
Aligned rows 102
Books represented 19
Matthew 16 Mark 8 Luke 14 John 10 Acts 15 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 1 2 Corinthians 2 Ephesians 1 Philippians 2 Colossians 1 1 Thessalonians 2 Hebrews 6 James 2 1 Peter 6 2 Peter 2 1 John 2 3 John 1 Revelation 7
Source forms
ψυχὴν 32x psychēn Matthew 2:20, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25
ψυχὰς 13x psychas Luke 21:19, Acts 14:2, Acts 14:22, Acts 15:24
ψυχῆς 12x psychēs Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:37, Mark 12:30, Acts 27:22
ψυχὴ 8x psychē Matthew 6:25, Luke 12:23, Acts 3:23, Acts 4:32
ψυχῇ 8x psychē Matthew 6:25, Matthew 22:37, Luke 10:27, Luke 12:19
ψυχήν 8x psychēn Luke 12:20, John 10:15, John 10:17, John 13:37
ψυχή 7x psychē Matthew 12:18, Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34, Luke 1:46
ψυχῶν 5x psychōn Acts 27:10, 2 Corinthians 12:15, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 1:9
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 40x Matthew 2:20, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 15x Luke 21:19, Acts 14:2, Acts 14:22, Acts 15:24
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 15x Matthew 6:25, Matthew 12:18, Matthew 26:38, Mark 14:34
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 12x Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:37, Mark 12:30, Acts 27:22
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 8x Matthew 6:25, Matthew 22:37, Luke 10:27, Luke 12:19
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural 5x Acts 27:10, 2 Corinthians 12:15, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 1:9
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural 3x Matthew 11:29, Acts 7:14, Hebrews 12:3
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural 3x Acts 2:41, Acts 27:37, 1 Peter 3:20
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Apply life-loss texts as discipleship and allegiance calls, not as contempt for creaturely life.
- When addressing fear of death or judgment, keep Christ's ransom and shepherding care in view.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that psyche always means an immaterial soul separate from the body.
- Do not claim that preserving life is always sinful; the issue is preserving life over faithfulness to Christ.
Evidence Summary
Canonical Anchor
Greek word. The animating life-principle that encompasses will, desires, and affections as the seat of personal identity
Strong's G5590
Lexical occurrences 102 verses Greek text appearances 105 times 16 shown below Word forms 9 forms 102 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 12:13–21 Source Gloss
soul
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 105 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:20 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 6:25 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ψυχῇ yuch
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 6:25 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴ yuch
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 10:28 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 10:28 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 10:39 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 10:39 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 11:29 Noun Dative Plural Feminine
ψυχαῖς yucaiv
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 12:18 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ψυχή yuch
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 16:25 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 16:25 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 16:26 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 16:26 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ψυχῆς yuchv
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 20:28 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ψυχὴν yuchn
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 22:37 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ψυχῇ yuch
the soul, life, self
Read verse Matthew 26:38 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
ψυχή yuch
the soul, life, self
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 9 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 9 Aligned forms 102 Case pattern Accusative (55) Number pattern Singular (76)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 6:25 · Matt 12:18 · Matt 26:38 · Mark 14:34 · Luke 1:46 · Luke 12:23 · John 12:27 · Acts 3:23 · Acts 4:32 · Acts 20:10 · Rom 13:1 · 1 Thess 5:23 · Heb 10:38 · 3 John 1:2 · Rev 16:3 15×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine Acts 2:41 · Acts 27:37 · 1 Pet 3:20 3×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Matt 16:26 · Mark 8:37 · Mark 12:30 · Acts 27:22 · Rom 16:4 · Eph 6:6 · Col 3:23 · Heb 4:12 · Heb 6:19 · Heb 10:39 · 1 Pet 2:11 · Rev 18:14 12×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine Acts 27:10 · 2 Cor 12:15 · Heb 13:17 · 1 Pet 1:9 · 1 Pet 2:25 5×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 6:25 · Matt 22:37 · Luke 10:27 · Luke 12:19 · Luke 12:22 · Acts 2:43 · Phil 1:27 · Phil 2:30 8×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Matt 11:29 · Acts 7:14 · Heb 12:3 3×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 2:20 · Matt 10:28 · Matt 10:39 · Matt 16:25 · Matt 16:26 · Matt 20:28 · Mark 3:4 · Mark 8:35 · Mark 8:36 · Mark 10:45 · Luke 2:35 · Luke 6:9 · Luke 9:24 · Luke 12:20 · Luke 14:26 · Luke 17:33 40×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine Luke 21:19 · Acts 14:2 · Acts 14:22 · Acts 15:24 · Acts 15:26 · 1 Thess 2:8 · Jas 1:21 · 1 Pet 1:22 · 1 Pet 4:19 · 2 Pet 2:14 · 1 John 3:16 · Rev 6:9 · Rev 8:9 · Rev 18:13 · Rev 20:4 15×
Vocative · Singular · Feminine Luke 12:19 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
John 10:1-21 ψ...χή psychḗ
life
Luke 9:23–27 ψυχή psychḗ
Life, soul
Mark 10:35–45 ψυχή psychḗ
life, soul
Mark 8:34–38 ψυχή psychḗ
life, soul, self
New Testament Witnesses
soul
life/soul
life, soul
Showing 7 selected witnesses from 102 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ψυχή is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Highlights eternal stakes.
Highlights the eternal dimension neglected by the rich fool.
Emphasizes eternal personhood beyond temporal gain.
Life given in substitution for the sheep.
Canonical Themes
Canonical Anchor
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
נֶפֶשׁ nafsho H5315 Related Hebrew
properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
רוּחַ rûaḥ H7307 Related Hebrew
wind ; by resemblance breath , i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation ; figuratively, life , anger , unsubstantiality ; by extension, a region of the sky ; by resemblance spirit , but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)
חַי ḥay H2416 Related Hebrew
alive ; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong ; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Psyche is a searching word because it presses the reader to ask what life is and who owns it. Jesus warns that the soul and body stand under God's judgment, so life cannot be measured only by what human powers can harm. He also teaches that trying to save one's life at the cost of allegiance to Him is the sure way to lose it. Against that fearful self-protection stands the Son of Man who gives His life as a ransom for many and the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
The command to love God with all the soul shows that the inner and whole personal life belongs to God. The pastoral movement is not contempt for embodied life, but redemption from self-ownership. Life is received, judged, loved, lost, and found under Christ.
Anchor passage
Matt.20.28
Doctrinal connections
- G4983 Soma, body: Matthew 10 keeps soul and body distinct without despising either.
- G2222 Zoe, life: psyche and zoe overlap in life language but carry different contextual emphases.
- G2588 Kardia, heart: love for God involves heart, soul, and mind rather than one isolated faculty.
- G3083 lytron, ransom: Matthew 20 ties Jesus' life-giving to ransom language.
- G4166 Poimen, shepherd: John 10 frames Christ's laid-down life as shepherding love.
- G622 Apollymi, to destroy or lose: several psyche texts use loss language to expose false self-preservation.
Psyche should not be translated or explained the same way in every passage. It can mean life, soul, self, or person depending on context. The interpreter should resist importing later philosophical categories where the passage is making a discipleship, judgment, love, or ransom claim.
From Old to New Testament
Old Testament life and soul language often names the living person before God, including desire, danger, worship, and deliverance. The New Testament continues that whole-person sense while centering the saving gift of Christ's life for His people.
Canonical synthesisPastoral application
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain