What does דָּם · נֶפֶשׁ mean in the Bible?
דָּם · נֶפֶשׁ is a Hebrew phrase meaning "The blood is the life — the theological ground of the blood prohibition".
Hebrew · H1818, H5315
הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ
Blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood) · properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
דָּםH1818blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)
Pronunciationdām
Blood as life-force whose shedding marks covenant, atonement, and culpability before God throughout scripture
Open lexicon entry →נֶפֶשׁH5315properly, a breathing creature , i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality ; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
Pronunciationnafsho
Vitality or lifeforce of a creature; ranges from physical breath to desire, appetite, and personal identity or selfhood.
Open lexicon entry →What does הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ (ha-dam hu ha-nefesh) mean in the Bible?
דָּם · נֶפֶשׁ is a Hebrew phrase meaning "The blood is the life — the theological ground of the blood prohibition".
Full entry for הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ (H1818, H5315) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H1818, H5315?
H1818, H5315 is connected to 1,118 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. The blood is the life — the theological ground of the blood prohibition
Strong'sH1818, H5315
Lexical occurrences1,118 versesSource Gloss
The blood is the life — the theological ground of the blood prohibition
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Word Origins
הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ is built from these roots:
Cross-Language Connections
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
G184LXX equivalentGreek
ψυχήpsychḗG5590LXX equivalentGreek
soul