The concept of an immaterial and immortal soul—distinct from the corporeal body—did not appear in Judaism before the Babylonian exile, instead developing as a result of interaction with Persian and Hellenistic philosophies. Accordingly, the Hebrew word נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh)—though translated as "soul" in some older English-language Bibles—actually has a meaning closer to "living being".
The concept of an immaterial and immortal soul—distinct from the corporeal body—did not appear in Judaism before the Babylonian exile, instead developing as a result of interaction with Persian and Hellenistic philosophies. Accordingly, the Hebrew word נֶ֫פֶשׁ (nephesh)—though translated as "soul" in some older English-language Bibles—actually has a meaning closer to "living being".
Source: Wikipedia "Soul in the Bible" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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