Mar 1963 - Q & A

Question (1): Has an animal a soul?

Answer: It is said in Genesis 1. 21 that " God created ... every living (chay -life, living) creature (nephesh - breathing creature, soul or life)." Similarly in Genesis 1.24, "God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living (chay) creature (nepkesh) after its kind." See also Genesis 2. 19; 9. 10, 12, 15, 10; Leviticus 11.46, etc.

In contrast to the beasts and other creatures, after God made man of the dust of the earth, He breathed (naphach, to puff, inflate, blow) into man's nostrils the breath (neshamah, a puff, vital breath, inspiration) of life (chay) and man (adam) became a living (ehay) soul (nephesh).

The breath (neshamah) of life seems, generally speaking, to refer either to the breath of God or the breath of man, but there seems to be an exception to this in Genesis 7.22, though there it may have special reference to every man of verse 21. Verses 21 and 22 might have been more correctly divided if read, "And every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath (neshamah) of the spirit of life, of all that was in the dry land, died."

In 7.15 the word for breath (of life) is ruwach - wind resembling breath. The difference between the beasts and man seems to be that whilst the beasts have a living soul, man IS a living soul, a soul who has his being on God, who will live on when time is no more, whereas the spirit of the beast goes down at death to the earth and perishes (Ecclesiastes 3.21).

Question (2): If the animal has a soul, what scriptures support this view, and what is the difference between a soul of man and a soul of an animal.

Answer: As to natural life on this earth Solomon says, "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath (ruwach); and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 3.19). Then in verse 21 he says "Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth (is ascending) upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" (A.V.) Dr. Young renders this verse thus

"Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth ?"

In Psalm 49.20 we read,

"Man that is in honour, and understandeth not,

Is like the beasts that perish."

Alas, for many who think that death ends all for them hope that they will perish like beasts, which end their existence in death; men do not perish like beasts, though in their ignorance of God they seem like beasts that perish. There is a future existence for man, for in his ease his spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12.7), and there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust (Acts 24.15).

For the beasts which have a soul, a life, there is no future existence, and no resurrection, they perish at death.

But perhaps the greatest difference between man and beast is in the fact that man has a consciousness of a Divine Being, though he may have no knowledge of God, but the beasts have no such consciousness. Man is a worshipper, often of things that are no gods, but beasts have never been known to have any disposition to worship. Even the highest forms of apes have never been known to worship anything, but the lowest of mankind have been worshippers of things of their own imagination. Even the children of Israel fell into idol worship. Man is an accountable being, and will give account to God in the day of judgement, both high and low, learned and ignorant. Those of greater privilege will have greater accountability. This is only just, and there will be degrees of punishment. The beast has no day of judgement to fear, it cannot sin, and has no hereafter.

Question (3): What is the teaching of Genesis 2.7 relative to Questions (1) and (2). See answer to Question 1.

unknown | Mar 1963
Question And Answer