Stumper Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses, #27
If the soul is the body, why does Jesus make a distinction between the body and the soul in Mt 10:28?
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not teach that the soul and body are the same thing. The biblical usage of the word soul encompasses much more than just the body. The soul is the whole person, their mind, their emotions, their memories and even their future existence. Apparently, the questioner is not even familiar with the basic teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In Hebrew the word Nephesh, which is translated as soul, literally means a breather. Animals are referred to as souls, because they too are breathers. For example, in Genesis we read: “Let the waters swarm forth a swarm of living souls But soul may also mean life, or the life that ones has as a breather. Thus, to lose one’s soul means to lose one’s life. Here’s a link to a Watchtower article in answer to the question: Do You Have an Immortal Soul?
