The idea of the immortal soul is widely accepted within Christianity, but is generally the standard teaching in every religion. The origins of this theory can be found in Greek philosophy. But what does Scripture say about the soul?
Genesis 2
7 And YAHWEH God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
nephesh
This is the first time the word soul (nephesh, H5315) appears in the Bible. The Hebrew nephesh is derived from a word that means a breathing being. God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and so man was given life force, which is sustained by breathing. At death, breathing stops and man is no longer a living soul, but a dead soul. For a soul is mortal.
Ezekiel 18
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Naziriteship
About Naziriteship it is said that the one who had made the promise of Naziriteship was not allowed to come into contact with a dead person. It does not come across in most translations, but the original text speaks of a dead soul.
Numbers 6
6 All the days that he separates himself to YAHWEH, he shall not come near a dead soul.
dead soul
A dead soul is the body of a deceased person and is referred to as such in Scripture. Something similar, about not touching a dead person, is said about the priests. They too were not allowed to come into contact with the dead, otherwise they would become unclean.
Leviticus 21
1 And YAHWEH said to Moses, Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall defile himself for a [dead] soul among his people.
unclean
The word ‘dead’ is in brackets here, because it is inserted and not in the original text. However, most translations render it as ‘a dead person’. Priests were not allowed to touch the dead, with a few exceptions, which are described in the following verses (Lev. 21:2-3). But the original text only states that the priests would not defile themselves for a soul (nephesh). The word dead is skipped, because it is absolutely clear that it is about a dead soul. A few verses later it is said of the high priest:
Leviticus 21
1 And he shall not go in to any dead soul, neither shall he defile himself for his father or his mother.
man and animal
Man is a soul and because man is mortal, so is the soul. Before man is called a living soul (Gen.2:7), animals are said to be souls (Gen.1:20, 21, 24 and 30). The soul of the flesh is in the blood (Lev.17:11), so all creatures with (a) blood(circulation) are souls and they are mortal.
Psalm 116
8 For You have delivered my soul from death, mine eye from tears, my feet from sinking.
1 Kings 19
4 And he (=Elijah) went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and sat under a juniper tree, and prayed that his soul might die, and said, It is enough; take now, O LORD, my soul; for I am no better than my fathers.
Jonah 4
8 (…) And he (=Jonah) asks whether his soul may die, and he says: My death is better than my life.
Mark 3
4 And he says to them: Is it lawful on the sabbaths to do good, or to do evil, to save a soul, or to kill? But they were silent.
We find in Scripture many examples of the fact that the soul is mortal. When someone dies, he does not go to another place where there is a form of consciousness. Death is death and is not another form of life. Death is like a sleep and that is why Scripture speaks of those who have fallen asleep. The hope for every person is that he will be raised from the dead. God makes the dead alive.
Romans 4
17 (…) God, who makes the dead alive, and who calls those things which are not, as though they were.