נֶפֶשׁ in Deuteronomy 6:5 신명기 6:5의 혼

Here too belongs the important exhortation “to love” and “to serve” God with the whole heart and soul (Deut 6:5; 30:6; cf. 4:29; 10:12; 11:13; 13:4; 26:16; 30:2, 6, 10; Josh 22:5; 23:14; I Kgs 2:4; 8:48=II Chr 6:38; etc.). Commenting on Deut 6:5, J. McBride noted: “The three parts of Deuteronomy 6:5; lēbāb (heart), nepheš (soul or life), and meʾōd (muchness) rather than signifying different spheres of biblical psychology seem to be semantically concentric. They were chosen to reinforce the absolute singularity of personal devotion to God. Thus, lēbāb denotes the intention or will of the whole man; nepeš means the whole self, a unity of flesh, will and vitality; and mĕʾōd accents the superlative degree of total commitment to Yahweh.” While agreeing that these terms were chosen to denote the singularity of devotion, we would now underscore nepeš as pertaining to the personal desire or inclination.

Bruce K. Waltke, “1395 נָפַשׁ,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 589.