G5590 — ψυχή (psychē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5590
Original: ψυχή
Transliteration: psychē
Pronunciation: psoo-khay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: ψύχω (psychō) — to breathe, blow cool
Occurrences: 105 in NT (87 tracked in KJV translation database)
First Occurrence: Matt 2:20 — "they are dead which sought the young child's life"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ψύχω; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely — the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from πνεῦμα (G4151), the rational/animating spirit, and on the other from ζωή (G2222), which is mere vitality, even of plants. These terms correspond respectively to the Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ (H5315), רוּחַ (H7307), and חַי (H2416).

Note on the lexicon wording: Thayer's original entry calls πνεῦμα "the rational and immortal soul." That phrase imports a Greek-philosophical assumption, not a biblical one. Scripture grants immortality to God alone (1 Tim 6:16) and gives it to the redeemed only at the resurrection (1 Cor 15:53-54); neither ψυχή nor πνεῦμα is portrayed as inherently immortal. The lexical distinction between the three words holds; the word "immortal" has been removed above to avoid asserting an unbiblical doctrine.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 026 — Psychological Faculties (inner self, mind, thoughts) - 023.007 — Live, Die - 009.001 — Human Beings (person, individual) - 004 — Animals (living creature) - 025 — Attitudes and Emotions (025.023 Sorrow/Regret; 025.024 Discouragement)

Other words in 026: καρδία (kardia), διάνοια (dianoia), νοῦς (nous), πνεῦμα (pneuma)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [026] Psychological Faculties - [023] Physiological Processes and States - [009] People - [004] Animals - [025] Attitudes and Emotions - [088] Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior - [021] Danger, Risk, Safe, Save

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
soul/souls/Soul	52	59.8%
life/lives	29	33.3%
mind/minds	2	2.3%
heart/heartily	2	2.3%
Other (the soul, of soul, of the soul)	2	2.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	6	5.7
2 Peter	2	3.3
1 Thessalonians	2	2.2
Hebrews	6	2.0
Revelation	7	1.7
Acts	16	1.6
Matthew	16	1.5
Mark	9	1.3
Luke	15	1.3
Colossians	1	1.1
Romans	4	0.9
Ephesians	1	0.6
2 Corinthians	1	0.4
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Gospels + Acts account for 71 of 87 (82%). Highest density in 1 Peter (5.7/100v), reflecting its focus on pilgrimage and the soul's preservation through suffering. Absent from Galatians, Pastorals, Philemon, 2–3 John, Jude — letters where πνεῦμα dominates or the topic doesn't arise.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Inner Self / Seat of Emotions¶

Matt 22:37 — "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul"
Matt 26:38 — "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death"
Luke 1:46 — "My soul doth magnify the Lord"
John 12:27 — "Now is my soul troubled"
2 Pet 2:8 — "vexed his righteous soul from day to day"

2. Physical Life / Life-Force¶

Matt 2:20 — "they are dead which sought the young child's life"
Matt 16:25 — "whosoever will save his life shall lose it"
John 10:11 — "the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"
John 15:13 — "a man lay down his life for his friends"
Mark 10:45 — "give his life a ransom for many"

3. Person / Individual (counting)¶

Acts 2:41 — "about three thousand souls"
Acts 27:37 — "two hundred threescore and sixteen souls"
Rom 13:1 — "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers"
1 Pet 3:20 — "eight souls were saved by water"

4. Living Creature¶

Rev 8:9 — "the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died"
Rev 16:3 — "every living soul died in the sea"

5. Mind / Will / Heart¶

Eph 6:6 — "doing the will of God from the heart" (ek psychēs)
Col 3:23 — "do it heartily" (ek psychēs)
Phil 1:27 — "with one mind striving together for the faith"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	16x	"love God with all thy soul"
ἄνθρωπος (anthropos)	G444	11x	"what shall it profit a man... his soul"
καρδία (kardia)	G2588	10x	heart + soul pairing (Shema quotations)
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	9x	soul directed toward the Lord
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)	G622	8x	"lose" one's soul/life
λόγος (logos)	G3056	8x	the word that saves the soul
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	5x	soul/spirit distinction (1 Thess 5:23, Heb 4:12)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G5594 ψύχω (psychō) — root verb: to breathe, blow cool
G5591 ψυχικός (psychikos) — adj: natural, sensual (as opposed to spiritual)

Synonyms¶

G3563 νοῦς (nous) — mind, understanding; overlapping inner-self vocabulary
G4151 πνεῦμα (pneuma) — spirit; overlapping language for the immaterial inner person

Antonyms¶

None listed by search_relationships.py for this lemma.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ζωή (zoe)	G2222	both "life" (psyche 29x, zoe 54x)	zoe = vital principle, eternal/spiritual life; psyche = the self/person who lives
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	both describe inner being	pneuma = spirit (higher rational/divine aspect); psyche = soul (emotional/volitional self)
βίος (bios)	G979	both "life"	bios = livelihood, possessions, manner of life; psyche = the life itself

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	LXX Count	Notes
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	599	Dominant LXX equivalent; full semantic parallel
לֵבָב (lebab)	H3824	42	When nephesh means "heart/inner desire"
חַי (chay)	H2416	62	When nephesh means "living creature/life"