# Non-human souls in the Bible **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523 "2017-07-31T18:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/41 "2017-08-02T01:06:26Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > And a distinct lack of textual corroboration in the Bible as translated from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to King James version. > > This is why I stopped reading the Bible. If I’m going to read a contemporary American English version of the KJV of the Latin of the Greek of the Hebrew text, then I might as well just go to the Westboro chuch and just not do what those bigots say. At least then the duplicity is honest. There’s no such thing. The King James Version was translated directly from Hebrew in the case of the Old Testament and directly from the original Greek in the case of the New. Later versions were almost without exception also translated directly from the original languages, generally from more reliable original-language sources than the KJV was. The NT mistranslated a few quotes from the OT into Greek, and there is clear evidence of emendation, redactions, and scribal errors and corrections in the oldest available texts, but long chains of translation and re translation does not appear to be a problem textual critics face (fringe theories about an original Aramaic NT notwithstanding.) ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/42 "2017-08-02T01:09:28Z")
So what IS a soul? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/43 "2017-08-02T01:17:27Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > So what IS a soul? It’s a mythical concept advanced by religious fanatics, originated by primitive tribes of ignorant savages. This is GQ, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/44 "2017-08-02T02:41:15Z")
Semi off topic with my apologies. It’s a little difficult to explain how I know of this person but he’s a fairly stout, KJV only Biblical literalist with a strangely fascinating theory about angles, demons and nephilim. I do not endorse or support his ideas from a theological perspective but I do think they could be turned into a great movie: [Who Are the Nephilim & Why Does It Matter?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6NJqMiVvbE) ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/45 "2017-08-02T12:51:51Z")
It’s angels ennui. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/46 "2017-08-02T20:10:46Z")
> [@Ennui](#): > > KJV only Biblical literalist with a strangely fascinating theory about angles, demons and nephilim. I learned some fascinating theories about angles in my geometry class. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/47 "2017-08-02T22:03:10Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > One of the reasons I turned from christianity was the denial of animal souls, which are only logical if one accepts souls. Apart from the present Pope most Catholics have been particularly bad on the question, What do you mean by “bad”? That it doesn’t agree with what you believe? ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/48 "2017-08-02T22:32:05Z")
If animals lives like we do then we all have souls. The way I see it, when YOU die YOU don’t exist anymore but our soul lives on to be born in another body be it human or animal. I think our “soul” is a force or energy that cannot be destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/49 "2017-08-02T22:47:39Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > I think our “soul” is a force or energy that cannot be destroyed. I don’t think “energy” means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523/50 "2017-08-03T02:40:39Z")
Even with the distinctions between the different words, the Ecclesiastes quote is clearly talking about something that persists after death, which is usually what we mean by souls in this context. It presumes that this _ruach_ exists after death, but merely asks where it goes. In context, it seems to be revealing a common belief at that time, but also saying that there is no way to know that it is true. Given the previous context where he mentions things he does know about God, it suggests to me that what he’s saying is that whatever Scripture the Teacher had at the time was silent on the matter. The Scripture tells him that stuff about God, but not about human or animal souls. So people back then thought that humans were special and had their souls ascend to God, while the souls of animals returned to the earth. (Still further context is basically talking about the problem of bad things happening to good people and vice versa, without any real conclusion other than “All I know for sure is that God is good.” Everything else seems up for debate. Hence I’m sure any believers would say you need to look at the rest of Scripture for those answers. Or, failing that, outside of Scripture.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-human-souls-in-the-bible/792523.md?page=2)