International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Appetite

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Appetite


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ap´ē̇-tı̄t (חי, ḥai, נפשׁ, nephesh): This word occurs four times in Old Testament text and once in the King James Version margin. Once () it is a translation of ḥai, “life”; “Canst thou ... satisfy the appetite (life) of the young lions?” Twice (; ; also , the King James Version margin) it is a translation of nephesȟ: , ba‛al nephesh “a man given to appetite”; , “the nephesh is not filled.” In , “strong of nephesȟ” is translated “greedy.” Nephesh means originally “breath,” hence “the soul,” psuchḗ, “the vital principle,” “life”; therefore in certain expressions referring to the sustaining of life the nephesh hungers (), thirsts (), fasts (). Nephesh then comes to mean the seat of the senses, affections, emotions, and to it is ascribed love, joy, desire (compare ; the Revised Version, margin; , where the nephesh “desires”). The idea of desire or appetite of the nephesh may include all forms of longing; e.g. lust (; “her desire” is literally “the desire of her nephesȟ”), the appetite for revenge (, “the will of his enemies” is literally “the nephesh,” etc.). The next step is to identify the nephesh with its desire, hence in the cases above nephesh is translated “appetite.” In the 4th case () “His soul hath appetite” is a free translation of naphshō shōḳēḳāh, literally “His soul runneth to and fro.”