N-PH-SH – ‘(three-fold) soul, animating life of being’

The word נפש, which is used by Moses to designate, in general, the soul and the animating life of being, merits much more serious attention…

The root from which the word נפש comes, is without doubt material…Every time that man wishes to express an intellectual and moral thought, he is obliged to make use of a physical instrument, and to take from elementary nature, material objects which he spiritualizes…

Three distinct roots compose this important word…The first נפ presents the idea of an inspiration, an infusion, a movement operated from without, within: it is literally an inspiring breath. The second פה , which is only the reaction of the first, is attached to the idea of expansion, of effusion, of movement operated from within, wihout: it is literally the mouth, the expiring breath, the voice, the speech, etc.

The third finally אש, characterizes the principiant principle of which I have already spoken in v.1. of this chapter. It is fire, and that which is igneous, ardent, impassioned, etc.

Such is the hieroglyphic composition of the word נפש, the soul, which, formed of the three roots…, presents the symbolic image of a thing that the Egyptian priests regarded as belonging to a triple nature. This is known to be the idea of Pythagoras and Plato, who had drawn it from the Egyptian sanctuaries. Those priests, instructors of Moses, saw in נפ, the partie naturante of the soul, in פה the partie naturee, and in אש, the partie naturelle. From this elementary triad resulted a unity whose immortality they taught, according to all the ancient sages. (The Hebraic Tongue Restored, Fabré d’Olivet, p. 51-52)