Do Animals Have A Soul?

by Wayne Blank

The English word animal is derived from a Latin root word meaning to breathe, hence an animal is literally defined as any living, physical creature. To animate simply means to fill with breath, or to make alive. Humans are, by the classic "animal, vegetable or mineral" summation of all that physically exists on earth, animals. The King James Version uses "beast," whereas later translations more-often use "animal" to translate a number of original words of the Scriptures, such as the Hebrew words (pronounced) kaw-ee, meaning alive, a very general term for all living creatures, including humans, and be-hay-maw, meaning an unspeaking animal, or dumb beast, an obvious reference to non-human animals.

"Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?"

In describing the time of creation, the terms "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans are English translations of the very same original Hebrew words, kaw-ee, meaning alive (translated as "living" in "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans), and neh-fesh, meaning a breathing creature (alternately translated as "creature" and "soul" in "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans).

Lucky and her 3 Kittens

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:24-25 KJV)
"And The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

By God's own Word, although the human potential (for the repentant ones) is near-infinitely greater, humans are also animals, or beasts:

"I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts."
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 KJV)

The actual Bible word translated as "spirit" in the "spirit of man" and the "spirit of the beast" in the verses below is the Hebrew word (pronounced) roo-ackh which simply means breath, or to exhale. The "last breath" is what is being described as "spirit" in these verses; the original word does not have any literal or figurative meaning of "spirit" in a "spiritual" way:

"All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 KJV)

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