Matthew 10:28 And The Jehovah's Witnesses

[Frank Goad]

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

If the word soul is just another way of referring to the “whole person,” as the Watchtower Society teaches, then wouldn’t the soul die when the physical body dies?

How do you reconcile the Watchtower position with Matthew 10:28, which clearly indicates that it is possible to kill the body without killing the soul?

The soul can also leave the body when it dies.Like here:

Genesis 35:18

King James Version

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18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

I found this here: Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 35:18 - King James Version

 

[Frank Goad]

Why no reply?

 

[InChrist]

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

If the word soul is just another way of referring to the “whole person,” as the Watchtower Society teaches, then wouldn’t the soul die when the physical body dies?

How do you reconcile the Watchtower position with Matthew 10:28, which clearly indicates that it is possible to kill the body without killing the soul?

The soul can also leave the body when it dies.Like here:

Genesis 35:18​

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King James Version​

​

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18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

I found this here: Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 35:18 - King James Version

I don’t think Watchtower doctrine lines up with the biblical scriptures on this subject. I believe according to the Bible, the human soul is the eternal part of the person.

What is the human soul? | GotQuestions.org

What is the human soul? What does the Bible say about the nature of the human soul? How is the human soul related to the body and spirit?

www.gotquestions.org

 

[learner Daniel]

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

If the word soul is just another way of referring to the “whole person,” as the Watchtower Society teaches, then wouldn’t the soul die when the physical body dies?

How do you reconcile the Watchtower position with Matthew 10:28, which clearly indicates that it is possible to kill the body without killing the soul?

The soul can also leave the body when it dies.Like here:

Genesis 35:18​

​

King James Version​

​

​

18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

I found this here: Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 35:18 - King James Version

James 2:26

Easy-to-Read Version

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26 A person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead. It is the same with faith—faith that does nothing is dead!

The JW concept of soul is known as monochotomy.
Monochotomy: Human beings are composed of one component: a body based on Genesis 2:7

Doctrine in Scripture is progressive. The written on something the more we know.

Other views are: James 2:26 relates to these below.

dichotomy is a view that humans are made up of two distinct parts: body and soul-spirit.

Trichotomy people nature consists of three parts: body, soul, and spirit.

I am tired and falling asleep. All I done today is yard work, house work and study to teach a math course at University.

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[Betho_br]

Why no reply?

Definition of "soul" (psyche):

The Watchtower Society argues that the word "soul" can have different meanings depending on the context. In some biblical contexts, "soul" can mean a person's life. They could argue that Jesus is saying that a person's life (or being) cannot be permanently destroyed by humans, but only by God, who has the power to permanently resurrect or destroy.

God's power over life and death:

The verse's emphasis is on God's power over eternal life and death, in contrast to the limited power of humans who can only kill the physical body. The Watchtower could interpret the "soul" here to refer to the future life, which only God can determine, whether through resurrection to eternal life or eternal destruction (second death).

Resurrection and destruction:

Belief in the resurrection of the dead is central to Jehovah's Witnesses. They can understand that the "soul" that cannot be killed by men is the hope of resurrection that God offers. Only God can completely destroy a person in Gehenna (hell), which they interpret as final destruction, not a conscious existence in torment.

Matthew 10:28
וְאַל תִּפְחֲדוּ מֵהוֹרְגֵי הֲגוּיוֹת שֶׁאֵין בְּיָדָם לַהֲרוֹג הַנְּפָשׁוֹת רַק פָּחֲדוּ לַאֲשֶׁר יְכוֹלֶת בְּיָדוֹ לְאַבֵּד הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהַגּוּף בַגֵהִינָם
Shem Tov ben-Izaak ben-Shaprut (Ibn Shaprut) The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew
הַנְּפָשׁוֹת - the souls
הַנֶּפֶשׁ - the soul

And do not fear those who kill bodies, who have no power to kill souls, but fear Him who has power in His hand for the destruction of soul and body in the valley of Hinnom.

Καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· φοβεῖσθε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ. Matthew 10:28 Greek

This word appears again in the Hebrew gospel of Matthew 6:25 in:

לָכֵן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם שֶׁלֹּא תִּדְאֲגוּ לַמַּאֲכָל לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא בַּמַלְבּוּשׁ לְגוּפְכֶם שֶׁהַנֶּפֶשׁ יְקָרָה מֵהַמָּזוֹן וְהַגּוּף מֵהַמַּלְבּוּשׁ

The translation of שֶׁהַנֶּפֶשׁ into English is "that the soul" or "which the soul," depending on the context of the sentence.

"Therefore, I tell you not to worry about food for your souls, or clothing for your bodies, because the soul is more valuable than food, and the body than clothing."

However, how does the Greek text translate?

Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν· μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε [ἢ τί πίητε], μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί ἐνδύσησθε. οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πλεῖόν ἐστιν τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος; Matthew 6:25 Greek

The context allows for words like שֶׁהַנֶּפֶשׁ and ψυχῇ to be translated as "life" in Matthew 6:25.

The Watchtower Society, in this case, that they are not wrong in their interpretation. They know me (lol)... They have never accepted me on any of their forums around the world, I think this is incredible.