The Bible Considers Animals (and Humans) To Be Persons

In the original Hebrew, animals (Gen 1:20–21, 1:24–25, 1:30, 2:19–20) and humans (2:7) are both labeled nephesh. This specific Hebrew term, nephesh, designates personhood for both humans and animals. A reputable source substantiates this, stating, “Jacob concludes with the observation that nephesh in its primary sense is best translated as ‘person,’ rooted in bodily reality.” Notably, 1 Corinthians 15:45 references and paraphrases Genesis 2:7. In the original Greek of 1 Corinthians 15:45, the authors (1:1) use a derivative of the term psuché to correspond with nephesh in Genesis 2:7. Thus, psuché is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew nephesh. In the Bible, nephesh and psuché are used interchangeably and thus have the same meaning. Indeed, psuché (and its derivatives) also designates personhood for both humans (1 Cor 15:45) and animals (Rev 8:9). Adam is a nephesh (Gen 2:7) and a psuché (1 Cor 15:45). Animals are also nephesh (Gen 1:20–21, 1:24–25, 1:30, 2:19–20), and thus, because of the equivalence, are also psuché (Rev 8:9, 16:3) – which means that in the Bible, animals (and humans) are considered ‘persons.’ Additionally, humans (Num 22:5–6; Deut 33:29; Jer 50:41) and animals (Ps 74:14; Prov 30:25–26; Joel 2:2) are both associated with the Hebrew term am, which means “people” in English. In conclusion, since animals are persons in the Bible, our ministry advocates for the legal personhood of animals – which would lead to worldwide law recognizing them as legal persons.