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Life, so they say, is but a game -- and then they let it slip away... paraphrase (a bad one?:>) of Seals and Crofts, circa early 70's.

I thought I would put together some verses that speak to the question “What is the definition of life.” This is using the Youngs Literal Translation since he tends to take each word in the original language and assign it it’s own English equivalent that he then tries very hard (but not exclusively) NOT to use for any other original language word. Of course, there are many other verses that are left out.

I am indulging myself here and simply thinking out loud. Forgive me. :>)

Le 17:11 - for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls; for it [is] the blood which maketh atonement for the soul. Whatever life is, it is associated with the blood according to ~Moses~.

De 12:23 - `Only, be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood [is] the life, and thou dost not eat the life with the flesh; Same thought repeated.

Ge 2:7 - And Jehovah God formeth the man -- dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature. Breath and life associated: something we no doubt think we know. Remember the parallels between "wind" and "spirit" and "breath."

De 19:21 - and thine eye doth not pity -- life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. A stark reminder of that things having ended abruptly and perhaps by murder. The only item of comparable worth for repayment is the life of the other party. Death means that formerly active thing called "life" has departed. It was not "still;" it was active.

Job 2:6 - And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, `Lo, he [is] in thy hand; only his life take care of.' Whatever it is, it can be 'tended' or 'cared for.' even by an enemy.

Job 10:1 - My soul hath been weary of my life, I leave off my talking to myself, I speak in the bitterness of my soul. A distinction here between soul and life. A deep core weariness toward the continuation of that "spark."

Ps 66:9 - Who hath placed our soul in life, And suffered not our feet to be moved. Again, a distinction between soul and life...the soul is "placed in life." It's like a "personhood" being "steeped" in a substance called "life." -- "soul placed in life."

Pr 4:13 - Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life. A more allegorical comment that encourages meaningful life rather than non-meaning. Qualities of life.

Isa 38:12 - My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end me.A gradual shutting down of the prophet's life seems to be pictured here...as if noticing a battery nearing the end of its charge.

Isa 38:16 Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also to live, Hezekiah is here talking about God's promises strengthening his life. Considering that Hez. had been warned about the end of his life, it is interesting that the "life" appears strengthened. The spirit is the innermost essence of Hezekiah (imho).

Jon 4:3 - And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray Thee, my soul from me, for better [is] my death than my life.' Jonah laments and associates the taking of his "core" with the cessation of his "life." (activating principle?)

Mt 16:26 - for what is a man profited if he may gain the whole world, but of his life suffer loss? or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life? A thought on the quality, value, and continuation of life.

Lu 12:15 - And he said unto them, `Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his life.' Again, about the quality of life....lesser and greater uses of it and dispositions of it.

Lu 12:23 - the life is more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing.Same thought repeated.

Joh 1:4 - In him was life, and the life was the light of men, The "life" was the "light." Light is a revealer....In him was "life"...This "real life" of Jesus was a "revealer" of "real life" for humanity?? Can life = "meaning" in this passage?.

Joh 5:26 - for, as the Father hath life in himself, so He gave also to the Son to have life in himself,Same thought repeated.

Joh 6:63 - the spirit it is that is giving life; the flesh doth not profit anything; the sayings that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life;God grants "real life." Connected with the Spirit of God one receives "living worth having."

Joh 11:25 - Jesus said to her, `I am the rising again, and the life; he who is believing in me, even if he may die, shall live;Jesus says that He "is" life. He is the activating principle? (By him all things consist.)

Joh 14:6 - Jesus saith to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one doth come unto the Father, if not through me;Same thought repeated.

Jas 4:14 - who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;Life is a delicate thing...a vapour.

Re 11:11 - And after the three days and a half, a spirit of life from God did enter into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding themVery interesting to me. "A Spirit of Life"...goes back to the pneuma/breath/Spirit connection. An "activating" entered them and they stood up.

Re 8:9 and die did the third of the creatures that [are] in the sea, those having life, and the third of the ships were destroyed.Were there some creatures that were considered to more "life" than others -- a hierarchy of life?.

Re 21:6 - and He said to me, `It hath been done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; I, to him who is thirsting, will give of the fountain of the water of the life freely;Life is something that can be again bestowed by God, but now it is the "water" of life....a flowing thing/springing thing/wetting thing?.

Re 22:2 - in the midst of its broad place, and of the river on this side and on that, [is] a tree of life, yielding twelve fruits, in each several month rendering its fruits, and the leaves of the tree [are] for the service of the nations;

A tree of life...quality of life or a maintainer of the activity of lie?.

Thank you oh so very much for taking us through all these Scriptures dealing with the subject of life!

Were there some creatures that were considered to more "life" than others -- a hierarchy of life?

Evidently. In Genesis 1, the soul of the animals is called nephesh and in Genesis 2, God’s breath which made Adam a living soul was neshama.

And more importantly, in the New Testament only the Father has life in Himself and He granted it to Jesus to have life in Himself.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; - John 5:25-26

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. - John 1:4-5

This was not mortal life, which was all that man had known up to that point. It was the new life that is born in us when we first believe and which makes us a wholly new person as we are sanctified in our walk with Him.

In John 3, Jesus speaks to this, that we must be born again to be of the Spirit:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. – John 3:6-7

The fountain of living waters refers to this indwelling Spirit:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. – John 4:14

We are actually alive in Him (and He in us) - even while in the flesh:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. – John 15:4

In sum, we were previously alive in the sense that bacteria, cats and elephants are alive. That is all the life anyone had before Jesus Christ was enfleshed. But when we follow the indwelling Spirit that carnal man we were will utterly die and be replaced by His life while we are in yet in the flesh (Romans 8).

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. – Col 3:3

So for us Christians, the physical life of the body is not so important because we are already eternally alive in Him. And it seems the more we focus on Him, the harder it is to know if we are in the flesh or in the spirit (2 Cor 12).

According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death. For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain. – Phl 1:20-21

I am one of those whose life is a testimony to being born again. The "me" that existed before Christ was rude, mean-spirited, self-serving. My words were of no use to anyone, I was constantly hurting people - that was my intention. The new "me" wouldn't be very comfortable around the old "me". LOLOL!

And to all those Lurkers who will no doubt recall my flaws - please be patient, God isn't finished with me yet.