“Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust (עָפָר aw-fawr’ H6083) from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a livin g being [נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh, Strong H5315]. Genesis 2:7
âphâr aw-fawr’ H6083 from the root H6080; dust (as powdered, gray); hence, clay, earth, * עָפָר ; mud: KJV – ashes, du earth, ground, mortar, powder, rubbish.
Dust, as such, is dead. Without water and air and the bacteria in the air, there's no life. Yet, this is what YHWH chose, from all of His creation to use to make living, breathing נֶפֶשׁ | nephesh H5315 fully capable of knowing Him, responding to Him, returning His love for them.
Further Reading & Viewing
"The Invisible Man" by Greg Koukl, 03/01/2025 https://www.str.org/w/the-invisible-man,
"Soul & Nephesh in Biblical Hebrew" by Sam Keltner, 03/04/2020 https://medium.com/the-explanation/soul-nephesh-in-biblical-hebrew-heres-the-definition-b0ce0e6bdd08,
"New Creation Breaking In" by Dr Craig Henningfield, request addition to the email list at pastorcraighenningfield@gmail.com ,
"Is Death the End" by Bishop Robert Baron, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B0T38tsma0&t=1s