'Life' in the Bible

Lord, because of these promises people live,and in all of them is the life of my spirit as well;You have restored me to healthand let me live.

This is what God, Yahweh, says—who created the heavens and stretched them out,who spread out the earth and what comes from it,who gives breath to the people on itand life to those who walk on it—

Because you are precious in My sightand honored, and I love you,I will give people in exchange for youand nations instead of your life.

Your way of life and your actionshave brought this on you.This is your punishment. It is very bitter,because it has reached your heart!

And you, devastated one, what are you doingthat you dress yourself in scarlet,that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry,that you enlarge your eyes with paint?You beautify yourself for nothing.Your lovers reject you;they want to take your life.

I hear a cry like a woman in labor,a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child.The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,stretching out her hands:Woe is me, for my life is wearybecause of the murderers!

I have appointed you to be an assayer among My people—a refiner—so you may know and assay their way of life.

Death will be chosen over life by all the survivors of this evil family, those who remain wherever I have banished them.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

I know, Lord,that a man’s way of life is not his own;no one who walks determines his own steps.

Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth who want to take your life. They warn, “You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand.”

I have abandoned My house;I have deserted My inheritance.I have given the love of My lifeinto the hands of her enemies.

I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who want to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other’s flesh in the siege and distress that their enemies, those who want to take their life, inflict on them.

Sing to the Lord!Praise the Lord,for He rescues the life of the needyfrom the hand of evil people.

Why did I come out of the wombto see only struggle and sorrow,to end my life in shame?

“But you must say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am presenting to you the way of life and the way of death.

Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live and will retain his life like the spoils of war.

In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans.

For the land is full of adulterers;the land mourns because of the curse,and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.Their way of life has become evil,and their power is not rightly used

He announced, ‘Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from your evil deeds. Live in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors long ago and forever.

Perhaps they will listen and return—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;they will be radiant with joybecause of the Lord’s goodness,because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,and because of the young of the flocks and herds.Their life will be like an irrigated garden,and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.

will be handed over to their enemies, to those who want to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials over to their enemies, to those who want to take their lives, to the king of Babylon’s army that is withdrawing.

You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Rather, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a temporary resident.’

We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, in all he commanded us. So we haven’t drunk wine our whole life—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.

Time and time again I have sent you all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: Turn, each one from his evil way of life, and correct your actions. Stop following other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not pay attention or obey Me.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. He will keep his life like the spoils of war and will live.’

King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”

Indeed, I will certainly deliver you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will keep your life like the spoils of war.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who want to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who wanted to take his life.’”

But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I am about to bring disaster on every living creature’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘but I will grant you your life like the spoils of war wherever you go.’”

You who reside by many waters,rich in treasures,your end has come,your life thread is cut.

So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life.

As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, for the rest of his life.

ר ReshYou defend my cause, Lord;You redeem my life.

ר ReshThe Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life,was captured in their traps.We had said about him,“We will live under his protection among the nations.”

If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.

But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have saved your life.”

The seller will certainly not returnto what was soldas long as he and the buyer remain alive.For the vision concerning all its peoplewill not be revoked,and none of them will preservehis life because of his iniquity.

Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies, even though I have not caused him grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil way to save his life,

Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son—both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life.

I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances they could not live by.

I will cause many nations to be appalled at you,and their kings will shudder with fear because of youwhen I brandish My sword in front of them.On the day of your downfalleach of them will trembleevery moment for his life.

Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but ignored the warning, his blood is on his own hands. If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.

But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—he will certainly live; he will not die.

I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”

So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.

Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.

yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid of what would happen if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life with the king.”

Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you and your nobles, wives, and concubines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of silver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But you have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in His hand and who controls the whole course of your life.

As for the rest of the beasts, their authority to rule was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of time.

Many of those who sleep in the dustof the earth will awake,some to eternal life,and some to shame and eternal contempt.

Escape will fail the swift,the strong one will not prevail by his strength,and the brave will not save his life.

The archer will not stand his ground,the one who is swift of footwill not save himself,and the one riding a horse will not save his life.

So they called out to the Lord: “Please, Yahweh, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased.”

I sank to the foundations of the mountains;the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever!But You raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God!

As my life was fading away,I remembered Yahweh.My prayer came to You,to Your holy temple.

And now, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

Didn’t the one God make us with a remnant of His life-breath? And what does the One seek? A godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously against the wife of your youth.

saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.

What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire!

Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.

For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?

What can a man give in exchange for his life?

And if your hand causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell—the unquenchable fire,

And if your foot causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell— [the unquenchable fire,

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

who will not receive 100 times more, now at this time—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and eternal life in the age to come.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and save the life of his slave.

As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.

Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

Then He said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.

For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.

“‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.

Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

who will not receive many times more at this time, and eternal life in the age to come.”