Proverbs 3:22

Soul. Heb. nephesh. It is thus translated more than 400 times in the OT. In the majority of these instances nephesh means no more than “self” and is a synonym for the personal pronoun or for a person. For example, “if a soul shall sin” (Lev. 4:2) is equivalent to saying “if someone sin”; “against that soul” (Lev. 17:10) simply means “against that person”; “all that thy soul desireth” is equivalent to “all that you desire.” In the verse under consideration “unto thy soul” simply means “unto thee.” The sentence would then read, “so shall they be life unto thee.”

Jesus came to give His sheep more abundant life (John 10:10), and all who seek to serve God acceptably will receive fresh supplies of physical strength as well as mental and spiritual power (MH 159).