HOUSES OF THE SOUL

[Heb., bat·theʹ han-neʹphesh].

Neʹphesh (“soul”) may, in this case, signify “that which is breathed” or “smelled,” and bat·tehʹ (“houses”) can also mean “receptacles.” Hence this literally translated expression “houses of the soul” probably denotes “perfume receptacles.” These may have been suspended from a chain or necklace and worn by ‘the haughty daughters of Zion’ around their necks. (Isa. 3:16, 18, 20) The name “houses of the soul” may have been a popular designation for such articles in that period.