The soft material of the body (Job 10:11). More narrowly, it can refer to the penis (Exod 28:42), foreskin (Gen 17:9-14), and hence sexual union (Gen 2:24) and generation (John 1:13). More broadly, it refers to the whole body or person as represented by the body (John 1:14), to one’s kin (Rom 9:3), to humanity and therefore what is human (Isa 40:5; Phil 3:3-4), and to humans and animals (Gen 6:17-20). Animal flesh is “meat” (Dan 10:3) or the meaty part of a sacrifice (Lev 6:24-27). “Flesh” connotes sensitivity (Ezek 11:19), superficiality (John 8:15), weakness (2Chr 32:8), and mortality (Ps 78:39). Paul also uses “flesh” for the urge to sin (Gal 5:19-21).
