Kavusa, Kivatsi Jonathan2023-09-292023-09-292022Jonathan K. Kavusa, “Humans and non-humans as (נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה) and Ntu-beings: ecological appraisal of Gen 2:7 and 19 in dialogue with African-Bantu indigenous cosmology,” Old Testament Essays 35 no. 2 (2022): 149 – 169. DOI: https://DOI.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n2a3.1010-9919 (print)2312-3621 (online)10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n2a3http://hdl.handle.net/2263/92607The Hebrew text of Gen 2:7, 19 describes both humans and animals as nephesh hayya’ (living being). However, a large number of contemporary influential Bible translations render this expression differently for humans and animals. It is translated living being for humans (v.7), but living thing/creature for animals (v.19). This is however not justified by any clue in the text, which views humans and non-humans as both adamah-beings and nephesh hayyah. Likewise, African-Bantu cosmology depicts humans and non-humans as ntu-beings (muntu: human being; kintu: non-human being; hantu: place and time; kuntu: means or approach).The root ntu in the word kuntu implies that the way muntu (human being) interacts with other beings (kintu, hantu) must be informed by a vision of nature not as a “thing” but a living being. In addition to elements of socio-historical approaches and African-Bantu indigenous cosmology, this study makes uses of a hermeneutics of suspicion and the Earth Bible principle of mutual custodianship to retrieve ecological wisdom of Gen 2 in the African context.en© Old Testament Society of South AfricaNephesh hayyaAdam/adamahGenesis 2African-Bantu indigenous cosmologyEcological hermeneuticsLiving being/soul/creatureHumans and animalsArticle