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What Does the Bible Say About..Souls Before Birth?

Where is everyone's soul at before they are born? Does the Bible tell us where are souls have been, before entering into a human body? I know this question may sound silly, but this is one of the many things I have wondered about.

Answer

You are not the first person to wonder about this. It has been asked by many people over centuries. The Bible does not give a clear answer.

Since the Bible does not say anything about souls existing before you become a person, I hold the position that the soul comes into existence when a person takes their first breath (Genesis 2:7), or possibly at conception. Once it comes into existence it continues forever. This would mean that the soul has a specific beginning but no end, unlike God who has no beginning or end.

The other option would be that God created all the souls of every person who would ever exist at some specific time, either before or at the creation of Adam. These souls would then be held in some place until needed, possibly with no consciousness. Then when that person is to come into existence God puts that soul in the body and it becomes aware of being.

Either option really makes little difference. God could do it either way. And as far as we are individually concerned, we only know what has happened since birth. If there is a “before” we will never know.