What is the difference between the body and the flesh in the bible?

Answer 1

In the New Testament -

"Body" (as in Matthew 5:29) is the Greek word soma, which according to Strong's can mean 1) a literal body of man or beast, either dead or living, 2) the heavenly bodies, i.e. stars and planets, 3) used of a group of men closely united into one society, or family; a social, ethical, mystical body (a) in the NT, used of the church, 4) that which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself.

"Flesh" (as in Matthew 16:17) is sarx in the Greek, meaning 1) the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood, of both man and beasts, 2) the body (a) the body of a man (b) used of natural or physical origin, generation or relationship (c) the sensuous nature of man, the "animal nature,"3) a living creature (because possessed of a body of flesh) whether man or beast, 4) the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God.

Since soma can refer to a much broader range of things and ideas (something living or dead, something spiritual and/or physical), it's often employed metaphorically.

Sarx, on the other hand, refers almost exclusively to something living and temporal, often as directly opposed to the spiritual, so its use is most often quite literal (this quality of the word was used with striking effect when John recorded Jesus' metaphorical teachings in John 6).

Because of the multiple meanings of the Greek, context must always be taken into account.