If animals don't have souls, can anyone explain Proverbs 12:10?

I actually believe that animals do have souls. Why not? They were created by God, have brains, hearts, personalities, moods and all the feelings that we have. Why would St. Francis be their Patron Saint? What would be the point? Just my little belief. Look at the bond that we humans have with all kinds of creatures and we seem to communicate with them on many levels too.

SIDE NOTE to the poster Julia below: Many animals are very intelligent actually, surprised you didn't know that and many animals can reason and many more can be taught and learn. Dolphins and pigs are not intelligent? And animals, many of them actually use "tools" in their habitat. Watch the Discovery Channel sometime hun. Plus their instincts are so finely more tuned than ours are.

>>>The word translated into English Bibles as "life" in this verse is in the original Hebrew "nephesh", which literally means soul.>>>

Not quite. The word could mean soul or it could mean biological life, depending on the context.

"Take care of the earth and the animals" doesn't mean that animals have souls, anymore than it means that the earth has one.

Just because animals have biological life as we do, does not mean that they possess every attribute that we do. For instance, we possess the faculties of intellect and reason whereas animals clearly do not. Likewise with the soul.

Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.

Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

It's not the soul as in THE soul, it rather just means the life-force or being. The word used there, "nefesh", has more the connotation of one's personality. Now, it *can* refer to "the soul", but it is understood in judaism as being a somewhat general term.

For example, in deut 12 it discusses when one's "nefesh" desires food. Obviously a "soul" doesn't desire food.

There is a book named the lost books of the bible and in it it says that the animals will stand up before God and testify on their treatment from men,so yes I believe they have a soul.

How do we really know animals don't have souls? I don't think anyone went to heaven and came back to confirm this.

Animals and people share one attribute:

The ability to suffer.

I wish I could answer this for you but there is much I don't understand. One day this will be answered but till then not much help.

go ask u precher he'l no