Breath, Breathe, Breathing
Breath, Breathe, Breathing
breth, breth, brething: In the English Versions of the Bible of the Old Testament breath is the rendering of , neshamah, and of , ruah. These words differ but slightly in meaning, both signifying primarily wind, then breath, though the former suggests a gentler blowing, the latter often a blast. As applied to persons there is no very clear distinction between the words. Yet in general one may say that of the two neshamah is employed preferably of breath regarded physiologically: vital breath, hence, the vital principle, Soul (animal) life (compare Gen 2:7; Gen 7:22; Job 27:3, where both words occur; Isa 42:52; Dan 5:23); while ruah (though it, too, sometimes signifies vital breath) is the word generally employed where the breath is regarded physically – breath or blast as an act or force – and so is related to the will or the emotions, whence the meaning spirit, also sometimes thought, purpose (compare Job 4:9; Job 9:18; Psa 18:15; Psa 146:4; Eze 37:5, Eze 37:6, Eze 37:8, Eze 37:9, Eze 37:10). The examples cited, however, and other passages reveal a lack of uniformity of usage. Yet generally ruah is the expression, neshamah, the principle, of life. Yet when employed of God they of course signify the principle, not of His own life, but of that imparted to His creatures. Breathe in English Versions of the Bible of the Old Testament requires no remark except at Psa 27:12 (such as breathe out cruelty), from yaphah, to breathe hard, to snort (compare Act 9:1). In the New Testament breath (, pnoe) occurs once Act 17:25 in the plain sense of vital principle, the gift of God. Breathed is employed in Joh 20:22 of our Lord’s concrete symbolism of the giving of the Spirit. In Act 9:1 Saul’s breathing threatening and slaughter is literally snorting, etc., and the nouns are partitive genitives, being the element of which he breathed. See also SPIRIT.