Ruach of God
Discussion on Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." Some argue that the third person of the Trinity is found in the Creation story in this passage. The word translated as "Spirit" is ruach in the Hebrew.
It would be helpful to see how it is used in the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh). See Ruach in the Hebrew Scriptures. I list the uses of ruach in the first five books of the Bible (i.e. the Pentateuch) below:
| Verse |
RSV |
Tanakh |
RSV Text |
| Genesis |
|
|
|
| 1:2 |
Spirit |
wind |
...the Spirit of God was moving |
| 3:8 |
cool |
breezy time |
...in the cool of the day |
| 6:3 |
spirit |
breath |
...My spirit shall not abide in man for ever |
| 6:17 |
breath |
breath |
...in which is the breath of life |
| 7:15 |
breath |
breath |
...in which there was the breath of life |
| 7:22 |
breath |
breath |
...in whose nostrils was the breath of life |
| 8:1 |
wind |
wind |
And God made a wind blow over the earth... |
| 26:35 |
life |
bitterness |
and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah |
| 41:8 |
spirit |
spirit |
...his spirit was troubled |
| 41:38 |
Spirit |
spirit |
...in whom is the Spirit of God? |
| 45:27 |
spirit |
spirit |
...the spirit of their father Jacob revived |
| Exodus |
|
|
|
| 6:9 |
spirit |
spirits |
...because of their broken spirit |
| 10:13 (2x) |
east wind |
east wind |
|
| 10:19 |
west wind |
west wind |
|
| 14:21 |
east wind |
east wind |
|
| 15:8 |
blast |
blast |
At the blast of thy nostrils... |
| 15:10 |
wind |
wind |
Thou didst blow with thy wind |
| 28:3 |
able mind |
gift of skill |
...whom I have endowed with an able mind |
| 31:3 |
Spirit of God |
divine spirit |
and I have filled him with the Spirit of God |
| 35:21 |
spirit |
spirit |
...and every one whose spirit moved him |
| 35:31 |
Spirit of God |
divine spirit |
and he has filled him with the Spirit of God |
| Numbers |
|
|
|
| 5:14 (2x) |
spirit |
fit |
...the spirit of jealousy... |
| 5:30 |
spirit |
fit |
..the spirit of jealousy... |
| 11:17 |
spirit |
spirit |
...take some of the spirit which is upon you |
| 11:25 (2x) |
spirit |
spirit |
...took some of the spirit that was upon him |
| 11:26 |
spirit |
spirit |
...and the spirit rested upon them |
| 11:29 |
his spirit |
His spirit |
...that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! |
| 11:31 |
wind |
wind |
And there went forth a wind from the LORD |
| 14:24 |
different spirit |
different spirit |
...Caleb, because he has a different spirit |
| 16:22 |
spirits |
breath |
...the God of the spirits of all flesh |
| 24:2 |
Spirit of God |
spirit of God |
And the Spirit of God came upon him |
| 27:16 |
spirits |
breath |
...the God of the spirits of all flesh |
| 27:18 |
spirit |
inspired |
(Joshua)...a man in whom is the spirit |
| Deuteronomy |
|
|
|
| 2:30 |
spirit |
will |
...hardened his spirit |
| 34:9 |
spirit |
spirit |
(Joshua)...was full of the spirit of wisdom |
The Spirit of God as revealed in the Tanakh (excerpts given below)
In the Tanakh, the word ruach generally means wind, breath, mind, spirit. In a living creature (nephesh chayah), the ruach is the breath, whether of animals (Gen. 7:15; Psa 104:25, 29) or mankind (Isa 42:5; Ezek 37:5). God is the creator of ruach: "The ruach of God (from God) is in my nostrils" (Job 27:3). In God's hand is the ruach of all mankind (Job 12:10; Isa 42:5). In mankind, ruach further denotes the principle of life that possesses reason, will and conscience. The ruach imparts the divine image to man, and constitutes the animating dynamic which results in man's nephesh as the subject of personal life.
When applied to God, the word ruach indicates creative activity (Gen 1:2) and active power (Isa 40:13). The Spirit of God also works in providence (Job 33:4; Psa 104:30), in redemption (Ezek 11:19; Ezek 36:26-27), in upholding and guiding his chosen ones (Neh 9:20; Psa 143:10; Hag 2:5), and in the empowering of the Messiah (Isa 11:2; Isa 42:1; Isa 61:1).
Parallel concept: In short, as the ruach is to the created nephesh, so the Ruach Elohim is to God Himself, part of God and identified with God.
Notes
- Synonyms of Ruach. Frequently occurring together (and interchangeable) are: breath (Hebrew ruach), face (Hebrew panim, translated presence), and hand (or finger of God). By extension, the Messiah (or the Anointed One) received God's ruach or, in other words, the breath, presence and power (i.e. hand) of God. The Messiah fulfills this as Prophet, Priest and King.
- Ruach Studies.
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