Ruach (breath, wind, spirit, mind)
Genesis 1:2-3: The earth was without form, and void; and darkness on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [[ruach Elohim]] was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Trinitarian issue. Genesis 1:2 is important in the discussion of the Trinity because most trinitarians use the phrase "Spirit of God" to defend the idea that the Third Person of the Trinity (the Spirit) was involved in the creation of the world. There are several issues with this idea, not the least of which is how the Spirit was involved. We know the Father was involved because He declares Himself the Creator (Isaiah 45:18; Revelation 4:11). We also know the Son was involved because he is seen as God's agent: All things were made through the Son (Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16). But, how exactly was the Spirit involved? The other issues include the context of the Creation story itself and the use of ruach throughout the Hebrew Bible, neither of which lend support to this interpretation.
Introduction. The Hebrew word ruach is typically translated as "spirit" but can have other meanings as well, such as breath and wind. This is why some translations take the liberty to translate ruach as "wind" rather than "spirit" as follows:
- (CEB) ...and God's wind swept over the waters—
- (NABRE) ...and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—
- (NRSVA) ...while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
- (VOICE) ...while God’s spirit-wind hovered over the surface of the empty waters...
Moreover, the immediate context of this Creation story which are really two stories in one, if you include Genesis chapters 1 and 2, suggests that the better translation of ruach Elohim in this verse is the "breath of God" or "God's breath." This is discussed further in what follows. If so, a better (paraphrased) translation might be:
- Genesis 1:2-3 (paraphrased): The earth was without form and empty of inhabitants, and darkness over the surface of the deep waters while God's breath swept over the surface of the deep waters. And the voice of God (like the sound of many waters, shimmering over the surface of the waters) said, "Let-there-be light," and-there-was light.
Definition of ruach. It should be first understood that ruach has a broad range of meanings. In the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), the word ruach (Strong's H7307) generally means breath, wind, spirit, mind. In a living creature (nephesh chayah), the ruach is the breath, whether of animals (Genesis 7:15; Psalm 104:25, 29) or mankind (Isaiah 42:5; Ezekiel 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; Isaiah 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 (Genesis 1:2) and active power (Isaiah 40:13). The Spirit of God also works in providence (Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30), in redemption (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26-27), in upholding and guiding his chosen ones (Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 143:10; Haggai 2:5), and in the empowering of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 61:1). The Genesis 1:2 is even implied in Psalm 29:3, "Yahweh’s voice is on the waters. The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters."
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.
—Reference: The Spirit of God as revealed in the Tanakh.
Other possible meanings. Three other possible meanings to the ruach of God in Genesis 1:2 are as follows:
- God in action. That is, God was acting, moving, hovering over the waters, preparing to bring forth the Creation events to come.
- God's wind. Some translations use this phrasing to suggest that the wind of God would accomplish God's purposes, such as when a great wind parted the Red Sea in the Exodus story.
- God's breath. Sometimes the spirit of God and the breath of God are used as synonyms (e.g. "The spirit [[H7307, ruach]] of God has made me, and the breath [[H5397, neshamah]] of the Almighty gives me life" Job 33:4.) This parallel language is the key to understanding its true meaning.
Parallel language. Given that the "spirit of God" and His creative breath are sometimes used as synonyms (as in Job 33:4), we can view the creation story in like manner. The creation story found in the Book of Genesis is really two (2) creation stories in one.
- Creation of the world (Genesis 1). In this story, God begins to effectively agitate the surface of the waters by His breath just before He begins to create. God then proceeds to speak everything into existence over a six-day period with the recurring phrase, "And God said."
- "By the word [[H1697, dabar]] of Yahweh the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath [[H7307, ruach]] of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6).
- "For He spoke [[H559, amar]], and it came to be; He commanded [[H6680, tsavah]], and it stood forth" (Psalm 33:9).
- Creation of man (Genesis 2). In this story, God forms man out of dust of the ground and blew the breath [H5397, neshamah] of life into his nostrils and he becomes a living being (Genesis 2:7).
In the case of the first creation story God's ruach is at play, while in the second story God's neshamah is involved. Given that the creation of man is found in both stories, God then created man both by ruach and by neshamah. In both cases, God's "breath" (whether by speaking or by breathing) is the means of creation. Thus, (a paraphrased) Genesis 1:2-3 can read as follows:
- Genesis 1:2-3 (paraphrased): The earth was without form and empty of inhabitants, and darkness over the surface of the deep (waters) while God's breath swept over the surface of the (deep) waters. And the voice of God (like the sound of many waters, shimmering over the surface of the waters) said, "Let-there-be light," and-there-was light.
Another example of parallel language is found in Psalm 104 which reads:
- Psalm 104:29-30: When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath [[ruach]], they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit [[ruach]], they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
Thus, when God sends forth His ruach, man is created (and the world is renewed), but when His ruach is taken away, man dies. The word ruach is found in both verses.
God's throne in heaven. Consider the description of God's throne in heaven (i.e. Ezekiel 1, 10; Revelation 4) and how it compares to the beginning of the creation story. There are several similarities which suggest some parallelism between the description of the throne of God and the creation story.
- Sea of glass. A crystal sea of glass is before the throne of God, also called an "expanse" (Revelation 4:6; Ezekiel 1:22).
- Throne of (blue) sapphire. See Ezekiel 1:26; 10:1.
- Sound and voice. The sound of the wings of the living creatures is "like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty" (Ezekiel 1:24). And a voice came from above the expanse (Ezekiel 1:25).
- Glory of light. "brightness all around . . . Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh" (Ezekiel 1:27-28).
The Ruach Elohim in the Torah. After the first mention of the "Spirit of God" in Genesis 1:2, it is no longer mentioned anywhere else in the Torah in relation to Creation other than with reference to it being the "breath of life" in the Flood story. The first instance of ruach in the Flood story is found in Genesis 6:3 and reads in various forms as follows:
- Genesis 6:3 (ESV): Then the LORD [[Hebrew: Yahweh]] said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh...”
- Genesis 6:3 (CEB): The LORD [[Hebrew: Yahweh]] said, “My breath will not remain in humans forever, because they are flesh...”
- Genesis 6:3 (VOICE): Eternal One: My life-giving Spirit will not sustain human beings forever because they are, after all, made of flesh...
Why the ruach of Genesis 6:3 should be understood as Yahweh's "breath" is because in the rest of the Flood story the ruach instances are with reference to the "breath of life" as follows:
- Genesis 6:17: For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath [[Hebrew: ruach]] of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
- Genesis 7:15: They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath [[Hebrew: ruach]] of life.
- Genesis 7:22: Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath [[Hebrew: ruach]] of life died.
The reference in Job 33:4, "The spirit [[H7307, ruach]] of God has made me, and the breath [[H5397, neshamah]] of the Almighty gives me life," is suggestive that the ruach of God is the (energizing, creative) breath of God and not some third person as trinitarians believe.
Below is the complete list of (38) occurrences of ruach in the Torah.
| Verse |
Tanakh |
RSV Text |
| Genesis |
|
|
| Gen. 1:2 |
wind (RSV: Spirit) |
...the Spirit of God was moving |
| Gen. 3:8 |
breezy time (RSV: cool) |
...in the cool of the day |
| Gen. 6:3 |
breath (RSV: spirit) |
...My spirit shall not abide in man for ever |
| Gen. 6:17 |
breath |
...in which is the breath of life |
| Gen. 7:15 |
breath |
...in which there was the breath of life |
| Gen. 7:22 |
breath |
...in whose nostrils was the breath of life |
| Gen. 8:1 |
wind |
And God made a wind blow over the earth... |
| Gen. 26:35 |
bitterness (RSV: life) |
and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah |
| Gen. 41:8 |
spirit |
...his spirit was troubled |
| Gen. 41:38 |
spirit |
...in whom is the Spirit of God? |
| Gen. 45:27 |
spirit |
...the spirit of their father Jacob revived |
| Exodus |
|
|
| Ex. 6:9 |
spirits |
...because of their broken spirit |
| Ex. 10:13 (2x) |
east wind |
|
| Ex. 10:19 |
west wind |
|
| Ex. 14:21 |
east wind |
|
| Ex. 15:8 |
blast |
At the blast of thy nostrils... |
| Ex. 15:10 |
wind |
Thou didst blow with thy wind |
| Ex. 28:3 |
gift of skill (RSV: able mind) |
...whom I have endowed with an able mind |
| Ex. 31:3 |
divine spirit (RSV: Spirit of God) |
and I have filled him with the Spirit of God |
| Ex. 35:21 |
spirit |
...and every one whose spirit moved him |
| Ex. 35:31 |
divine spirit (RSV: Spirit of God) |
and he has filled him with the Spirit of God |
| Numbers |
|
|
| Num. 5:14 (2x) |
fit (RSV: spirit) |
...the spirit of jealousy... |
| Num. 5:30 |
fit (RSV: spirit) |
..the spirit of jealousy... |
| Num. 11:17 |
spirit |
...take some of the spirit which is upon you |
| Num. 11:25 (2x) |
spirit |
...took some of the spirit that was upon him |
| Num. 11:26 |
spirit |
...and the spirit rested upon them |
| Num. 11:29 |
His spirit |
...that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! |
| Num. 11:31 |
wind |
And there went forth a wind from the LORD |
| Num. 14:24 |
different spirit |
...Caleb, because he has a different spirit |
| Num. 16:22 |
breath (RSV: spirits) |
...the God of the spirits of all flesh |
| Num. 24:2 |
spirit of God |
And the Spirit of God came upon him |
| Num. 27:16 |
breath (RSV: spirits) |
...the God of the spirits of all flesh |
| Num. 27:18 |
inspired (RSV: spirit) |
(Joshua)...a man in whom is the spirit |
| Deuteronomy |
|
|
| Deut. 2:30 |
will (RSV: spirit) |
...hardened his spirit |
| Deut. 34:9 |
spirit |
(Joshua)...was full of the spirit of wisdom |
Ruach in the entire Old Testament. For a complete list of occurrences of the word ruach in the Hebrew Bible, see here: Ruach in the Hebrew Scriptures. Similar to the meaning of ruach in the Torah, you will find in the rest of the Hebrew Bible that the ruach of God is a non-participant in any creation story other than with reference to the "breath of life." It is, therefore, reasonable to understand Ruach Elohim in Genesis 1:2 as the "breath of God."
God's ruach in the Old Testament
The usual translation for God's ruach in the Old Testament is the "spirit of God" or the "spirit of the Lord (Yahweh)." It is rare to find the term "the spirit" by itself—its usage is largely confined to the Book of Ezekiel and a handful of other occurrences.
a, God's breath. In the Old Testament, the "spirit" of God is understood to mean God's "breath" (e.g. Job 33:4, "The spirit [[ruach]] of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" and Psalm 33:6, "By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath [[ruach]] of his mouth" ).
- Just as the ancient Israelites spoke anthropomorphically of God’s arm, hand, and face, so they also spoke of His breath, i.e., His vital power or spirit, which was as active and as efficacious as God Himself. This use has its foundation in the original meaning of the word rûah: —"breath" or "wind." The breath, which was regarded by the ancients as the vital force in man and animals, and the wind, which in Palestine can blow with sudden violence, were looked upon as mysterious, powerful, and terrifying forces. Consequently, it is not surprising that they attributed to the breath or spirit of God the manifestations of extraordinary mysterious powers in man or in nature. —New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition, 2002, Vol. 13, pp. 426, God’s Spirit as a Power
b. Not a person. In the Old Testament, the spirit of God is not a person or some form of intermediary being. It is simply God's power.
- The Old Testament clearly does not envisage God’s spirit as a person, neither in the strictly philosophical sense, nor in the Semitic sense. God’s spirit is simply God’s power. If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly (Is 48.16; 63.11; 32.15). Very rarely do the Old Testament writers attribute to God’s spirit emotions or intellectual activity (Is 63.10; Wis 1.3–7). When such expressions are used, they are mere figures of speech that are explained by the fact that the rûah: was regarded also as the seat of intellectual acts and feelings (Gn 41.8). Neither is there found in the Old Testament or in rabbinical literature the notion that God’s spirit is an intermediary being between God and the world. This activity is proper to the angels, although to them is ascribed some of the activity that elsewhere is ascribed to the spirit of God. —New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition, 2002, Vol. 13, pp. 426, 427, God’s Spirit Not Presented as a Person
c. God's power. In the Old Testament, God's spirit was manifest in individuals giving them extraordinary power (e.g. Judges 14:6, 19), heroic courage (e.g. Judges 3:10), or the gift of prophecy (e.g. 1 Samuel 10:6-13). It was a transitory phenomenon in some cases while in others it was a permanent force (e.g. Moses and Joshua). The promised Messiah was to have this power.
- Isaiah 11:2: And the spirit of Yahweh will rest on him—
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.
- Isaiah 42:1: Behold, my servant whom I uphold;
my chosen, in whom my soul delights.
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring justice to the nations.
- Isaiah 61:1: The spirit of Yahweh Elohim is upon me,
because Yahweh has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
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.
- The Dynamics of the Spirit in the Old Testament. The author analyses the place and role of the Holy Spirit in creation on the basis of Genesis 1:2, where in the important prologue to the actual act of creation, we find an interesting situation, in which the Spirit of God makes an appearance, then completely disappears from the scene of God’s creative act. Why? The author attempts primarily to outline the place and role of the spirit and the Spirit of God in the Old Testament generally, then moves on to analyse and propose some reasons for the ‘disappearance’ of the Spirit of God from the creative act.
