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Spirit, wind, breath: ruach and pneuma

Hebrew רוּחַ. Greek πνεῦμα. Also called Ruach, Ruah, Pneuma, Spirit, Wind, Breath, ruach · pneuma.

The Hebrew and Greek words that mean spirit, wind and breath at once: the BSB renders ruach (378 times) spirit, wind or breath, and pneuma (379 times) almost always spirit.

Ruach is moving air and what it stands for: the wind that drives back the sea, the breath that keeps a body alive, and the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. Hebrew does not have to choose, and English does. In Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones the one word is the Spirit that carries the prophet, the breath he prophesies to and the four winds it comes from. The Greek pneuma has the same range; in the New Testament it nearly always means spirit, but in John 3:8 Jesus uses it for the wind and the Spirit in one sentence, and the translations divide over which to hear first.

Ruach and pneuma: one word for spirit, wind and breath

רוּחַ ruach, 378 times

  • 196 spirit, Spirit
  • 102 wind
  • 35 breath
  • 45 other words
  • spirit “the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” Genesis 1:2
  • wind “a strong east wind” Exodus 14:21
  • breath “the breath of the Almighty gives me life” Job 33:4

All three in one vision: Ezekiel 37:1–14

  1. 37:1 Spirit
  2. 37:5 breath
  3. 37:6 breath
  4. 37:8 breath
  5. 37:9 breath
  6. 37:9 breath
  7. 37:9 breath
  8. 37:9 winds
  9. 37:10 breath
  10. 37:14 My Spirit

The Spirit carries Ezekiel into the valley of dry bones, he is told to prophesy to the breath, the breath comes from the four winds, and God ends, “I will put My Spirit in you and you will live.” Hebrew hears one word throughout; English has to choose three.

πνεῦμα pneuma, 379 times

  • 373 spirit, Spirit
  • 2 wind
  • 3 breath
  • 1 other words

The Greek word has the same range, but the New Testament almost always means the spirit. One sentence uses both senses at once:

Translation John 3:8, first pneuma second pneuma
BSB The wind blows born of the Spirit
WEB The wind blows born of the Spirit
KJV The wind bloweth born of the Spirit
ASV The wind bloweth born of the Spirit
DBY The wind blows born of the Spirit
FBV The wind blows born of the Spirit
OEB The wind blows birth to the Spirit
T4T The wind blows God’s spirit
LSV the Spirit blows born of the Spirit
YLT the Spirit where he willeth doth blow born of the Spirit

Jesus tells Nicodemus that the pneuma blows where it wishes, and so it is with everyone born of the pneuma. Eight translations hear the wind first; the LSV and YLT hear the Spirit both times.

Where ruach is used most

  1. Ezekiel 52
  2. Isaiah 51
  3. Psalms 39
  4. Job 31
  5. Ecclesiastes 24
  6. Proverbs 21

Ecclesiastes’ “a pursuit of the wind” is ruach too. Counted in the site’s Hebrew and Greek by Strong’s number, H7307 and G4151, with the BSB’s English for each from its translation tables.

Where it appears

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