'Breath' in the Bible

and to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that moves on the ground—to everything in which there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so [because He commanded it].

then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy all life under the heavens in which there is the breath and spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die.

So they went into the ark with Noah, two by two of all living beings in which there was the breath and spirit of life.

Everything on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath and spirit of life, died.

“The channels of the sea appeared,The foundations of the world were uncoveredAt the rebuke of the Lord,At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

It happened after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

“By the breath of God they perish,And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

“Remember that my life is but breath [a puff of wind, a sigh];My eye will not see good again.

“I waste away and loathe my life; I will not live forever.Let me alone, for my days are but a breath [futile and without substance].

“He will not allow me to catch my breath,But fills and saturates me with bitterness.

In whose hand is the life of every living thing,And the breath of all mankind?

“By His breath the heavens are cleared;His hand has pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent.

As long as my life is within me,And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils,

“But there is [a vital force and] a spirit [of intelligence] in man,And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

“The Spirit of God has made me,And the breath of the Almighty gives me life [which inspires me].

“If God should determine to do so,If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath,

“Ice is made by the breath of God,And the expanse of the waters is frozen.

“His breath kindles coals,And a flame goes forth from his mouth.

Then the stream beds of the waters appeared,And the foundations of the world were laid bareAt Your rebuke, O Lord,At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,And all their host by the breath of His mouth.

“Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths,And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah.

“With rebukes You discipline man for sin;You consume like a moth what is precious to him;Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.

Men of low degree are only a breath (emptiness), and men of [high] rank are a lie (delusion).In the balances they go up [because they have no measurable weight or value];They are together lighter than a breath.

Therefore He consumed their days like a breath [in emptiness and futility]And their years in sudden terror.

The Lord knows the thoughts of man,That they are a mere breath (vain, empty, futile).

You hide Your face, they are dismayed;You take away their breath, they dieAnd return to their dust.

You send out Your Spirit, they are created;You renew the face of the ground.

They have ears, but they do not hear,Nor is there any breath in their mouths.

Man is like a mere breath;His days are like a shadow that passes away.

When his spirit leaves him, he returns to the earth;In that very day his thoughts and plans perish.

Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

A righteous man hates lies,But a wicked man is loathsome, and he acts shamefully.

For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity.

There is no man who has power and authority over the wind to restrain the wind,Nor does he have authority over the day of death;There is no discharge [from service] during time of war,And evil will not rescue those who [actively seek to] practice it.

“I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree;I will grasp its branches.Let your breasts be like clusters of the grapevine,And the fragrance of your breath like apples,

Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time];For why should he be esteemed?

But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor,And decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth;And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

His breath is like an overflowing river,Which reaches to the neck,To sift the nations back and forth in a sieve [of disaster],And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.

For Topheth [in Hinnom] has long been ready;Indeed, it has been prepared for the [Assyrian] king.He has made it deep and wide,A pit of fire with plenty of wood;The breath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone (blazing sulfur), kindles and fans it.

“You have conceived dried grass, you will give birth to stubble;My breath is a fire that will consume you.

The grass withers, the flower fades,When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass.

This is what God the Lord says,He who created the heavens and stretched them out,Who spread out the earth and its produce,Who gives breath to the people on itAnd spirit to those who walk on it,

“When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collection of idols save you.But the wind will carry them all away,A [mere] breath will take them.But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]And will inherit My holy mountain.”

So they will fear the name of the Lord from the westAnd His glory from the rising of the sun.For He will come in like a narrow, rushing streamWhich the breath of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy].

For I heard a cry like a woman in labor,The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,The cry of the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem), who gasps for breath,Who stretches out her hands, saying,“Woe is me [my judgment comes]! I faint [in fear] before the murderers.”

Every man has become [like a brute] irrational and stupid, without knowledge [of God];Every goldsmith is shamed by his carved idols;For his molten images are frauds and lies,And there is no breath in them.

Every man has become stupid and brutelike, without knowledge [of God];Every goldsmith is shamed by the cast images he has made;For his molten idols are a lie,And there is no breath [of life] or spirit in them.

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord [our king],Was captured in their snares,He of whom we had said, “Under his shadowWe shall live among the nations.”

Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will make breath enter you so that you may come to life.

I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and I will put breath in you so that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on the bones, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.

Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’”

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

And you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven, and the vessels of His house have been brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or understand. But the God who holds in His hand your breath of life and your ways you have not honored and glorified [but have dishonored and defied].

For how can such a [weakened] servant of my lord talk with such [a being] as my lord? For now there remains no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.”

For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes),An east wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the Lord rising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will become dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.

“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who says to the wooden image, ‘Awake!’And to the speechless stone, ‘Arise!’And that is your teacher?Look, it is overlaid with gold and silver,And there is no breath at all inside it.