נְשָׁמָה

nᵉshâmâh · Hebrew · Strong's H5397 · 24 occurrences

The KJV renders 6 different Hebrew and Greek words as “breath”

What it means

a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal

from H5395 (נָשַׁם);

How the KJV renders it

blast, breath, inspiration, soul, spirit

Where that flattens a distinction

The same English word is also used for these other originals, so the distinction between them disappears in translation.

“breath”

also renders pnoḗ (G4157), nâphach (H5301), nephesh (H5315), nishmâʼ (H5396), rûwach (H7307)

“soul”

also renders psychḗ (G5590), nᵉdîybâh (H5082), nephesh (H5315)

“spirit”

also renders phántasma (G5326), rûwach (H7307), rûwach (H7308)

“blast”

also renders rûwach (H7307), shâdaph (H7710)

Answers that weigh this word

Where it appears

24 occurrences in the Hebrew text.

1 Kings 15:29 · HNcfsa

As soon as he was king, he struck all the house of Jeroboam. He didn’t leave to Jeroboam any who breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of Yahweh, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite;

1 Kings 17:17 · HNcfsa

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

2 Samuel 22:16 · HR/Ncfsc

Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by Yahweh’s rebuke, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

Daniel 10:17 · HC/Ncfsa

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? For as for me, immediately there remained no strength in me. There was no breath left in me.”

Deuteronomy 20:16 · HNcfsa

But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;

Genesis 2:7 · HNcfsc

Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 7:22 HNcfscIsaiah 2:22 HNcfsaIsaiah 30:33 HNcfscIsaiah 42:5 HNcfsaIsaiah 57:16 HC/NcfpaJob 4:9 HR/NcfscJob 26:4 HC/NcfscJob 27:3 HNcfsc/Sp1csJob 32:8 HC/NcfscJob 33:4 HC/NcfscJob 34:14 HC/Ncfsc/Sp3msJob 37:10 HR/NcfscJoshua 10:40 HTd/NcfsaJoshua 11:11 HNcfsaJoshua 11:14 HNcfsaProverbs 20:27 HNcfscPsalm 18:15 HR/NcfscPsalm 150:6 HTd/Ncfsa

Occurrences and morphology are taken from the primary Hebrew text, never from an English translation. Strong's Hebrew lexicon and Westminster Leningrad Codex morphology used under CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC BY 4.0 (OpenScriptures). Strong's Greek lexicon is public domain.