14 September 2021
The word for today is RUACH ( רוּחַ), Like a lot of Hebrew words, it does double duty, meaning several potential things depending on context.
First, it means "wind".
Second, it means "spirit".
It also means "breath" (as in "breath of life"). Although another Hebrew word is used in Genesis 2 -- NESHAMAH (נְשָׁמָה) from the verb NASHAM (נָשַׁם), which means "to pant", RUACH is used in Genesis 6 when G-D told Noah He intended to destroy all who had the RUACH of life in them.
Want an interesting thought experiment? Jesus undoubtedly spoke Hebrew, based on the emerging evidence today (He probably spoke Aramaic and Greek, too).
Read the account from the Gospel of John of Jesus' interaction with Nicodemus. Substitute "RUACH" for both wind and spirit, and you get a sense of the playful wordplay used by a skilled rabbinic teacher.
No comments:
Post a Comment