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Translation & Transliteration
"Behold, my Servant whom I uphold...
"Where can I go from your Ruach? |
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From Holy Spirit to Holy Ghost Since the Middle Ages, Christian English Bibles have contained translational and typographical biases involving the Holy Spirit. Their purpose has been to promote the idea that the "Holy Ghost" of the NT is not the "Holy Spirit" of the OT. The Medieval Church taught that the Holy Ghost was unknown to the Jews in ancient Israel, because he (the third member of the Trinity) was first revealed only after the resurrection of Jesus. [8 HTML pages]
The Messiah and the Spirit
The Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Ruach in the Hebrew Scriptures
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The Shepherd Messiah of Acts Who supervised the emergence and growth of the Messianic Community following Yeshua's resurrection? The book of Acts attributes this work to the Holy Spirit and to the Resurrected Messiah. How do we reconcile this dual headship? [7 HTML pages]
Synonyms of Ruach (A Study in Hebrew Metaphors)
• Occurrences of "Holy Ghost" in the King James Version |
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The Meanings and Uses of Ruach In the Hebrew Bible the word ruach occurs nearly 400 times. Its base meaning is "moving air" — whether in the form of breath, a breeze or violent storm winds. Ruach is pronounced roo-ach (-ach like the ending of Pesach or Bach). In about 100 places in modern English Bibles, the word is rendered "wind." Notice Yeshua's play on the word pneuma (Greek, wind/spirit) in John 3 and the parallel in John 20: That which is begotten of the flesh is flesh; and that which is begotten of pneuma is pneuma.... The pneuma blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is every one who is begotten of the pneuma (Jn 3:6,8). Most often in English Bibles ruach is rendered "spirit" or "Spirit" (the difference is explained below). This is the immaterial dimension of God or a human being. Immaterial human ghosts and angelic beings are called "spirits" (ruchot). A few times, ruach is translated "mind" in the sense of someone's thoughts, convictions, disposition, drive, even courage. (At the end of this introduction is a fuller list of the range of definitions.) The usual Hebrew word for someone's immaterial, individual personhood, soul, or being is nefesh (or nephesh). A nefesh is not ruach. When God created adam (the man from the ground) he became a "living being," a nefesh hayyah (Gen 2:7). God has, or is, a nefesh: "My nefesh hates your new moon festivals..." (Isa 1:13). The psalmist says humans are created when God "sends forth [his] ruach." And when he "takes away" his ruach they "expire and return to their dust" (Ps 104:29-30). In other words, God doesn't give humans his own nefesh, his personal being. He gives us his ruach: his animating breath of life or, like a potter with wet clay, his soul-etched characteristics. God's ruach also denotes his power over the spirit world. Note the two versions of Yeshua's statement. The one may be an interpretation of the original metaphor. If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matt 12:28) Long before Yeshua, the "Finger of God" humbled the supernatural powers behind Pharoah's magicians (Exod 7:5).
Because at its root ruach denotes moving air it's important to not always translate it "SPIRIT," which is only one possible meaning. For example, a survey of the many ways Isaiah uses ruach adds breadth to his references to the Ruach of God — especially about his prophecies of the Mashiach, the one anointed with God's Ruach. (See "Ruach in the Hebrew Scriptures" linked above.) As is common in Hebrew thought, many passages with parallel lines of thought reveal interconnected dimensions of ruach: • Ruach is the usual word for breath, and breath comes from the mouth. God's creative power is shown when his mouth speaks words: "God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Gen 1:3). By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made, • Since words express one's mind, God's Ruach/Breath can denote his inner thoughts or mind. The usual Hebrew word for "mind" is lev or levav (literally "heart"), and it's often parallel to Ruach. I shall give them one Lev and put a new Ruach within them. (Ezek 11:19) Note how the Jewish translators of the Bible into Greek rendered the line from Isaiah 40, and how the apostle Paul later validated their translation: Who has directed [measured] the Ruach of the LORD? (Isa 40:13 Hebrew) After quoting this verse in Greek (1 Cor 2:16a), Paul reminds his listeners that "we have the Mind of Messiah [nous Christos]" (v. 16b). Later, to the same group he affirms the wisdom of his counsel to them: "I think that I also have the pneuma of God" [on this issue] (1 Cor 7:40). Paul's interchangeable usage of Mind (nous) and Spirit (pneuma) also has a bearing on his exposition on the Spirit in Romans 8. [Top ]
• God's Ruach/Heart/Mind could be called his resident disposition, character, or nature. This nature he wants implanted in Israel (and all human beings) to remold them, rebirth them, recreate them with his "new" character, in his image. In his "image" was the original intent (Gen 1:26). I will give you a new Lev and put a new Ruach within you. ... After his great sin involving Bathsheba, King David in Psalm 51 expressed his fear that God would "hide His face" from him. He was afraid the Lord would no longer look at him, hear his cries, or speak a word of forgiveness to him. (The Hebrew word for "face" is panim.) David thought God might totally withdraw his Panim and thus abandon him, or like a king, dismiss him from His court. So he begged God not to remove his Ruach, but even "restore" it to him (Ps 51:10-12). David used a rare Hebrew expression, "Holy Ruach" [ruach qodesh], to parallel God's Nature and Presence/Panim: Renew a steadfast Ruach within me. [Top ] • Ruach is another way of describing God's presence because when he comes near human beings and speaks to them, his Breath and spoken Words convey his Presence. If you can hear someone breathing or talking to you, they are present with you. Their unique character fills the room (or the mountain top where you meet them). Where can I go from your Ruach? • God's Ruach or Presence is simply himself. Just as a person's spirit is themself (1 Cor 2:11), God's Ruach is God. His Spirit is not another personality or being. The Egyptians are men, and not God,
Other Synonyms of Ruach
The LORD spoke to me with a mighty Hand. (Isa 8:11) Glory: Messiah was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father. (Rom 6:4)
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The word cluster Ruach/Lev/Panim [all = SPIRIT] is key to understanding the concept of the "Messiah" (the Anointed One), in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. For God's ruach underlies the deeper meaning of biblical anointing: [The LORD says], It's important to raise the question of why Yeshua of Nazareth is called "Messiah" 529 times (Christos in Greek; Mashiach in Hebrew). Because to decide whether Yeshua was a messiah or the Messiah depends on how we understand his anointing with God's Holy Ruach/Pneuma. As the Ruach-Anointed, Yeshua often associates himself with the Spirit. Not only does he breathe forth the Ruach before his death ("Receive Holy Ruach"; John 20:22), he will "be" the Ruach or divine Presence in the future, after his departure. Do not be anxious how you will speak ... for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (Matt 10:19-20) [Top ]
A major barrier to understanding Yeshua's messiahship was created by Christian Bible translators who did their work with doctrinal presuppositions that don't exist in Scripture. Medieval English theologians believed the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Holy Trinity) was unknown to the Hebrews and Jews of the Old Testament era. They believed he first appeared at the festival of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2. This belief created a dilemma for them. For if the Third Person was unknown prior to his appearance, who or what was the Ruach mentioned in the OT? And if the Holy Spirit did not "come" until Pentecost, what Spirit came upon and anointed Yeshua? To solve the problem and prevent conflicting interpretations, these theologians and their printers created two distinctions.
First.
Second. Even today, "spirit of God/of the Lord" and "holy spirit" are found in Jewish, Catholic, and liberal Protestant translations of the Hebrew Bible/OT. [See the article "From Holy Spirit to Holy Ghost" linked above.]
Related to God, we find: ruach YHVH (spirit/Spirit of the LORD); ruach elohim (spirit or Spirit of God); ruach qodesh (holy spirit/Spirit); ruach tovah (good spirit/Spirit). The phrase "(the) Spirit" with no modifiers occurs some 76x.
ruach = angelic beings: Jud 9:23; 1 Sam 16:14-16, 23; 1 Kgs 22:21-24; 2 Kgs 19:7; Job 4:15 ruach = ghosts of dead people: 1 Sam 28:8, 13; Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19 [Top ]
The word ruach is defined in the following Hebrew lexicons: Brown-Driver-Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon (pages 924-26):breath; wind (kinds of winds, quarters or directions of heaven); spirit (temper, disposition, vivacity, vigour, courage, impatience, etc.); seat of emotion (desire, sorrow, trouble); the will (=lev, heart); spirit of God (activity in inspiring prophets, the ancient angel of the presence and later Shekina, divine presence). William Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (pages 334-35): air in motion, blowing; wind, what is empty or transitory, spirit, mind; breath; directions; spirit of man; mind, disposition, temper; spirit of God. Samuel Tregelles, Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (pages 760-61): spirit, breath, air in motion, breeze, wind; direction or quarter of heaven; life, the vital principle; animus, rational mind, seat of affections; disposition (thinking), will and counsel, intellect; Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, divine Spirit: peculiar endowments of mind. Alexander Harkavy, Students' Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary of the Old Testament (pages 661-62): air; wind, breeze; vanity; side, quarter (of heavens); breath; vital breath (spirit, life); spirit (versus flesh, invisible power of God, of inspired prophets); mind, purpose; courage.
Translation & Transliteration |
