Genesis 2:7

2:7 The Lord God formed ¹  the man from the soil of the ground ²  and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, ³  and the man became a living being. ⁴ 

Job 12:10

12:10 in whose hand ⁵  is the life ⁶  of every creature

and the breath of all the human race. ⁷ 

Job 34:14-15

34:14 If God ⁸  were to set his heart on it, ⁹ 

and gather in his spirit and his breath,

34:15 all flesh would perish together

and human beings would return to dust.

Psalms 104:29

104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. ¹⁰ 

When you take away their life’s breath, they die

and return to dust.

Psalms 146:4

146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;

on that day their plans die. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 42:5

42:5 This is what the true God, ¹²  the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, ¹³ 

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it: ¹⁴ 

Acts 17:25

17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ¹⁵  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ¹⁶ 

Acts 17:28-29

17:28 For in him we live and move about ¹⁷  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ¹⁸  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ¹⁹  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ²⁰  made by human ²¹  skill ²²  and imagination. ²³ 

[2:7]  ¹ tn Or “fashioned.” The prefixed verb form with vav (ו) consecutive initiates narrative sequence. The Hebrew word יָצַר (yatsar) means “to form” or “to fashion,” usually by plan or design (see the related noun יֵצֶר [yetser] in Gen 6:5). It is the term for an artist’s work (the Hebrew term יוֹצֵר [yotser] refers to a potter; see Jer 18:2-4.)

[2:7]  ² tn The line literally reads “And Yahweh God formed the man, soil, from the ground.” “Soil” is an adverbial accusative, identifying the material from which the man was made.

[2:7]  ³ tn The Hebrew word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”) is used for God and for the life imparted to humans, not animals (see T. C. Mitchell, “The Old Testament Usage of Nÿshama,” VT 11 [1961]: 177-87). Its usage in the Bible conveys more than a breathing living organism (נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה, nefesh khayyah). Whatever is given this breath of life becomes animated with the life from God, has spiritual understanding (Job 32:8), and has a functioning conscience (Prov 20:27).

[2:7]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often translated “soul,” but the word usually refers to the whole person. The phrase נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה (nefesh khayyah, “living being”) is used of both animals and human beings (see 1:20, 24, 30; 2:19).

[12:10]  ⁵ tn The construction with the relative clause includes a resumptive pronoun referring to God: “who in his hand” = “in whose hand.”

[12:10]  ⁶ tn The two words נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) and רוּחַ (ruakh) are synonymous in general. They could be translated “soul” and “spirit,” but “soul” is not precise for נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), and so “life” is to be preferred. Since that is the case for the first half of the verse, “breath” will be preferable in the second part.

[12:10]  ⁷ tn Human life is made of “flesh” and “spirit.” So here the line reads “and the spirit of all flesh of man.” If the text had simply said “all flesh,” that would have applied to all flesh in which there is the breath of life (see Gen 6:17; 7:15). But to limit this to human beings requires the qualification with “man.”

[34:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ⁹ tc This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the Syriac and the LXX suggest a reading יָשִׂים (yasim, “if he [God] recalls”). But this would require leaving out “his heart,” and would also require redividing the verse to make “his spirit” the object. It makes better parallelism, but may require too many changes.

[104:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”

[146:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.

[42:5]  ¹² tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.

[42:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”

[42:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).

[17:25]  ¹⁵ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:28]  ¹⁷ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

[17:28]  ¹⁸ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

[17:29]  ¹⁹ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ²⁰ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ²¹ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ²² tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ²³ tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.