This is wonderful. Doesn’t Yahweh mean breath? Scholars and rabbis say the letters “YHWH” represent breathing sounds or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without vowels, it sounds like breathing: YH (inhale), WH (exhale). A baby's first cry, their first breath, speaks the name of God.
Thank you for reading and commenting! YHWH doesn't mean "breath" strictly speaking; it's a somewhat difficult term to translate but the basic meaning is "I am who am" or "I am that which I am." But I do see a connection with breathing in the structure of the word, and that is a thought-provoking connection indeed.
Many times I have stood on the edge of the ocean during a storm. The power of the wind is fierce but it cannot be seen. We see only its effects. It was the same in the Cenacle on Pentecost. The Spirit came like wind. He was not seen but in the effects He produced in those gathered there. And Elijah heard the voice of God in a whisper, a susurration, a mere hint of a breath which cannot be seen. Only its effects can be perceived. What a wonderful world we live in.
My dictionary adds "neck" or "throat" to the definition of nephesh. Again, the transcendent (life or spirit) is rooted in the physical (neck or throat).
Absolutely, and in fact the eminent Hebrew scholar and biblical translator Robert Alter has commented on this. For example: "The tricky Hebrew noun is the multivalent nefesh. It does not mean 'soul,' as many translators continue to render it. The core meaning is 'life-breath' and, by extension, 'life.'... Nefesh also often implies 'essential self.' It sometimes means 'throat' or 'gullet' (by metonymy because the throat is a passageway for the breath)." I don't think that it is always incorrect to translate nefesh as "soul," but I see his point—Bible translations can cause confusion if they imply that ancient Hebrew nefesh is almost equivalent to modern English "soul."
This is wonderful. Doesn’t Yahweh mean breath? Scholars and rabbis say the letters “YHWH” represent breathing sounds or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without vowels, it sounds like breathing: YH (inhale), WH (exhale). A baby's first cry, their first breath, speaks the name of God.
Thank you for reading and commenting! YHWH doesn't mean "breath" strictly speaking; it's a somewhat difficult term to translate but the basic meaning is "I am who am" or "I am that which I am." But I do see a connection with breathing in the structure of the word, and that is a thought-provoking connection indeed.
Very interesting. Especially about flowers. I love them.
Many times I have stood on the edge of the ocean during a storm. The power of the wind is fierce but it cannot be seen. We see only its effects. It was the same in the Cenacle on Pentecost. The Spirit came like wind. He was not seen but in the effects He produced in those gathered there. And Elijah heard the voice of God in a whisper, a susurration, a mere hint of a breath which cannot be seen. Only its effects can be perceived. What a wonderful world we live in.
Thank you for sharing this, Father. Indeed, we live in a wonderful world, fashioned by a wonderful God.
My dictionary adds "neck" or "throat" to the definition of nephesh. Again, the transcendent (life or spirit) is rooted in the physical (neck or throat).
Absolutely, and in fact the eminent Hebrew scholar and biblical translator Robert Alter has commented on this. For example: "The tricky Hebrew noun is the multivalent nefesh. It does not mean 'soul,' as many translators continue to render it. The core meaning is 'life-breath' and, by extension, 'life.'... Nefesh also often implies 'essential self.' It sometimes means 'throat' or 'gullet' (by metonymy because the throat is a passageway for the breath)." I don't think that it is always incorrect to translate nefesh as "soul," but I see his point—Bible translations can cause confusion if they imply that ancient Hebrew nefesh is almost equivalent to modern English "soul."