Photo by CLAUDIA DEA

By Debbin Gin

They say that you can tell a lot about a community by the number of different words the community has for something: the greater the variety, the greater the importance of that something.  For example, where residents of warmer climates use only “snow” or “ice” to describe frozen water, the Inuit people and other native Alaskans choose from a couple dozen words, depending on the particular nuance needed for the context. Koreans have at least three words to refer to the English “hot” (dhupdah — weather-hot, mepdah — spicy-hot, and ddughupdah — hot-to-touch in English) and at least a half dozen different words just to state something is “spicy hot.”

So what does it say about human civilization — at least, as understood through the English language — that the word “breath” is used in so many different ways? For instance, when we say “out of breath,” we refer to the act of rushing. When we say “breathing exercises,” we refer to meditation. “Breathing techniques” are used in labor pain management, to “sing on your breath” refers to support in the realm of music, and “a breath of fresh air” refers to new possibilities. When someone says “don’t hold your breath,” they mean that you shouldn’t wait, and to “take a deep breath” refers to calming down and emotional control.

There’s also breath that sustains or gives us life, breath that you blow to exterminate candles, and bad breath.

It’s not an exact parallel to my point in the opening paragraph, but it does suggest “breath” plays an important role in meaning-making for those who use the English language.  “Breath” connotes a variety of things in the Bible as well.  Here’s a selection:

breath of life (Genesis 1-2, Ezekiel 37, Acts 17)
powerful breath from God’s nostrils to move the sea (Exodus 15)
God’s breath that causes humans to perish (Job 4)
God’s breath that is a person’s spirit and gives understanding (Job 32)
human life’s breath-like transience (Psalm 39, 62, 144)
breath’s futility that indicates humans have no advantage over animals (Ecclesiastes 3)
God’s chilling breath (Job 37) and fiery breath (Isaiah 30)
the lover’s sweet breath (Song of Songs 7)
breath (speech) that reveals human fickleness (2 Corinthians 1)

I have often wondered about the Divine “Us” in Genesis.  I learned in seminary that these references in Scripture signify the triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I have also wondered why there is no feminine part to this trinity, especially because God isn’t a man…or a woman…yet we were all made in God’s image.  Some say the Holy Spirit is meant to point to a feminine side of God — the side that walks alongside, bears witness to human spirit, grieves, provides power, etc., but I seldom hear anyone preaching on this.  I also learned in my biblical languages courses not to draw conclusions about a noun’s masculinity/femininity, based on the gender of the part of speech.  So I suppose I can’t say anything conclusive about the fact that the gender of nearly all the biblical words that signify “spirit” or “breath” (or soul or living being) is feminine.

But I will say that the complexity of breath/spirit, both in the Bible and in the English language, makes me think carefully about its meaning and various nuances:  breath is mostly invisible, we only see the fruits of breath (a blown-up balloon, a child’s wound that magically feels better, renewed balance, life), yet we know it is powerful and essential.  These characteristics (invisible yet essential) remind me of the women in my life.  They remind me of God’s presence in my life.

Dr. Debbie Gin is Director of Faculty Development and Research at The Association of Theological Schools/Commission on Accrediting, the support and accrediting organization of most seminaries in the US and Canada.  She was formerly Associate Professor of Ministry at Azusa Pacific Seminary and Fellow for Faculty Development and Evaluation in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Azusa Pacific University.  She and her husband currently live in Pennsylvania.