נְשָׁמָה
nᵉshâmâh · nesh-aw-maw'
a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal
Lexicon
Derivation: from H5395 (נָשַׁם);
a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.
Letters
- נNun50
Picture: a sprouting seed, or a fish in water
- Concrete
- seed · sprout · fish · offspring
- Extended
- life · continuation · heir · to perpetuate
- שShin300
Picture: two front teeth (or a composite bow)
- Concrete
- teeth · sharp · press · bow
- Extended
- to consume · to destroy · to press or grind · to change · again
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
- הHe5
Picture: a person with both arms raised
- Concrete
- a man calling out · a window · breath
- Extended
- behold! · revelation · to reveal · the (definite article)
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
the seed, life continuing › to consume, to destroy › water, chaos, the mighty deep › to reveal, behold
The seed, life continuing that works to consume, to destroy of water, chaos, the mighty deep that works to reveal, behold.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of נְשָׁמָה above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
24 occurrences · 24 OT · 0 NT · 20 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- the breath2 · 8%
- at the blast2 · 8%
- was the breath1 · 4%
- nothing that breatheth1 · 4%
- all that breathed1 · 4%
- to breathe1 · 4%
- they any to breathe1 · 4%
- any that breathed1 · 4%
- that there was no breath1 · 4%
- by the blast1 · 4%
- and whose spirit1 · 4%
- my breath1 · 4%
- and the inspiration1 · 4%
- me, and the breath1 · 4%
- and his breath1 · 4%
- by the breath1 · 4%
- let every thing that hath breath1 · 4%
- the spirit1 · 4%
- whose breath1 · 4%
- breath1 · 4%
- me, and the souls1 · 4%
- in me, neither is there breath1 · 4%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.