"An additionalerror made by the majority of Christian Churches is that they have changed Yahweh’smeaning of ruah, which they translate as Spirit, from ‘breath or wind’ to meanings that have nothing to dowith the breath of Yahweh or wind. We err if we hear the word spirit, a translation ofruah and do notimmediately associate it with ‘the breath of Yahweh or air in motion.’ The meaning of the word, ‘spirit,’is ‘to breath.’2The Hebrew word, ‘ruah,’ also spelled as ruwach, means wind, breathandmind. Ruah isrelated to the vowel root ‘ruh,’ which means, ‘to breathe.’ The basic idea of ruah is ‘air in motion,’ whichdenotes ‘power,’ that signifies ‘activity and life;’“He sendeth forthHisWord and melteth them, HecausethHis wind[ruah]to blow, the waters, stream along” (Ps. 147:18).Thebreath of Yahweh broughtlife to man; “By the Word of Yahweh, the heavens were made, and, by the breath [ruah] of his mouth, alltheir host” (Ps. 33:6). In Genesis 1:2, “the earth, had become waste and wild, and, darkness, was on theface of the roaring deep,––but, the ruah or breath of Elohim, was brooding on the face of the waters.” InGenesis 1:3, Yahweh’s spoke, “Light, be. And light was.” Speaking requires ruah or breath. The phrase,“Elohim said,” is used ten times in the first chapter of Genesis. TheWord of Yahwehis the ruah or breathfrom the mouth of Yahweh as given to the prophets; “and, their heart, turned they into adamant, that theymight not hear the Law, nor the Words which Yahweh of hosts sent by his ruah or breath, through theformer prophets,–– and so there came great wrath from Yahweh of hosts” (Zec. 7:12); “The ruah or breathof Yahweh, it is, that giveth life,––the flesh, profiteth, nothing: The declarations which, I, have spokenunto you, are, ruah or breath of Yahweh, and, are, life” (Jn. 6:63). Illustrations of the breath or life ofYahweh being breathed into man and leaving man are in the footnote.3Ge 2:19 Now YahwehElohimhad formed from the ground every living thing of the field, and every bird of the heavens,which he brought in unto the man, that he might see what he should call it,––and, whatsoever the man should call it––anylivingsoul, that, should be the name thereof.Ge 9:4 Yet, flesh with thesoulthereof, the blood thereof, shall ye not eat;Ge 9:5 And surely, your blood, of your lives, will I require, From the hand of every living creature, will I require it,––and fromthe hand of man, From the hand of each one’s brother, will I require thesoulof man:Ge 9:10 and with every livingsoulthat is with you, of birds, of tame–beasts, and of all wild–beasts of the earth, that are withyou,––of all coming forth out of the ark, even to all wild–beasts of the earth;Ge 9:12 ¶ AndElohimsaid, This, is the sign of the covenant, which I am granting betwixt me and you, and every livingsoulthat is with you,––to age–abiding generations:––2spirit,n.(It.spirito, Pg.espirito, Sp.espiritu) breathing, breath, air,etc., related tospirareto breathe.The earlier English uses of the word are mainly derived from passages in the Vulgate, in whichspiritusis employed to renderGr. pneuma and Heb. ruah. The translation of these words byspirit(or one of its variant forms) is common to all versions ofthe Bible from Wyclif onwards.]OED3“So then Yahweh Elohim formed man,of thedust of the ground, andbreathedin his nostrils thebreath[neshamah] of life––and man became a living soul[nephesh]” (Gen. 2:7). “And, I, behold me! bringing in the flood––even waters, upon the earth,to destroy all flesh, wherein is the ruah or breath of life, from under the heavens,–– everything that is in the earth, shall cease to
3Putting aside, therefore, all that we have thus been taught, let us see what Yahweh actually does reveal tous in Scripture concerningman, in life, and in death; and concerning the state and condition of the dead.Psalm 146:4 declares of man,“His spirit (ruwach), goeth forth, he returneth to his ground, In that very day, his thoughts perish.”or“His breath(ruwach),goeth forth, Hereturneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish."(KJV)Yahweh is here speaking of "Man"; not of some part of man, but of "princes", any "man" or any "son ofman" (v. 3), i.e. any and every human being begotten or born of human parents.There is not a word about "disembodied man". No such expression is to be found in the Scriptures! Thephrase is man's own invention in order to make this and other scriptures agree with his tradition. ThisScripture speaks of "man" as man. "His breath"; "he returneth"; "his thoughts". It is an unwarrantableliberty to put "body" when Yahweh has put "man". The passage says nothing about the "body". It iswhatever has done the thinking. The "body" does not think. The "body" apart from the spirit has no"thoughts". Whatever has had the "thoughts" has them no more; and this is "man". If this were the onlystatement in Scripture on the subject it would be sufficient. But there are many others.There is Ecc. 9:5, which declares that "The dead, knew not, anything". This also is so clear that therecould be no second meaning. “The dead” are the dead; they are those who have ceased to live; and if thebreathe” (Gen. 6:17). “Sothey entered in unto Noah, into the ark,––two and two of all flesh, wherein was the ruah or breath oflife” (Gen. 7:15). “All in whose nostrils was the breath [neshamah] of the ruah or breath of life, of all that were on the dryground, died” (Gen. 7:22).“Thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed, Thou withdrawest their ruah or breath, They cease tobreathe, And, unto their own dust, do they return: Thou sendest forth thy ruah or breath, they are created, And thou renewestthe face of the ground” (Ps. 104:29-30). “Do not ye trust in nobles, in a son of man who hath no deliverance: His ruah orbreath, goeth forth, he returneth to his ground, In that very day, his thoughts perish” (Ps. 146:3-4). For, as regardeth the destinyof the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one ruah or breath,have they all,––and, the pre–eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity. All, go unto one place,–– all, camefrom the dust, and all, return tothe dust. Who knoweth the ruah or breath of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above,––orthe ruah or breath of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to the earth” (Ecc. 3:19-21)? “And the dust return to the earth, asit was,––and, the ruah or breath, return unto Elohim, who gave it” (Ecc. 12:7). “Oh, remember that my lifeisa ruah or breath!My eye will never again see good” (Job 7:7). “And Job again took up his measure, and said: As El liveth who hath taken awaymy right, even the Almighty, whohath embittered my soul; All the while my inspiration is in me, and the ruah or breath of Elis in my nostrils” (Job 27:1- 3). “The grass, hath withered, The flower, hath faded, Because, the ruah or breath of Yahweh, hathblown upon it! Surely the people, is grass” (Is. 40:7)! “...At thy rebuke O Yahweh, at the blast of the breath [ruah] of thynostrils” (Ps. 18:15). “The ruah or breath of our nostrils, The Anointed of Yahweh, hath been captured in their pits,––of whomwe had said––In his shade, shall we liveamong the nations” (Lam. 4:20). “Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Unto these bones,––Lo! I am about to bring into you––ruah or breath, and ye shall live; Yea I will lay upon you––sinews, And bring up over you––flesh, And cover over you–– skin, And put in you––ruah or breath, And ye shall live, Then shall ye know, that, I, amYahweh...And, when I looked, then lo! upon them were sinews, and, flesh, had come up, and there had spread, over them skin,above,––but, ruah or breath, was there none, within them...Then saidhe unto me, Prophesy unto the ruah or breath,––Prophesy, Son of man, and thou shalt say unto the ruah or breath, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh––From the four winds, comethou, O ruah or breath, And breathe into these slain, That they may live...And, when I prophesied, as he commanded me, thencame into them the ruah or breath, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding, great army...And I will put my ruahor breath within you, and ye shall live, And I will settle you upon your own soil, So shall ye know, that, I, Yahweh, havespoken and have performed, Declareth Yahweh” (Ez.37:5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14).“And,calling out with a loud voice, Yahshuasaid––Father! into thy hands, I commend myruah or breath. And, this, saying, he ceased to breathe” (Lk. 23:46)"
