The Bible Project

Spirit of God E1 — In 2017, we released a 3-episode series on the theme of the Holy Spirit. And now eight years later, we’ve decided there’s still a lot more to reflect on and explore! The word we translate in English as “spirit” is ruakh in the Hebrew Bible and pneuma in the Greek New Testament. The word refers to God’s personal presence, but it also often refers to wind, breath, and a human’s mind. So how can this word refer to God’s manifest presence and energy, but also created things? In this episode, Jon and Tim kick off a new expanded series on the Spirit of God. CHAPTERS The Frequency of Ruakh and Pneuma in the Bible (0:00-13:32) The Meaning of Ruakh (13:32-25:05) The Paradox of Wind and God’s Spirit (25:05-40:39) Ruakh as a Mind or Idea (40:39-53:39) OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT View this episode’s official transcript. REFERENCED RESOURCES Tim mentions the work of scholar Benjamin Kantor. Here is an introduction to his work: A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek. Here is t