5397. neshamah

Strong's Lexicon

neshamah: Breath, spirit, soul

Original Word: נְשָׁמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: nshamah
Pronunciation: neh-shaw-maw'
Phonetic Spelling: (nesh-aw-maw')
Definition: Breath, spirit, soul
Meaning: a puff, wind, angry, vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect, an animal

Word Origin: Derived from the root נָשַׁם (nasham), meaning "to pant" or "to breathe."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - G4151 (pneuma): Often translated as "spirit" or "breath," similar in meaning to "neshamah" in its reference to life and divine influence.

- G5590 (psuche): Translated as "soul" or "life," reflecting the immaterial essence of a person.

Usage: The Hebrew word "neshamah" primarily refers to the breath of life, the vital force that animates living beings. It is often used to denote the divine breath that God imparts to humans, signifying life and the spiritual essence of a person. In the Hebrew Bible, "neshamah" is closely associated with the concept of life given by God and is sometimes used interchangeably with "ruach" (spirit).

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Hebrew culture, breath was seen as a symbol of life and vitality. The act of breathing was understood as a divine gift, a direct connection between the Creator and His creation. The concept of "neshamah" reflects the belief that life itself is a sacred gift from God, and it underscores the intimate relationship between God and humanity. This understanding is rooted in the creation narrative, where God breathes life into Adam, making him a living being.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nasham
Definition
breath
NASB Translation
blast (2), breath (15), breathes (1), life (1), persons alive (1), spirit (2), who breathed (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

נְשָׁמָה noun feminine breath; — ׳נ Deuteronomy 20:16 9t.; construct נִשְׁמַת (compare Lag^{BN 82}) Genesis 2:7 10t.; suffix נִשְׁמָתִי Job 27:3; נִשְׁמָתוֺ Job 34:14; plural נְשָׁמוֺת Isaiah 57:16; —

1 breath of God as hot wind kindling a flame Isaiah 30:33; as destroying wind 2 Samuel 22:16 = Psalm 18:16; Job 4:9; as cold wind producing ice Job 32:8; Job 33:4.

2 breath of man 1 Kings 17:17; Isaiah 42:5; Job 27:3; Daniel 10:7; breath of life נשׁמת חיים Genesis 2:7 (J); compare נִשְׁמַת רוּחַ חַיִּים Genesis 7:22 (J); as breathed in by God it is God's breath in man Job 34:14; Job 36:4; and is characteristic of man אדם אשׁר נשׁמה באפו Isaiah 2:22 man in whose nostrils is but a breath (late gloss).

3 synonym נפשׁ כָּל נְשָׁמָה every breathing thing Deuteronomy 20:16; Joshua 11:11,14; 1 Kings 15:29; כָּלהַֿנְּשָׁמָה Joshua 10:14; Psalm 150:6; נְשָׁמוֺת Isaiah 57:16.

4 spirit of man, "" רוּחַ, אָדָם ׳נ ׳נֵר י Proverbs 20:27 the spirit of man is a lamp of ׳י.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

blast, that breaths, inspiration, soul, spirit

From nasham; a puff, i.e. Wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. Or (concretely) an animal -- blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.

see HEBREW nasham

Forms and Transliterations

הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה הַנְּשָׁמָה֙ הנשמה וְ֝נִשְׁמָת֗וֹ וְנִשְׁמַ֖ת וְנִשְׁמַת־ וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת וּנְשָׁמָ֖ה ונשמה ונשמות ונשמת ונשמת־ ונשמתו מִ֝נִּשְׁמַ֗ת מִנִּשְׁמַ֖ת מִנִּשְׁמַ֣ת מִנִּשְׁמַת־ מנשמת מנשמת־ נְשָׁמָ֑ה נְשָׁמָ֖ה נְשָׁמָ֛ה נְשָׁמָֽה׃ נְשָׁמָה֙ נִשְׁמַ֣ת נִשְׁמַ֤ת נִשְׁמַת־ נִשְׁמָתִ֣י נשמה נשמה׃ נשמת נשמת־ נשמתי han·nə·šā·māh hannəšāmāh hanneshaMah min·niš·maṯ min·niš·maṯ- minnishMat minnišmaṯ minnišmaṯ- nə·šā·māh nəšāmāh neshaMah niš·mā·ṯî niš·maṯ niš·maṯ- nishMat nishmaTi nišmaṯ nišmaṯ- nišmāṯî ū·nə·šā·māh ū·nə·šā·mō·wṯ ūnəšāmāh ūnəšāmōwṯ uneshaMah uneshaMot venishmat venishmaTo wə·niš·mā·ṯōw wə·niš·maṯ wə·niš·maṯ- wənišmaṯ wənišmaṯ- wənišmāṯōw

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 2:7
HEB: וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י
NAS: into his nostrils the breath of life;
KJV: into his nostrils the breath of life;
INT: and breathed his nostrils the breath A living became

Genesis 7:22
HEB: כֹּ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁמַת־ ר֨וּחַ חַיִּ֜ים
NAS: nostrils was the breath of the spirit
INT: of all whose was the breath of the spirit of life

Deuteronomy 20:16
HEB: תְחַיֶּ֖ה כָּל־ נְשָׁמָֽה׃
NAS: anything that breathes.
KJV: thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
INT: leave anything breathes

Joshua 10:40
HEB: וְאֵ֤ת כָּל־ הַנְּשָׁמָה֙ הֶחֱרִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר
NAS: all who breathed, just
KJV: but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD
INT: survivor all who utterly after

Joshua 11:11
HEB: נוֹתַ֖ר כָּל־ נְשָׁמָ֑ה וְאֶת־ חָצ֖וֹר
NAS: one left who breathed. And he burned
KJV: [them]: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt
INT: left every who Hazor burned

2 Samuel 22:16
HEB: בְּגַעֲרַ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה מִנִּשְׁמַ֖ת ר֥וּחַ אַפּֽוֹ׃
NAS: of the LORD, At the blast of the breath
KJV: of the LORD, at the blast of the breath
INT: the rebuke of the LORD the blast of the breath of his nostrils

1 Kings 15:29
HEB: הִשְׁאִ֧יר כָּל־ נְשָׁמָ֛ה לְיָרָבְעָ֖ם עַד־
NAS: any persons alive, until
KJV: not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed
INT: leave any persons to Jeroboam until

1 Kings 17:17
HEB: נֽוֹתְרָה־ בּ֖וֹ נְשָׁמָֽה׃
NAS: that there was no breath left
KJV: sore, that there was no breath left
INT: no left breath

Job 4:9
HEB: מִנִּשְׁמַ֣ת אֱל֣וֹהַ יֹאבֵ֑דוּ
NAS: By the breath of God they perish,
KJV: By the blast of God they perish,
INT: the breath of God perish

Job 26:4
HEB: הִגַּ֣דְתָּ מִלִּ֑ין וְנִשְׁמַת־ מִ֝י יָצְאָ֥ה
NAS: And whose spirit was expressed
KJV: words? and whose spirit came
INT: uttered answer spirit to whom was expressed

Job 27:3
HEB: ע֣וֹד נִשְׁמָתִ֣י בִ֑י וְר֖וּחַ
NAS: For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God
KJV: All the while my breath [is] in me, and the spirit
INT: the while life and the spirit of God

Job 32:8
HEB: הִ֣יא בֶאֱנ֑וֹשׁ וְנִשְׁמַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י תְּבִינֵֽם׃
NAS: in man, And the breath of the Almighty
KJV: in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty
INT: he man and the breath of the Almighty gives

Job 33:4
HEB: אֵ֥ל עָשָׂ֑תְנִי וְנִשְׁמַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י תְּחַיֵּֽנִי׃
NAS: has made me, And the breath of the Almighty
KJV: hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty
INT: of God has made and the breath of the Almighty gives

Job 34:14
HEB: לִבּ֑וֹ רוּח֥וֹ וְ֝נִשְׁמָת֗וֹ אֵלָ֥יו יֶאֱסֹֽף׃
NAS: to Himself His spirit and His breath,
KJV: unto himself his spirit and his breath;
INT: his heart his spirit and his breath to gather

Job 37:10
HEB: מִנִּשְׁמַת־ אֵ֥ל יִתֶּן־
NAS: From the breath of God ice
KJV: By the breath of God frost
INT: the breath of God is made

Psalm 18:15
HEB: מִגַּעֲרָ֣תְךָ֣ יְהוָ֑ה מִ֝נִּשְׁמַ֗ת ר֣וּחַ אַפֶּֽךָ׃
NAS: O LORD, At the blast of the breath
KJV: O LORD, at the blast of the breath
INT: your rebuke LORD the blast of the breath of your nostrils

Psalm 150:6
HEB: כֹּ֣ל הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּ֥ל יָ֗הּ
NAS: Let everything that has breath praise
KJV: Let every thing that hath breath praise
INT: everything has breath praise the LORD

Proverbs 20:27
HEB: נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ
NAS: The spirit of man is the lamp
KJV: The spirit of man [is] the candle
INT: is the lamp of the LORD the spirit of man Searching

Isaiah 2:22
HEB: הָ֣אָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְשָׁמָ֖ה בְּאַפּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־
NAS: whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils;
KJV: ye from man, whose breath [is] in his nostrils:
INT: man whose breath his nostrils For

Isaiah 30:33
HEB: וְעֵצִים֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה נִשְׁמַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ כְּנַ֣חַל
NAS: of wood; The breath of the LORD,
KJV: wood; the breath of the LORD,
INT: of wood plenty the breath of the LORD A torrent

Isaiah 42:5
HEB: וְצֶאֱצָאֶ֑יהָ נֹתֵ֤ן נְשָׁמָה֙ לָעָ֣ם עָלֶ֔יהָ
NAS: Who gives breath to the people
KJV: of it; he that giveth breath unto the people
INT: offspring gives breath to the people on

Isaiah 57:16
HEB: מִלְּפָנַ֣י יַֽעֲט֔וֹף וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת אֲנִ֥י עָשִֽׂיתִי׃
NAS: before Me, And the breath [of those whom] I have made.
KJV: before me, and the souls [which] I have made.
INT: before grow and the breath I have made

Daniel 10:17
HEB: בִּ֣י כֹ֔חַ וּנְשָׁמָ֖ה לֹ֥א נִשְׁאֲרָה־
NAS: in me, nor has any breath been left
KJV: no strength in me, neither is there breath left
INT: remained strength breath nor been left

23 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5397
23 Occurrences

han·nə·šā·māh — 2 Occ.
min·niš·maṯ — 4 Occ.
nə·šā·māh — 6 Occ.
niš·maṯ — 4 Occ.
niš·mā·ṯî — 1 Occ.
ū·nə·šā·māh — 1 Occ.
ū·nə·šā·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·niš·maṯ- — 3 Occ.
wə·niš·mā·ṯōw — 1 Occ.