Greek word · G4154

πνέω

pneō

to blow

To blow (of wind), to breathe. It belongs to the same word family as pneuma (wind, breath, spirit).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πνέω

[in LXX: Psalms 147:7 (18) (נָשַׁב hi.), Isaiah 40:24 (נָשַׁף), Sirach 43:16, 20, Ep. Je 61, 2Ma.9:7 * ;]

to breathe, blow: of the wind, Matthew 7:25, 27, Luke 12:55, John 3:8 6:18, Revelation 7:1; ηῇ πνεούσῃ (sc. αὔρᾳ), Acts 27:40 (cf. ἐκ-, ἐν-, ὑπο-πνέω).†

αὔρα, a breeze : τ. πνεούσῇ (sc. αὔρᾳ), Acts 27:40.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of John 6:18

Range of meaning

To blow (of wind), to breathe. It belongs to the same word family as pneuma (wind, breath, spirit).

Against the English

All translations render it 'blowing' or 'blew'. That is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

In John 3:8 'the wind (pneuma) blows (pnei) where it wishes' plays on wind and Spirit. Elsewhere it is used of winds blowing (Matt 7:25, 27; Acts 27:40).

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 7:25 ἔπνευσαν blew

    The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

    Here: The winds blew: the third force, from the side.

  2. Matthew 7:27 ἔπνευσαν blew

    The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

    Here: The winds 'blew'. Rain from above, water from below and wind from the side: the house is hit from every direction.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 12:55 πνέοντα, is blowing,

    And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.

    Here: 'Blowing', a present participle: the wind is actually blowing right now. Read with the unstated 'you see', the picture is 'when you notice a south wind getting up'. That is why the KJV adds '[ye see]'.

John · 2

  1. John 3:8 πνεῖ, blows,

    The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

    Here: "Blows". It comes from the same root as pneuma, so the Greek has an echo: "the pneuma pnei-s", roughly "the blowing blows" or "the breath breathes".

  2. John 6:18 πνέοντος blowing

    A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.

    Here: 'Blowing' in the present tense: the wind kept on blowing while the disciples rowed. Together with 'wind' it means 'while a great wind was blowing', with a strong hint of cause ('because').

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 27:40 πνεούσῃ blowing [wind]

    Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 7:1 πνέῃ may blow

    After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.

    Here: A present subjunctive: so that no wind keeps blowing. The picture is a total, ongoing stillness.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.