Hebrew word · H5301

נָפַח

nofeach

to breathe

To blow or breathe: breathing into something, blowing on a fire to fan it, and blowing on something to scatter it. A related noun, mappuach, means "bellows" (Jer 6:29).

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to breathe, blow, sniff at, seethe, give up or lose (life)

1a) (Qal) to breathe, blow

1b) (Pual) to be blown

1c) (Hiphil) to cause to breathe out

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 22:21

Range of meaning

To blow or breathe: breathing into something, blowing on a fire to fan it, and blowing on something to scatter it. A related noun, mappuach, means "bellows" (Jer 6:29).

Against the English

"Blow on" in all the major versions is accurate. What English readers may miss is the technical picture: the smith driving air into a furnace with bellows, without which the metal never gets hot enough to melt.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 2:7 (God breathes the breath of life into the man); Job 20:26 ("a fire not blown"); Isa 54:16 ("the smith who blows the fire of coals"); Jer 1:13 ("a boiling pot", literally a "blown" pot); Ezek 21:31 (the same phrase, "with the fire of my fury I will blow on you"); Ezek 37:9 ("breathe on these slain, that they may live").

From the study of Ezekiel 37:9

Range of meaning

To blow or breathe. Used for blowing on a fire or into a furnace (Ezekiel 22:20–21, 'blow fire upon it'; Isaiah 54:16), for breathing into something, and figuratively for 'breathing out' one's life (Job 31:39).

Against the English

'Breathe into' (BSB, NIV) or 'breathe on/upon' (KJV, ESV, WEB). The Hebrew preposition be- can mean either 'into' or 'on.' 'Into' fits the picture of bodies receiving life and matches Genesis 2:7.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 2:7: YHWH God 'blew (vayyippach) into his nostrils the breath of life, and the human became a living being.' The Greek Septuagint uses the same verb (emphysaō) both in Genesis 2:7 and here. John 20:22 then uses it when Jesus 'breathed on' the disciples and said 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'

From the study of Genesis 2:7

Range of meaning

To blow or breathe. It is used for blowing on a fire or coals (Isaiah 54:16; Ezekiel 22:20–21), for a pot boiling or "blown up" (Jeremiah 1:13), and for breathing life into the dead (Ezekiel 37:9, "breathe into these slain, that they may live"). It can also mean "breathe out one's last" (Job 31:39).

Against the English

"Breathed" is fine. It can sound gentle, like a sigh, but the verb is closer to "blew". It is a deliberate push of air, like fanning coals to life.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint renders it emphysaō, "to blow into". The same Greek verb is used in Ezekiel 37:9 (the dry bones), in Wisdom of Solomon 15:11 (God "breathed into him an active soul"), and in John 20:22, where Jesus "breathed on" the disciples. That is almost certainly a deliberate echo of this verse: a new creation.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 2:7 וַיִּפַּ֥ח and he blew

    Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

    Here: A physical, forceful verb, used elsewhere for blowing on coals or working a bellows (Isaiah 54:16; Ezekiel 22:20–21). The picture is close and personal: God bends over the shaped figure and blows into it.

Job · 3

  1. Job 20:26 נֻפָּ֑ח it has been fanned

    Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.

  2. Job 31:39 הִפָּֽחְתִּי׃ I have caused to breathe out

    if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,

  3. Job 41:20 נָפ֣וּחַ blown upon

    Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 54:16 נֹפֵ֙חַ֙ [who] blows

    Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 1:13 נָפ֙וּחַ֙ blown upon

    Again the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “What do you see?” “I see a boiling pot,” I replied, “and it is tilting toward us from the north.”

  2. Jeremiah 15:9 נָפְחָ֥ה it has panted

    The mother of seven will grow faint; she will breathe her last breath. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. And the rest I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel · 3

  1. Ezekiel 22:20 לָפַֽחַת־ to blow

    Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.

  2. Ezekiel 22:21 וְנָפַחְתִּ֥י and I will blow

    Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted within the city.

    Here: "And I will blow." This is the smith working the bellows to drive air into the fire so it gets hot enough to melt metal. God takes the smith's place.

  3. Ezekiel 37:9 וּפְחִ֛י and blow

    Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”

    Here: 'Blow, puff, breathe into' (also feminine). It is the same verb used when God breathes into the first human in Genesis 2:7, so the moment is presented as a new creation.

Haggai · 1

  1. Haggai 1:9 וְנָפַ֣חְתִּי and I blew

    You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.

    Here: 'And I blew.' God himself is the subject: one breath and the gathered produce was gone, scattered like chaff or dust. The verb may also carry a note of contempt (compare Malachi 1:13, 'you sniff at it').

Malachi · 1

  1. Malachi 1:13 וְהִפַּחְתֶּ֣ם and you sniff at

    You also say: ‘Oh, what a nuisance!’ And you turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of Hosts. “You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick! Should I accept these from your hands?” asks the LORD.

    Here: Literally 'you blow out at it'. This is a snort or puff of contempt, like a dismissive 'pfft'. It is a physical gesture of disdain, not fatigue.

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