Aramaic word · H7308

רוּחַ

ruach

spirit

In biblical Aramaic the word means wind (2:35; 7:2, 'the four winds of heaven'), spirit in the sense of a person's inner disposition (5:12, 'an excellent spirit'), and divine spirit (4:8; 5:11, 'the spirit of the holy gods').

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) spirit, wind

1a) wind

1b) spirit

1b1) of man

1b2) seat of the mind

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 Daniel 7:15

Range of meaning

In biblical Aramaic the word means wind (2:35; 7:2, 'the four winds of heaven'), spirit in the sense of a person's inner disposition (5:12, 'an excellent spirit'), and divine spirit (4:8; 5:11, 'the spirit of the holy gods'). Applied to a person, it is their animating breath and the seat of mood, courage and resolve.

Against the English

English 'spirit' tends to suggest either the 'spiritual' side of life or the Holy Spirit. Here it is simply Daniel's inner self, his nerve and emotional center.

How it drifted

Later Christian and philosophical usage split 'spirit' off as an immaterial, religious part of the person. In Aramaic it is breath and vitality, and closely tied to the body.

Used elsewhere in the period

Its Hebrew counterpart is used the same way when Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar are troubled by dreams: 'his spirit was troubled' (Gen 41:8; Dan 2:1, 3). The Genesis Apocryphon from Qumran pairs the related term nishmati, 'my breath/soul', with 'within its sheath' (1QapGen 2:10).

From the study of Daniel 5:14

Range of meaning

Rûaḥ covers wind, breath, a person's inner spirit or mood, and a divine power that comes on a person. ʾĕlāhîn is the plural of ʾĕlāh, "god". It can mean "gods" (5:4, 23, of idols). Jewish writers can also use the plural form for Israel's God, as Hebrew does with ʾĕlōhîm.

Against the English

BSB, KJV, WEB, YLT, NIV, ESV and NASB have "the spirit of the gods" (lowercase). NKJV has "the Spirit of God", reading the phrase as Israel's God and the Holy Spirit.

How it drifted

Christian readers tend to hear "spirit" as the Holy Spirit and capitalise it, turning a pagan king's compliment into a statement of doctrine.

Used elsewhere in the period

Pharaoh says of Joseph, "a man in whom is the spirit of God/gods" (rûaḥ ʾĕlōhîm, Gen 41:38), and Daniel 4–5 deliberately echoes the Joseph story. Nebuchadnezzar uses the fuller "spirit of the holy gods" in 4:8, 9, 18, and so does the queen in 5:11. Throughout the ancient Near East, skill at divination was credited to the gift of the gods. Babylonian scholars claimed their knowledge came from Ea/Enki, the god of wisdom.

From the study of Daniel 4:9

Range of meaning

Wind, breath, spirit. That covers a person's inner disposition (5:20, "his spirit was hardened") and also a divine power that comes on or lives in a person and gives them abilities beyond the human. In Daniel's Aramaic chapters it appears in this phrase (4:8, 9, 18; 5:11, 14), in "an excellent spirit" (5:12; 6:3), and for the four winds (7:2).

Against the English

English "spirit" covers much of this, but readers tend to hear either personality ("team spirit") or, with "holy" nearby, the Holy Spirit of Christian teaching. Neither is what the Babylonian king means.

How it drifted

In Christian use "the holy spirit" became the name of a person of the Trinity. A phrase with the words "spirit" and "holy" side by side is easily heard that way, even when the grammar and the speaker point elsewhere.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 41:38 is the close parallel: Pharaoh says of Joseph, "a man in whom is the spirit of God (or 'of gods')". The same pattern recurs: a foreign king marvels at an Israelite dream interpreter. Daniel 5:11–14 repeats the phrase from the queen and Belshazzar.

Where it appears

Daniel · 11

  1. Daniel 2:35 רוּחָ֔א wind the

    Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

    Here: 'The wind.' The word can mean spirit elsewhere, but here it is the ordinary winnowing breeze of the threshing floor.

  2. Daniel 4:8 רֽוּחַ־ a spirit of

    But at last, into my presence came Daniel (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods). And I told him the dream:

    Here: 'A spirit of.' Here it means a divine gift of insight living in a person, the thing that lets Daniel see what others cannot.

  3. Daniel 4:9 ר֣וּחַ a spirit of

    “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery baffles you. So explain to me the visions I saw in my dream, and their interpretation.

    Here: "A spirit of…". In the king's mouth this is a divine power or inspiration living in a person and giving them more than human insight.

  4. Daniel 4:18 רֽוּחַ־ a spirit of

    This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you are able, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

  5. Daniel 5:11 ר֣וּחַ a spirit of

    There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king,

    Here: An animating power or presence from the divine world living inside a person, the source of unusual ability. Here it explains how Daniel knows what other experts cannot.

  6. Daniel 5:12 ר֣וּחַ׀ a spirit

    did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”

    Here: The inner animating power of a person. Just before this, the queen called it 'the spirit of the holy gods' in him (v.11), so the word points to a power given from beyond, not mainly to his mood or attitude.

  7. Daniel 5:14 ר֥וּחַ a spirit of

    I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.

    Here: A divine presence or power living in a person and giving him abilities beyond normal people. Here the ability in view is seeing hidden meanings.

  8. Daniel 5:20 וְרוּחֵ֖הּ and spirit his

    But when his heart became arrogant and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken from him.

    Here: 'And his spirit': his temper, the drive and attitude that moved him. It sits next to 'heart' as its partner. In Daniel the word sharpens a contrast: Daniel has 'an excellent spirit' (5:12), and the king's spirit grows hard.

  9. Daniel 6:3 ר֤וּחַ a spirit

    Soon, by his extraordinary spirit, Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps. So the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

    Here: 'A spirit': the inner animating force, a person's mind, disposition and capacity. In Daniel this word keeps company with the 'spirit of the holy gods' (4:8–9, 18; 5:11, 14). So it suggests an endowment from beyond the man himself, not just a personality trait.

  10. Daniel 7:2 רוּחֵ֣י [the] winds of

    Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.

    Here: 'Winds of'. Rûaḥ covers wind, breath and spirit. Here it is the winds from the four quarters of the sky, though in the Bible such winds are often God's agents rather than mere weather (compare Zech 6:5).

  11. Daniel 7:15 רוּחִ֛י spirit my

    I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the visions in my mind alarmed me.

    Here: 'My spirit' means Daniel's inner life: his breath, his vitality and the seat of his emotions. It does not mean a separate 'spiritual' faculty. The sheath image that follows treats this spirit as something housed inside the body.

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