Word Study · Strong's H5397 · Hebrew
נְשָׁמָה
neshamah
nesh-aw-maw'
Strong's 1890 spelling: nᵉshâmâh
“a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal”
Strong's Dictionary · 1890 · public domain
a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal
Rendered in the KJV as
blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.
- 24occurrencesin the Old Testament
- 10 of 39Old Testament bookswhere the word stands
- 20inflected formsdistinct spellings
Across 24 occurrences
The word itself
Inflected forms · 20
- נְשָׁמָֽה׃3
- וְנִשְׁמַ֖ת2
- נִשְׁמַ֣ת2
- הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה1
- הַנְּשָׁמָה֙1
- וּנְשָׁמָ֖ה1
- וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת1
- וְנִשְׁמַת־1
- וְ֝נִשְׁמָת֗וֹ1
- מִ֝נִּשְׁמַ֗ת1
- מִנִּשְׁמַ֖ת1
- מִנִּשְׁמַ֣ת1
and 8 more spellings in the ledger below.
How it is rendered · 12
- breathing thing4
- [the] breath of3
- and [the] breath of3
- breath3
- from [the] breath of3
- the breathing thing2
- [is the] breath of1
- and breath1
- and breath his1
- and breaths1
- breath my1
- from [the] breathing of1
The sense the word carries at each spot — how the translators read it there, not a fixed translation.
How it parses · 9
- noun · feminine singular7
- noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)4
- preposition + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)4
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)3
- the definite article (“the”) + noun · feminine singular2
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine plural1
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular1
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singular1
- noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singular1
Show the grammar codes as tagged
- HNcfsa · 7
- HNcfsc · 4
- HR/Ncfsc · 4
- HC/Ncfsc · 3
- HTd/Ncfsa · 2
- HC/Ncfpa · 1
- HC/Ncfsa · 1
- HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms · 1
- HNcfsc/Sp1bs · 1
All 24, in canonical order
The ledger of occurrences
Where this word lives
Job carries the most and opens below; every other book is one click.
Genesis2 occurrences
- Genesis 2:7נִשְׁמַ֣תnishmatnoun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)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: [the] breath of
- Genesis 7:22נִשְׁמַת־nishmat-noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)Of all that was on dry land, everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.here: [the] breath of
Joshua3 occurrences
- Joshua 10:40הַנְּשָׁמָה֙haneshamahthe definite article (“the”) + noun · feminine singularSo Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.here: the breathing thing
- Joshua 11:11נְשָׁמָ֑הneshamahnoun · feminine singularThe Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.here: breathing thing
- Joshua 11:14נְשָׁמָֽה׃neshamahnoun · feminine singularThe Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.here: breathing thing
1 Kings2 occurrences
- 1 Kings 15:29נְשָׁמָ֛הneshamahnoun · feminine singularAs soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,here: breathing thing
- 1 Kings 17:17נְשָׁמָֽה׃neshamahnoun · feminine singularLater, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him.here: breath
Job7 occurrences
- Job 4:9מִנִּשְׁמַ֣תminishmatpreposition + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.here: from [the] breath of
- Job 26:4וְנִשְׁמַת־venishmat-conjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)To whom have you uttered these words? And whose spirit spoke through you?here: and [the] breath of
- Job 27:3נִשְׁמָתִ֣יnishmatinoun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singularas long as my breath is still within me and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,here: breath my
- Job 32:8וְנִשְׁמַ֖תvenishmatconjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.here: and [the] breath of
- Job 33:4וְנִשְׁמַ֖תvenishmatconjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.here: and [the] breath of
- Job 34:14וְ֝נִשְׁמָת֗וֹvenishmatoconjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singularIf He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath,here: and breath his
- Job 37:10מִנִּשְׁמַת־minishmat-preposition + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)By the breath of God the ice is formed and the watery expanses are frozen.here: from [the] breath of
Psalms2 occurrences
- Psalms 18:15מִ֝נִּשְׁמַ֗תminishmatpreposition + noun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.here: from [the] breath of
- Psalms 150:6הַ֭נְּשָׁמָהhaneshamahthe definite article (“the”) + noun · feminine singularLet everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!here: the breathing thing
Proverbs1 occurrence
Isaiah4 occurrences
- Isaiah 2:22נְשָׁמָ֖הneshamahnoun · feminine singularPut no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?here: breath
- Isaiah 30:33נִשְׁמַ֤תnishmatnoun · feminine singular · in construct (“…of”)For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.here: [the] breath of
- Isaiah 42:5נְשָׁמָה֙neshamahnoun · feminine singularThis is what God the LORD says— He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:here: breath
- Isaiah 57:16וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹתuneshamotconjunction (“and”) + noun · feminine pluralFor I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.here: and breaths