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can also be used of the content of speaking. When God “did according to the word of
Moses” (Exod. 8:13), He granted his request. The noun can connote “matter” or “affair,”
as in Gen. 12:17, where it is reported that God struck Pharaoh’s household with plagues
because of the “matter of Sarah” (
KJV
, “because of Sarai”). A rather specialized
occurrence of this sense appears in references to records of the “events of a period” (cf. 1
Kings 14:19) or the activities of a particular person (1 Kings 11:41; cf. Gen. 15:1).
4
can be used as a more general term in the sense of “something”—so in Gen. 24:66 the
“everything” (
KJV
, “all things”) is literally “all of something(s)”; it is an indefinite
generalized concept rather than a reference to everything in particular. This noun also
appears to have had almost a technical status in Israel’s law procedures. Anyone who had
a “matter” before Moses had a law case (Exod. 18:16).
As a biblical phrase “the word of the Lord” is quite important; it occurs about 242
times. Against the background just presented it is important to note that “word” here may
focus on the content (meaning) of what was said, but it also carries overtones of the
actual “words” themselves. It was the “word of the Lord” that came to Abram in a vision
after his victory over the kings who had captured Lot (Gen. 15:1). In most cases this is a
technical phrase referring expressly to prophetic revelation (about 225 times). It has been
suggested that this phrase has judicial overtones although there are only 7 passages where
this is certain (cf. Num. 15:31). This noun is used twice of God’s “affairs” in the sense of
the care of the temple (1 Chron. 26:32).
The “word” of God indicates God’s thoughts and will. This should be contrasted with
His name, which indicates His person and presence. Therefore, God’s “word” is called
“holy” only once (cf. Ps. 105:42), while His name is frequently called “holy.”
There is much discussion regarding the “word” as a hypostatization of divine reality
and attributes as seen, for example, in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word.” This
theme is rooted in such Old Testament passages as Isa. 9:8: “The Lord sent a word into
Jacob …” (cf. 55:10-11; Ps. 107:20; 147:15). Some scholars argue that this is no more
than the poetical device of personification and does not foreshadow John’s usage. Their
evidence is that human attributes are frequently separated from a man and objectivized as
if they had a separate existence (cf. Ps. 85:11-12).
The Septuagint translates the noun
with two words respectively carrying
overtones of the (1) content and (2) form of speaking: (1)
and (2)
!
Several other nouns related to the verb
occur infrequently.
4
, which
occurs 5 times, means “cause, manner” (Job 5:8).
4
means “word” once (Deut.
33:3).
4
appears 5 times and refers to “honey bee” (Deut. 1:44; Ps. 118:12).
"
refers to “speaking” once (Song of Sol. 4:3).
SPIRIT; BREATH
$
(
, 7307), “breath; air; strength; wind; breeze; spirit; courage; temper;
Spirit.” This noun has cognates in Ugaritic, Aramaic, and Arabic. The word occurs about
378 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.
First, this word means “breath,” air for breathing, air that is being breathed. This
meaning is especially evident in Jer. 14:6: “And the wild asses did stand in the high
places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons.…” When one’s “breath” returns, he is