Hebrew

רוּחַ ru·ach

“spirit” · 378 times in the Old Testament

Through the Bible

“spirit” 182
“wind” 87
“breath” 30
“side” 4
“sides” 3
other ways 72
pneuma, the Greek the New Testament uses for it 379

In the New Testament it continues as pneuma: Acts 2:17 quotes Joel 2:28, and puts this word in Greek.

As a table, book by book

Book	Times
Genesis	11
Exodus	11
Numbers	14
Deuteronomy	2
Joshua	2
Judges	10
1 Samuel	16
2 Samuel	3
1 Kings	11
2 Kings	5
1 Chronicles	5
2 Chronicles	10
Ezra	2
Nehemiah	2
Job	31
Psalms	39
Proverbs	21
Ecclesiastes	24
Isaiah	51
Jeremiah	18
Lamentations	1
Ezekiel	52
Daniel	4
Hosea	7
Joel	2
Amos	1
Jonah	2
Micah	3
Habakkuk	2
Haggai	4
Zechariah	9
Malachi	3
Matthew	19
Mark	23
Luke	36
John	24
Acts	70
Romans	34
1 Corinthians	40
2 Corinthians	17
Galatians	18
Ephesians	14
Philippians	5
Colossians	2
1 Thessalonians	5
2 Thessalonians	3
1 Timothy	3
2 Timothy	3
Titus	1
Philemon	1
Hebrews	12
James	2
1 Peter	8
2 Peter	1
1 John	12
Jude	2
Revelation	24

How the BSB translates it

Each way the Berean Standard Bible puts it into English, and how often.

spirit182
wind87
breath30
side4
sides3
whose spirit3
air2
anger2
blast2
breeze2
did the spirit2
if a feeling2
52 other ways57

Its meanings, as STEP Bible divides them

spirit 216
breath 145
temper 10
side 7

With a pronoun joined

Hebrew joins “me”, “you”, “him” and the like to the end of a word.

Where it occurs

Grouped by how it’s translated, then by book. Each reference opens the verse.

“spirit” 182

Genesis 5
- 1:2 …surface of the deep And the Spirit of God was hovering…
- 6:3 …So the LORD said My Spirit will not contend with…
- 41:8 …In the morning his spirit was troubled so he…
- 41:38 …this man in whom the Spirit of God abides…
- 45:27 …to carry him back the spirit of their father Jacob…
Exodus 5
- 6:9 …account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage they…
- 28:3 …whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom to make…
- 31:3 …I have filled him with the Spirit of God with skill…
- 35:21 …stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and…
- 35:31 …He has filled him with the Spirit of God with skill…
Numbers 9
- 11:17 …will take some of the Spirit that is on you…
- 11:25 …He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses…
- 11:26 …and the other Medad and the Spirit rested on them They…
- 11:29 …the LORD would place His Spirit on them…
- 14:24 …Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me…
- 16:22 …O God the God of the spirits of all flesh when…
- 24:2 …encamped tribe by tribe the Spirit of God came upon…
- 27:16 …the LORD the God of the spirits of all flesh appoint…
- 27:18 …Nun a man with the Spirit in him and lay…
Deuteronomy 1
- 34:9 …of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses…
Joshua 1
- 5:1 …over their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of…
Judges 8
- 3:10 The Spirit of the LORD came…
- 6:34 So the Spirit of the LORD came…
- 9:23 …God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech…
- 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came…
- 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began…
- 14:6 and the Spirit of the LORD came…
- 14:19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came…
- 15:14 …out shouting against him And the Spirit of the LORD came…
1 Samuel 15
- 1:15 …am a woman troubled in spirit I have not had…
- 10:6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will…
- 10:10 …of prophets met him Then the Spirit of God rushed upon…
- 11:6 …Saul heard their words the Spirit of God rushed upon…
- 16:13 …presence of his brothers and the Spirit of the LORD rushed…
- 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed…
- 16:14 …LORD departed from Saul and a spirit of distress from the…
- 16:15 …said to him Surely a spirit of distress from God…
- 16:16 …play the harp Whenever the spirit of distress from God…
- 16:23 …And whenever the spirit from God came upon…
- 16:23 …relief and feel better and the spirit of distress would depart…
- 18:10 …The next day a spirit of distress sent from…
- 19:9 …spear in his hand a spirit of distress from the…
- 19:20 …with Samuel leading them the Spirit of God came upon…
- 19:23 …to Naioth in Ramah But the Spirit of God came upon…
2 Samuel 1
- 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke…
1 Kings 4
- 18:12 …do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may…
- 22:21 Then a spirit came forward stood before…
- 22:22 …and be a lying spirit in the mouths of…
- 22:23 …has put a lying spirit in the mouths of…
2 Kings 4
- 2:9 …inherit a double portion of your spirit Elisha replied…
- 2:15 …had happened they said The spirit of Elijah rests on…
- 2:16 …for your master Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has…
- 19:7 …Behold I will put a spirit in him so that…
1 Chronicles 2
- 5:26 …of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of…
- 12:18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai the…
2 Chronicles 8
- 15:1 Now the Spirit of God came upon…
- 18:20 Then a spirit came forward stood before…
- 18:21 …and be a lying spirit in the mouths of…
- 18:22 …has put a lying spirit in the mouths of…
- 20:14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came…
- 21:16 …LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and…
- 24:20 Then the Spirit of God came upon…
- 36:22 …Jeremiah the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of…
Ezra 1
- 1:1 …Jeremiah the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of…
Nehemiah 2
- 9:20 …You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them You…
- 9:30 …them for many years and Your Spirit admonished them through Your…
Job 10
- 4:15 Then a spirit glided past my face…
- 6:4 …Almighty have pierced me my spirit drinks in their poison…
- 7:11 …speak in the anguish of my spirit I will complain in…
- 10:12 …Your care has preserved my spirit
- 15:13 …so that you turn your spirit against God and pour…
- 17:1 My spirit is broken my days…
- 32:8 …But there is a spirit in a man the…
- 32:18 …am full of words and my spirit within me compels me…
- 33:4 The Spirit of God has made…
- 34:14 …to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath…
Psalms 4
- 31:5 …Your hands I commit my spirit You have redeemed me…
- 34:18 …He saves the contrite in spirit
- 51:10 …and renew a right spirit within me…
- 51:11 …take not Your Holy Spirit from me…

And 102 more, on the full page.

“wind” 87

Exodus 4
- 10:13 …LORD sent an east wind across the land By…
- 10:13 …By morning the east wind had brought the locusts…
- 10:19 …a very strong west wind that carried off the…
- 14:21 …with a strong east wind that turned it into…
Numbers 1
- 11:31 Now a wind sent by the LORD…
2 Samuel 1
- 22:11 …soared on the wings of the wind
1 Kings 4
- 18:45 …grew dark with clouds and wind and a heavy rain…
- 19:11 …a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains…
- 19:11 …the LORD was not in the wind After the wind there…
- 19:11 …in the wind After the wind there was an earthquake…
2 Kings 1
- 3:17 …You will not see wind or rain but the…
Job 5
- 1:19 …when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the…
- 8:2 …mouth are a blustering wind
- 21:18 …they like straw before the wind like chaff swept away…
- 28:25 …God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the…
- 30:22 …snatch me up into the wind and drive me before…
Psalms 13
- 1:4 …like chaff driven off by the wind
- 11:6 …and sulfur a scorching wind will be their portion…
- 18:10 …soared on the wings of the wind
- 18:42 …in the face of the wind I trampled them like…
- 35:5 …be like chaff in the wind as the angel of…
- 48:7 With a wind from the east You…
- 83:13 …God like chaff before the wind
- 103:16 …when the wind passes over it vanishes…
- 104:3 …walking on the wings of the wind
- 104:4 …He makes the winds His messengers flames of…
- 135:7 …rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses…
- 147:18 …melts them He unleashes His winds and the waters flow…
- 148:8 …snow and clouds powerful wind fulfilling His word…
Proverbs 5
- 11:29 …his house will inherit the wind and the fool will…
- 25:14 …Like clouds and wind without rain is the…
- 25:23 …As the north wind brings forth rain so…
- 27:16 …is like holding back the wind or grasping oil with…
- 30:4 …down Who has gathered the wind in His hands Who…
Ecclesiastes 13
- 1:6 The wind blows southward then turns…
- 1:14 …be futile a pursuit of the wind
- 1:17 …too is a pursuit of the wind
- 2:11 …be futile a pursuit of the wind there was nothing to…
- 2:17 …futile and a pursuit of the wind
- 2:26 …futile and a pursuit of the wind
- 4:4 …futile and a pursuit of the wind
- 4:6 …with toil and pursuit of the wind
- 4:16 …futile and a pursuit of the wind
- 5:16 …gain as he toils for the wind
- 6:9 …futile and a pursuit of the wind
- 11:4 …He who watches the wind will fail to sow…
- 11:5 …not know the path of the wind or how the bones…
Isaiah 8
- 7:2 …in the forest shaken by the wind
- 11:15 …Egypt with a scorching wind He will sweep His…
- 17:13 …far away driven before the wind like chaff on the…
- 26:18 …we gave birth to wind We have given no…
- 27:8 …her with a fierce wind as on the day…
- 32:2 …be like a shelter from the wind a refuge from the…
- 41:16 …You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away…
- 57:13 …idols deliver you Yet the wind will carry off all…
Jeremiah 12
- 2:24 …in the wilderness sniffing the wind in the heat of…
- 4:11 …to Jerusalem A searing wind from the barren heights…
- 4:12 a wind too strong for that…
- 5:13 …The prophets are but wind for the word is…
- 10:13 …rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses…
- 13:24 …driven by the desert wind
- 18:17 …enemy like the east wind I will show them…
- 22:22 The wind will drive away all…
- 49:32 …spoil I will scatter to the wind in every direction those…
- 49:36 …will bring the four winds against Elam from the…
- 49:36 …them to all these winds There will not be…
- 51:16 …rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses…
Ezekiel 9
- 5:2 …to scatter a third to the wind For I will unleash…
- 5:10 …your remnant to every wind
- 5:12 …will scatter to every wind and unleash a sword…
- 12:14 …will scatter to every wind all the attendants around…
- 17:10 …wither when the east wind strikes It will wither…
- 17:21 …be scattered to every wind Then you will know…
- 19:12 …ground and the east wind dried up its fruit…
- 27:26 …seas but the east wind will shatter you in…
- 37:9 …Come from the four winds O breath and breathe…
Daniel 2
- 8:8 …pointing toward the four winds of heaven…
- 11:4 …out toward the four winds of heaven It will…
Hosea 2
- 8:7 …For they sow the wind and they shall reap…
- 12:1 …Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east…

And 7 more, on the full page.

“breath” 30

Genesis 2
- 6:17 …the heavens that has the breath of life Everything on…
- 7:15 …of every creature with the breath of life…
Exodus 1
- 15:10 …But You blew with Your breath and the sea covered…
2 Samuel 1
- 22:16 …LORD at the blast of the breath of His nostrils…
Job 6
- 7:7 …Remember that my life is but a breath My eyes will never…
- 9:18 …not let me catch my breath but overwhelms me with…
- 15:30 …will wither his shoots and the breath of God’s mouth will…
- 19:17 My breath is repulsive to my…
- 26:13 By His breath the skies were cleared…
- 27:3 …is still within me and the breath of God remains in…
Psalms 4
- 18:15 …LORD at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils…
- 33:6 …and all the stars by the breath of His mouth…
- 104:29 …when You take away their breath they die and return…
- 135:17 …hear nor is there breath in their mouths…
Ecclesiastes 1
- 3:19 …all have the same breath Man has no advantage…
Isaiah 6
- 11:4 …and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips…
- 25:4 …from the heat For the breath of the ruthless is…
- 30:28 His breath is like a rushing…
- 33:11 …give birth to stubble Your breath is a fire that…
- 40:7 …the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows…
- 59:19 …a raging flood driven by the breath of the LORD…
Jeremiah 2
- 10:14 …and there is no breath in them…
- 51:17 …and there is no breath in them…
Lamentations 1
- 4:20 …The LORD’s anointed the breath of our life was…
Ezekiel 5
- 37:6 …skin I will put breath within you so that…
- 37:8 …but there was no breath in them…
- 37:9 …to me Prophesy to the breath prophesy son of man…
- 37:9 …of man and tell the breath that this is what…
- 37:10 …He had commanded me and the breath entered them and they…
Habakkuk 1
- 2:19 …yet there is no breath in it at all…

“side” 4

Ezekiel 4
- 42:16 …he measured the east side to be five hundred…
- 42:17 …He measured the north side to be five hundred…
- 42:18 …He measured the south side to be five hundred…
- 42:19 …and measured the west side to be five hundred…

“sides” 3

1 Chronicles 1
- 9:24 …stationed on the four sides east west north and…
Jeremiah 1
- 52:23 …had ninety six pomegranates on the sides and a total of…
Ezekiel 1
- 42:20 …area on all four sides It had a wall…

“whose spirit” 3

Ezra 1
- 1:5 …priests and Levites everyone whose spirit God had stirred prepared…
Psalms 2
- 32:2 …not count against him in whose spirit there is no deceit…
- 78:8 …heart was not loyal whose spirit was not faithful to…

“breeze” 2

Genesis 1
- 3:8 …walking in the garden in the breeze of the day and…
Psalms 1
- 78:39 …but flesh a passing breeze that does not return…

“blast” 2

Exodus 1
- 15:8 At the blast of Your nostrils the…
Job 1
- 4:9 …of God they perish and by the blast of His anger they…

“if a feeling” 2

Numbers 2
- 5:14 and if a feeling of jealousy comes over…
- 5:14 …has defiled herself or if a feeling of jealousy comes over…

“anger” 2

Judges 1
- 8:3 …he had said this their anger against him subsided…
Proverbs 1
- 29:11 …A fool vents all his anger but a wise man…

“did the spirit” 2

1 Kings 1
- 22:24 …and demanded Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go…
2 Chronicles 1
- 18:23 …and demanded Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go…

“mind” 2

1 Chronicles 1
- 28:12 …everything David had in mind for the courts of…
Ezekiel 1
- 20:32 …what you have in mind will never come to…

“air” 2

Job 1
- 41:16 …to another that no air can pass between them…
Jeremiah 1
- 14:6 …barren heights they pant for air like jackals their eyes…

“temper” 2

Proverbs 1
- 25:28 …who does not control his temper
Ecclesiastes 1
- 10:4 …If the ruler’s temper flares against you do…

“like the wind” 2

Isaiah 1
- 64:6 …iniquities carry us away like the wind
Habakkuk 1
- 1:11 …Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through They…

“whirlwind” 2

Ezekiel 1
- 1:4 …I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north…
Hosea 1
- 4:19 The whirlwind has wrapped them in…

“windstorm” 2

Ezekiel 2
- 13:11 …send hailstones plunging down and a windstorm will burst forth…
- 13:13 …wrath I will release a windstorm and in My anger…

“of” 1

Genesis 1
- 7:22 …that had the breath of life in its nostrils…

“sent a wind” 1

Genesis 1
- 8:1 …the ark And God sent a wind over the earth and…

“brought” 1

Genesis 1
- 26:35 …And they brought grief to Isaac and…

“feeling” 1

Numbers 1
- 5:30 …or when a feeling of jealousy comes over…

“as the spirit” 1

Numbers 1
- 11:25 …on the seventy elders As the Spirit rested on them they…

“made his spirit” 1

Deuteronomy 1
- 2:30 …the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart…

“courage” 1

Joshua 1
- 2:11 …hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you…

“strength” 1

Judges 1
- 15:19 …it When Samson drank his strength returned and he was…

“revived” 1

1 Samuel 1
- 30:12 …raisins So he ate and was revived for he had not…

“took her breath” 1

1 Kings 1
- 10:5 …house of the LORD it took her breath away…

“you” 1

1 Kings 1
- 21:5 …in and asked Why are you so sullen that you…

“is” 1

1 Chronicles 1
- 5:26 …Pul king of Assyria that is Tiglath pileser king of…

“took her breath away” 1

2 Chronicles 1
- 9:4 …house of the LORD it took her breath away

“treat as wind” 1

Job 1
- 6:26 …to correct my words and treat as wind my cry of despair…

“as well as the breath” 1

Job 1
- 12:10 …is in His hand as well as the breath of all mankind…

“empty” 1

Job 1
- 15:2 …a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill his…

“long winded” 1

Job 1
- 16:3 …Is there no end to your long-winded speeches What provokes you…

“heard” 1

Job 1
- 20:3 I have heard a rebuke that insults…

“should i not” 1

Job 1
- 21:4 …a man Then why should I not be impatient…

“as by the wind” 1

Job 1
- 30:15 …drive away my dignity as by the wind and my prosperity has…

“after the wind” 1

Job 1
- 37:21 …bright in the skies after the wind has swept them clean…

“raging” 1

Psalms 1
- 55:8 …my shelter far from this raging tempest…

“tempest” 1

Psalms 1
- 107:25 …He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves…

“escape your spirit” 1

Psalms 1
- 139:7 …Where can I go to escape Your Spirit Where can I flee…

“although my spirit” 1

Psalms 1
- 142:3 Although my spirit grows faint within me…

“when his spirit” 1

Psalms 1
- 146:4 When his spirit departs he returns to…

“spirit on you” 1

Proverbs 1
- 1:23 …have poured out my spirit on you I would have made…

“person” 1

Proverbs 1
- 11:13 …secret but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence…

“quick tempered man” 1

Proverbs 1
- 14:29 …man has great understanding but a quick-tempered man promotes folly…

“motives” 1

Proverbs 1
- 16:2 …in his own eyes but his motives are weighed out by…

“temper is greater” 1

Proverbs 1
- 16:32 …and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures…

“its” 1

Ecclesiastes 1
- 1:6 …swirls ever returning on its course…

“if the spirit” 1

Ecclesiastes 1
- 3:21 …Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward…

“one” 1

Ecclesiastes 1
- 7:8 …better than a proud one

“over the wind” 1

Ecclesiastes 1
- 8:8 …no man has power over the wind to contain it so…

“it” 1

Ecclesiastes 1
- 8:8 …the wind to contain it so no one has…

“will” 1

Isaiah 1
- 30:1 …an alliance but against My will heaping up sin upon…

“as the wind” 1

Isaiah 1
- 41:29 …images are as empty as the wind

“life” 1

Isaiah 1
- 42:5 …the people on it and life to those who walk…

“accompanied by his spirit” 1

Isaiah 1
- 48:16 …GOD has sent me accompanied by His Spirit

“spirit of man” 1

Isaiah 1
- 57:16 …always be angry for then the spirit of man would grow weak before…

“would go” 1

Ezekiel 1
- 1:20 …the spirit would go they would go and the wheels would…

“arise in your minds” 1

Ezekiel 1
- 11:5 …I know the thoughts that arise in your minds

“own spirit” 1

Ezekiel 1
- 13:3 …foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing…

“cause breath” 1

Ezekiel 1
- 37:5 …to these bones I will cause breath to enter you and…

“o breath” 1

Ezekiel 1
- 37:9 …from the four winds O breath and breathe into these…

“inspired” 1

Hosea 1
- 9:7 …is called a fool and the inspired man insane because of…

In our notes

God's Spirit hovers over the deep like an eagle over its young.

The Hebrew and Greek words, their glosses and grammar: STEP Bible (CC BY 4.0). The English: the Berean Standard Bible, which also gives which English words render which. Counts are ours.

Through the Bible

How the BSB translates it

With a pronoun joined

Where it occurs

Genesis 5

Exodus 5

Numbers 9

Deuteronomy 1

Joshua 1

Judges 8

1 Samuel 15

2 Samuel 1

1 Kings 4

2 Kings 4

1 Chronicles 2

2 Chronicles 8

Ezra 1

Nehemiah 2

Job 10

Psalms 4

Exodus 4

Numbers 1

2 Samuel 1

1 Kings 4

2 Kings 1

Job 5

Psalms 13

Proverbs 5

Ecclesiastes 13

Isaiah 8

Jeremiah 12

Ezekiel 9

Daniel 2

Hosea 2

Genesis 2

Exodus 1

2 Samuel 1

Job 6

Psalms 4

Ecclesiastes 1

Isaiah 6

Jeremiah 2

Lamentations 1

Ezekiel 5

Habakkuk 1

Ezekiel 4

1 Chronicles 1

Jeremiah 1

Ezekiel 1

Ezra 1

Psalms 2

Genesis 1

Psalms 1

Exodus 1

Job 1

Numbers 2

Judges 1

Proverbs 1

1 Kings 1

2 Chronicles 1

1 Chronicles 1

Ezekiel 1

Job 1

Jeremiah 1

Proverbs 1

Ecclesiastes 1

Isaiah 1

Habakkuk 1

Ezekiel 1

Hosea 1

Ezekiel 2

Genesis 1

Genesis 1

Genesis 1

Numbers 1

Numbers 1

Deuteronomy 1

Joshua 1

Judges 1

1 Samuel 1