breath

10:24 Mar 12, 2001

Hebrew to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary

Hebrew term or phrase: breath

I want to know what the Hebrew term for "breath" is in English. Like if you were meditating or praying, and were breathing in and out. What would the Hebrew word for this "breath" be?

Charmaine

Summary of answers provided

something like "rouah" can't write it

Albert Golub

Linshom

Michal Circolone

in exchange for my 0

Albert Golub

Breath

Suzan Chin

neshimah OR she'ifat ruach

Robert Jackson

Answers

5 mins

something like "rouah" can't write it

Explanation:
used for god's breath at least, the cosmic
hope it helps

Albert Golub
Local time: 15:26
Native speaker of: French

29 mins

Linshom

Explanation:
To breath=Linshom
לנשום

Good luck!

Alcalay, The Complete English-Hebrew Dictionary

Michal Circolone
United States
Local time: 06:26
Native speaker of:

English,

Hebrew
PRO pts in pair: 48

1 hr

in exchange for my 0

Explanation:
to breathe don't forget the "e"
that's for the person who generously granted this 0
he may be right, i made it clear i meant God's Breath
good luck

Albert Golub
Local time: 15:26
Native speaker of: French

1 hr

Breath

Explanation:
Breath is "neshima" in Hebrew. To breathe is "linshom".

Shimshon Inbal Heb-Eng, Eng-Heb Dictionary

Suzan Chin
United States
Local time: 09:26
Native speaker of:

Hebrew
PRO pts in pair: 272

5 days

neshimah OR she'ifat ruach

Explanation:
The first comes from the root N-Sh-M, which simply means "to breathe".

She'ifah (w/o the final -t if it stands alone) means more "inhale", rather than breathe in general. THe root is Sh-'-p. I included "ruach" after it, because this is how it is given in the Bantam-Megiddo Heb & Eng Dict. But beware that "ruach" does not mean "breath" primarily, but "wind". It only means "breath" in a derived sense.

Gen. 2:7b reads "weyippakh be'appayw nishmat khayyim" "And (God) blew into his nostrils a breath of life." The first word is a form of the root n-p-kh, which doesn't mean "breathe", but rather blow. (Even though many Eng. translations do in fact render it "breathe".) "Nishmat" is a form of "neshamah" which in turn is related to "neshimah". This latter refers more to the act of breathing, while "neshamah" means more the air which is breathed.

For the record, I was a professional Bible translator for 10 yrs.

Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary
Hebrew-English Lexicon (Zondervan)

Robert Jackson

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