What a Concordance
shows
This paper utilizes
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of
the Bible with brief Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the Original
with References to the English Words (Strong's), Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. Strong's is
based upon the King James Version (KJV) bible. Other Concordances and
bibles are equivalent and superior in some aspects..
Many people believe the 'Holy Spirit' is male because it is referred to in bible translations with masculine pronouns,
and a person because of the Trinity doctrine. It is
neither.
A study with a concordance shows that the words
translated 'Holy Spirit' in the bible literally mean: a sacred or holy movement of air-
breath, or wind. As such it is an inanimate invisible force. It isn't male,
a person, or named. It is indescribable power emanating from Almighty
Yahweh, directed by his Son, Yahshua the Anointed.
For each
occurrence of a word in a given bible verse, Strong's assigns a reference
number, shows original language spelling, English accented spelling, phonetic
pronunciation, and definition(s).
The phrase Holy Spirit is not found in Strong's because concordances are
keyed to individual words, not phrases. A reader is told to "See HOLY
and SPIRIT "heading. Seventeen words are listed. The foregoing
will show all definitions of the word most frequently used under each
heading in relation to others. The first italicized word in a definition
is the most common meaning, thereafter the meanings decrease to infrequent
nuances.
Holy - Thesix words from the Old Testament translated as Holy
occur 342 times. They are defined in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary
as:
2623 châçîyd, khaw-seed' -
corresponds to #6918.= kind,
5.
4720 miqqedâsh,
mik-dawsh' = consecrated place or thing, 3.
6918 qâdôsh,
kaw-doshe' =
sacred, ceremonially or morally, 93.
6922
qaddîysh, kad-deesh' =
holy, 7.
6942 qâdâsh, kaw-dash' = to be clean, ceremonially or morally, 7.
6944 qôdesh, ko'-desh = from 6942; a sacred place or thing;
rarely abstr. sanctity:-consecrated
(thing) dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (x most) holy (x day,
portion, thing) saint, sanctuary, 234 of 342 total
occurrences.
The dominate Hebrew word qôdesh, means: a sacred place, thing, or condition.
Spirit - The
four words
from the Old Testament translated as Spirit occur 208 times. They are defined in Strong's Hebrew
Dictionary as:
178 'ôwb, obe = prattling a father's name; a mumble, 5.
5397 neshâmâh, nesh-aw-maw' = a
puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital
breath, 1.
7307 rûwach, roo'-akh = from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible
(or even violent) exhalation; fig. life, anger, unsubstantiality: by
extens. a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (includ. its expression and
functions):-air, anger, blast, breath, x cool, courage, mind, x quarter, x side,
spirit ([-ual]), tempest, x vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y), 201 of 208 total
occurrences.
7308
rûwach, (Aramaic) roo'-akh - corr. to
7307 = mind, spirit, wind, 1.
The dominant Hebrew word
rûwach, means: a 'movement of air - breath or
wind.'
The principal Hebrew word translated
'Holy' and 'Spirit' in the Old Testament essentially describe: a sacred or holy movement of air - breath, or
wind, a sensible inanimate force.
Holy - Thefive words from the New
Testament translated as Holy
occur 167 times. They are defined in Strong's Greek Dictionary
as:
37 hagiazÇ,
hag-ee-ad'-zo = to make holy i.e. purify or consecrate, 1.
39 hagi4n, hag'-ee-on' = neuter of #40, a sacred thing, 1.
40 hagi4s,
hag'-ee-os =
(an awful thing)[comp. 53 {clean,
innocent, modest, perfect}, 2282
{to brood, foster,
cherish}]; sacred (phys. pure, mor. blameless or
religious, cer. consecrated):-(most)
holy (one), thing), saint, 157 of 167 total
occurrences.
2413 hir4s,
hee-er-os' = sacred:- holy, 2.
3741 h4si4s, hos'-ee-os =
right by intrinsic or
divine character; thus distinguished from 1342, which refers to human statutes and relations, 6.
The
dominant Greek word hagi4s, means: a sacred or holy condition.
Spirit - The
two words
from the New Testament translated as Spirit occur 254 times.
They are defined in Strong's Greek Dictionary as:
4151 pnuma,
pnyoo'-mah - from 4154: a current of air, i.e. breath
(blast) or a breeze) by ana. or fig. a spirit
i.e. (human) the rational
soul, (by imp.) vital principal, mental
disposition, etc. or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit:-ghost, life,
spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. comp. 5590 {breath}, 252 of 254 total occurrences.
5326 phantasma,
fan'-tas-mah - from 5324; to
make apparent, to appear, specter,
2.
The dominant Greek word pnuma,
means: a current of air
- breath or breeze.
The principal Greek word translated
'Holy' and 'Spirit' in the New Testament essentially mean: a sacred movement of air - breath or
breeze.
SUMMARY: The principal
Hebrew and Greek words translated 'Holy' and 'Spirit' in Strong's describe an
inanimate, sometimes sensible, sacred or holy, force or
power . It isn't male or a person, and has no
attributes of personality, persona, or a personal name.
The
phrase 'Holy Spirit'[Holy Power] in Hebrew is: rûwach qôdesh, and in Greek: pnuma hagi4s. The phrase is spoken and read as shown, in reverse word order to
English.
Using PC Study Bible V3.1 or equivalent software, one can find
the eighteen books which contain a total of ninety four verses in
the KJV with the phrase 'Holy Spirit.' Each verse must be examined in
context. This is best done with several bible versions which are commonly
available in most libraries. Verses can be examined relatively quickly
using bible software. Such software usually has eight bible versions, a
lexicon, an interlinear, bible dictionaries, commentaries, etc.
In the two lists which follow, the definite article 'the' precedes
all occurrences of 'Holy Spirit' except where a parenthesis contains another
word. A masculine pronoun in a parenthesis preceding or following the
phrase is there because of Semitic language grammar convention which will be
explained later.
The phrase 'the Holy Spirit' begs the question:
"of whom?" The answer is in The Sacred Scriptures (Bethel
Ed.): Eph. 4:30 "the Holy
Spirit of Yahweh...." and in Titus 3:5 "renewing of the Holy
Spirit, 6., which he
[Yahweh] poured out on us richly
through Yahshua the
Messiah ..."
The Holy Spirit is clearly "of Yahweh." The
definition of 'the Holy Spirit' in the OT and NT show it to be more
correctly the Holy Power
which emanates from Yahweh
continually. It causes all things to occur. Understanding a verse is
easier if, when encountering 'the Holy Spirit,' the reader mentally substitutes
'the Holy Power [of Yahweh]' This is especially so in the
NT.
In all OT verses which follow, 'Holy Spirit' is Strong's 6944
qôdesh and 7307 rûwach:
Ps. (your)51:11, Isa.
(his)63:10 and (his)11.
In
all NT verses which follow, 'Holy Spirit' is Strong's 40 hagi4s. and 4151 pnuma:
Matt.1:18, 20, 3:11, 12:32, 28:19; Mark 1:8,
3:29, 12:36, 13:11; Luke 1:15, 35, 41, 67, 2:25, 26, 3:16, 22, 4:1, 10:21,11:13,
12:10, 12; John 1:33, 14:26, 20:29; Acts 1;2, 5, 8, 16, 2:4, 33, 38,
4:8, 25, 31, 5:3, 32, 6:3, 5, 7:51, 55, 8:15,16, 17, 19, 9:17, 31, 10:38, 44,
45, 47, 11:15, 16, 24,13:2, 4, 9, 52, 15:8, 28, 16:6, 19:2, (a)19:2, 20:28, 21:11, 28:25; Rom 5:5, 9:1, 14:17, 15:13, 16; 1 Cor
6:19, 12:3; 2 Cor 6:6, 13:14; Eph.1:13, 4:30; 1 Thess.1:5, 6,
(his)4:8; 2 Tim. 1:14 (who);
Titus.3:5; Heb.2:4, 3:7, 6:4, 9:8, 10:14; 1 Peter 1:12; 2
Peter 1:21; Jude 20.
The number of above verses with personal pronouns in
parenthesis, which some erroneously think prove that the Holy Spirit is
male and a person, are comparatively few. They vary in number from one
bible version to another. The situation is different for 'Spirit' which
many assume always means the same as 'the Holy Spirit.'
There are many verses which have masculine pronouns that refer
only to 'spirit' (Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:8, 16, 14, Rom. 6:6, 7:17, 8:9, 16, 29,
16:7, 1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Tim.1:14, etc.). These verses are commonly quoted by
those who teach 'the Holy Spirit' is male and the Third
Person of a Trinity.
When the
occurrences of the word 'spirit' in verses are examined, it is soon apparent
that this one word is used for a wide range of meanings (i.e., mind,
attitude, conscious, heart, inner being, etc.), words themselves which would
seem to have been a better translation.
There are bible verses which contain figures of speech,
metaphors, etc., containing human personifications that are attributed to
inanimate things: Ps. 96:11, 12 (heavens rejoice... earth be glad... field be
joyful), Isa. 55:12 (hills shall sing... trees shall clap...), 1 Cor12:15, (foot
shall say...16. ear shall say...) etc.
The same type of
personification (vexing, grieving, groaning, etc.) occur in verses with contain
the word 'Spirit.' Trinitarians quote such verses to support the
theory that this 'Spirit,' is male and the
third Person of the Trinity.
(a) Typical verses
which infer 'the Holy Spirit' was intentionally given personification
are:
Matt.1:18 "...she was found with the child of the Holy Spirit," and Matt.1:20 "...that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit."
If the 'Holy
Spirit' is a person, same would be the father of Yahshua. Clearly, the
inanimate Holy
Power from the father Yahweh caused the conception of the son Yahshua. Only this is
supported by scripture.
Matt. 29:19 "...baptize in the name of [by the authority of] the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
The scriptures show the Holy Spirit is: inanimate,
not male, not a person, and unnamed; is not accorded worship and does not have a
throne as mentioned in the book of Revelation for the other 'co-equal persons'
of the 'Trinity.' In spite of the scriptural facts, many continue to teach
the doctrine of the Trinity, itself a word not in the scriptures. Since
advocates cannot prove the Trinity doctrine from scripture, they teach that it
is a 'mystery' which is impossible to
understand.
The various Creeds in use today were
contrived solely to force belief in the Trinity, a manmade
doctrine with roots in pagan philosophy. Many people were martyred because
they refused to accept this unscriptural doctrine.
(b) Blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit has caused a lot of confusion and
trepidation:
Matt. 12:31 - 32, Mark 3:29 "but whomever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will..." and Luke 12:10
"but anyone who
blasphemes the Holy
Spirit...".
The blasphemy is not against a 'person.'
It is clearly not believing in the Holy Power of
Yahweh who has infinite wisdom
and is all powerful. An example of this unbelief is mentioned by Yahshua
in Matthew 12:24-28 where the Pharisees disbelieved his forgiving of sin by the
Holy Power of Yahweh. It is the ungrateful, incredibly condescending
attitude of insignificant created mortals who disbelieve the infinite power of
their Creator! This is the unpardonable sin mentioned in scripture.
As seen above, one of the common meanings of 'spirit' in
Hebrew and Greek is 'breath.' Jerome translated Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts into Latin for the Vulgate bible. The equivalent word for
'breath' in Latin is 'spiriea' which became 'spirit' in English. Early
English translations such as the KJV use 'Holy Ghost' which is interchangeable
with 'Holy Spirit.'
Masculine pronouns are used in the New
Testament to refer to inanimate objects. This indicates that the New
Testament was originally written in Aramaic and Hebrew and afterward translated
into Greek. Respected scholars have advocated this point for many
years.
The rules of grammar determine the gender of words in a
language. Some languages have two genders, others have three.
The Old Testament was written in Aramaic and in Hebrew, which have two
genders - Masculine and Feminine. All words fall into either
category. This includes sensible inanimate objects such as: 'breath,'
'wind,' etc., translated as 'spirit' in the KJV. These objects are
assigned masculine pronouns (he, etc.). Non-sensible objects such as
wisdom, are assigned feminine pronouns.
The gender of words
from an original language like Aramaic and Hebrew are generally, but not always,
carried over when translated into English. The definite article
'the' is commonly inserted in English bible translations (i.e., the Holy Spirit) as it is expected English grammatical convention.
The New Testament, ostensibly written in Greek, has three genders:
Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter. If Greek were the original language of
the New Testament, 'Holy Spirit' would be neuter gender. Being inanimate,
'Holy Spirit' would be referred to as 'it.' There is an example of this in
the New Testament in Rom. 8:16 (itself).
One of the best sources about the original languages
of the NT is the booklet:
The explanation of why personal pronouns are used in the NT
may simply be that the manuscript copyist faithfully translated the Aramaic and
Hebrew of the New Testament into Greek, carrying over the masculine pronouns
assigned to 'Holy Spirit' by the original languages. Or, it may be that
the translators of the KJV were simply biased by their belief in the doctrine of
the Trinity.
Apparently the practice continued into Latin
and English translations, where the definite article 'the' is assigned so words
and phrases (i.e., 'the Holy Spirit) will
sound proper. Other practices are a proclivity to capitalize masculine
pronouns (He') and words (Word), when referring to
deity. This has misled many to believe 'the Holy Spirit' and
'Spirit' is male, and is the Third Person in the Trinity doctrine. The scriptural evidence
shows that an inanimate 'Holy Spirit,'and 'Spirit,' isn't male or a
person.
Holy Power emanates from, and is part of Father Yahweh. It
is directed by his Son Yahshua to accomplish his father's will.
Examples are: formation and sustaining of the universe, creating life on
Earth, parting of the Red Sea, etc. But the scriptures show it was the
Father Yahweh who begot and resurrected his son Yahshua, who in turn will
resurrect the elect at his second coming, into the Kingdom of
Yahweh.
How or why a 'sacred or holy movement of air- breath or wind'
from Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, became translated into the English word 'ghost'
or 'spirit,' is unknown. It is unfortunate that grammar convention has
been used to mislead many to believe that the Holy Spirit/the Spirit, is male,
and the third person of the Trinity. If the facts presented herein had
been known, perhaps they would have believed differently. Regardless, the
scriptures clearly show 'the Holy Power'[of Yahweh] would have been a more
accurate and understandable translation.
Panama City, FL
August 25,
2001