The “breath of life” is a phrase that appears several times in the Bible, referring to the life force that God breathes into humans and animals. This article will examine what the Bible says about the breath of life and what it means for our understanding of life, humanity, and our relationship with God.
The first mention of the breath of life is in Genesis 2:7, where it says “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” This verse describes God breathing life into Adam at creation, animating his body and making him a living being. The breath of God brought Adam to life. This establishes that the breath of life comes from God and makes the difference between a lifeless body and a living person.
Later in Genesis, the breath of life is again mentioned when the animals are created: “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). The animals are described as “living creatures,” having the breath of life in them just as Adam did.
When the flood comes in Genesis 6-8, God commands Noah to build an ark to preserve the breath of life: “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female” (Genesis 6:19). The breath of life in the animals is preserved with Noah so that life can continue after the flood. Genesis 7:15 affirms that the animals entered the ark “in which was the breath of life.”
Perhaps the most significant mention of the breath of life is when God takes it away as judgment for sin. After Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, God decrees the punishment for their sin: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). The implication is that the breath of life given by God in Genesis 2:7 will be taken away, returning humans to dust and death.
Later, when describing the flood’s destruction, the Bible says, “Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died” (Genesis 7:22). The removal of the breath of life resulted in death for mankind and animals as judgment for sin. However, after the flood Noah’s family and the animals have the breath of life in them again, as God preserved them (Genesis 7:23).
The breath of life signifies that a being is alive with a soul or spirit, unlike inanimate objects. When the breath is gone, the life and personality of the being ceases. The Bible uses various terms like breath, spirit, and soul somewhat interchangeably to describe this animating force given by God.
Some key implications can be drawn about the breath of life:
- The breath of life comes directly from God. Life originates with God breathing it into his creatures. It is not natural or self-existent.
- Only beings created in God’s image have the breath of life. Animals have the lower animals souls or spirits, but the breath in humans is of a higher order.
- Having the breath of life makes one a living being in relationship with God. Our life and breath depend on him.
- God may take the breath of life away in judgment for sin. But he can also mercifully sustain it, as with Noah’s family.
- Jesus Christ is called “the breath of life” in the New Testament. He is the Word of God, the Creator and Sustainer of all life (John 1).
Beyond its mention in Genesis, the concept of the breath or spirit of life continues in the Bible’s teachings on the nature of life and humanity:
The breath links to the soul or spirit. When God curses Adam after the fall, he says “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). This refers back to Genesis 2:7, indicating that the breath of life (spirit) will depart from the body of dust and return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 confirms this connection: “The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
God sustains all life by his spirit. After the flood God promises, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). The cycles of life continue because God sustains the breath and spirit of all living things. In Psalm 104:29-30 the psalmist says to God, “When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” God actively sustains creation by his spirit.
The breath links body and spirit. When Elijah raises a child from the dead in 1 Kings 17:17-24, he stretches himself over the child three times and cries to the Lord, “let this child’s life come into him again.” And “the life of the child came into him again, and he revived” (v. 22). The spirit or breath of life (mentioned in v. 17) re-entered the child’s body and he lived again.
At death, the spirit departs to be with God. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” And James 2:26 tells us, “The body apart from the spirit is dead.” When the breath of life leaves, the body dies, and the spirit or soul returns to God.
The breath of life distinguishes the living from the dead. In Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, God tells him to prophesy to the breath or spirit: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” As Ezekiel does this, the bodies come to life and stand up “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:9-10). The restored breath or spirit made dead bodies living again.
All humans have the breath of life. When Paul preaches in Athens in Acts 17, he proclaims that God “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (v. 25). God does not just give the breath of life to some, but to every living person.
The life is in the blood. In Leviticus 17:11 God says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood,” and therefore the blood makes atonement for the soul. There is a close connection between the physical lifeblood or breath and the spirit or soul within.
Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit. After his resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples and “breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22). Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus imparted spiritual life through the Holy Spirit into his followers.
The Holy Spirit gives new life in Christ. When telling Nicodemus of the need to be born again, Jesus says, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6). The Holy Spirit brings new spiritual life to dead sinners, connecting the physical and the spiritual.
The Spirit sanctifies life in the believer. Paul tells the Corinthians, “But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand” (Job 32:8). The Holy Spirit enlightens and makes the believer wise to know and love God and his truth.
In summary, the breath of life refers to the animating force that God imparts to human and animal bodies. More than just physical breath, it entails the very life, soul, and spirit of a being. The Bible links the breath of life to the Holy Spirit’s work in regenerating lost sinners and sanctifying believers. As Creator and Sustainer, God is the source of all life. Biological life depends on him, and spiritual life requires his gracious impartation of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. Though our bodies will return to dust when we die, our spirit lives on eternally with God who gave us the breath of life.