G4157 — πνοή (pnoē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4157
Original: πνοή
Transliteration: pnoē
Pronunciation: pno-ay'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: πνέω (pneō, G4154) — to blow, breathe hard
Occurrences: 2 in NT (Acts only)
First Occurrence: Acts 2:2 — "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind (πνοή), and it filled all the house where they were sitting."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G4154 (pneō); respiration, a breeze: — breath, wind.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 23.10: Breathe, Breath
Other words: ἐμφυσάω (emphysaō, G1720), πνεῦμα (pneuma, G4151)
Domain 14.2: Wind
Other words: ἄνεμος (anemos, G417), πνεῦμα (pneuma, G4151), πνέω (pneō, G4154), θύελλα (thyella, G2366), λαῖλαψ (lailaps, G2978)

Louw-Nida Domain Neighbors (23.10 — Breathe, Breath)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Vv	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G1720	ἐμφυσάω (emphysaō)	1	he breathed on
G4151	πνεῦμα (pneuma)	255	Ghost, Spirit

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
breath	1	50%
wind	1	50%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Acts	2	0.2

Exclusively Lukan. Both occurrences appear in Paul-related contexts within Acts (Pentecost narrative and Areopagus sermon). Absent from the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Violent, Rushing Wind (Physical Phenomenon)¶

Acts 2:2 — "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind (πνοή), and it filled all the house where they were sitting."

Here pnoē describes a powerful atmospheric blast — not a gentle breeze. The adjective βίαιος (biaios, "violent") intensifies it. The wind-sound accompanies the Holy Spirit's arrival but is itself described as a physical phenomenon (ἦχος, "sound"; ὥσπερ, "as of"), distinguished from the Spirit (πνεῦμα) that fills the disciples in v. 4.

2. Life-Breath Given by God (Creational Gift)¶

Acts 17:25 — "Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath (πνοή), and all things."

Paul echoes Gen 2:7 (LXX πνοὴν ζωῆς) and Isa 42:5 (God "giveth breath unto the people"). Here pnoē is the creaturely breath God grants — biological respiration as evidence of dependence on the Creator. It stands alongside ζωή (zōē, "life") in a hendiadys: "life, namely breath."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ζωή (zōē)	G2222	1x	"life and breath" — paired as divine gifts (Acts 17:25)
βίαιος (biaios)	G972	1x	"rushing mighty wind" — violent wind descriptor (Acts 2:2)
οὐρανός (ouranos)	G3772	1x	"from heaven" — origin of the wind-sound (Acts 2:2)
ἦχος (ēchos)	G2279	1x	"a sound ... as of wind" — pnoē is the simile's object (Acts 2:2)
δίδωμι (didōmi)	G1325	1x	"he giveth ... breath" — God as source of pnoē (Acts 17:25)
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	1x	"to all" — universal scope of the gift (Acts 17:25)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4154 πνέω (pneō) — root verb: to blow, breathe hard (7 occurrences)
G4151 πνεῦμα (pneuma) — spirit, wind, breath (385 occurrences) — a different derivative from the same root, but with vastly broader semantic range
G1709 ἐμπνέω (empneō) — to breathe out (against), used once of Saul "breathing out" threatenings (Acts 9:1)

Synonyms¶

G417 ἄνεμος (anemos) — wind (31 occurrences) — the standard word for wind as a weather phenomenon; pnoē overlaps only once (Acts 2:2)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	both can mean "wind" or "breath"	pneuma has developed a vast theological range (Holy Spirit, human spirit, evil spirits); pnoē stays at the physical/biological level — respiration, breeze
ἄνεμος (anemos)	G417	both translated "wind"	anemos is ordinary weather-wind; pnoē in Acts 2:2 carries a blast/gust quality tied to divine action
ἐμπνέω (empneō)	G1709	related root, "breathing"	empneō is hostile exhalation ("breathing out threatenings"); pnoē is neutral respiration or natural wind

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
נְשָׁמָה (nshamah)	H5397	14	9.36	Primary LXX equivalent — vital breath, breath of life
רוּחַ (ruach)	H7307	10	4.98	Secondary — when ruach means physical wind/breath
אַף (aph)	H639	5	4.39	"Nostril" — pnoē renders the breath-from-nostrils sense

The dominant Hebrew source is nshamah (H5397), not ruach (H7307). This is significant: in the OT, nshamah is the physical life-breath God breathes into creatures (Gen 2:7), while ruach carries the broader spirit/wind/disposition range. The LXX translators consistently reserved pnoē for nshamah's physical-breath sense, using pneuma for ruach's wider meanings.