WG: Spirit
Overview
The spirit concept in the NT centers on πνεῦμα (pneuma), which carries the full semantic range from physical wind/breath through human inner life to the divine Holy Spirit. This word group maps pneuma's cognate family, its key collocate (ἅγιος), and the easily confused ψυχή (psychē).
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G4151 |
πνεῦμα |
pneuma |
noun |
385 |
Core word — spirit, Spirit, wind, breath |
G4151 |
| G40 |
ἅγιος |
hagios |
adj |
233 |
Qualifier — makes "Holy Spirit" |
G40-hagios.md |
| G5590 |
ψυχή |
psychē |
noun |
105 |
Contrast/confusion — soul vs. spirit |
G5590 |
| G4152 |
πνευματικός |
pneumatikos |
adj |
26 |
Derivative — "spiritual" (things/persons) |
TODO(need G4152 study) |
| G4154 |
πνέω |
pneō |
verb |
7 |
Root verb — to blow (wind) |
TODO(need G4154 study) |
| G4157 |
πνοή |
pnoē |
noun |
2 |
Cognate — breath, wind (physical) |
G4157 |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- πνεῦμα (G4151), πνευματικός (G4152), πνέω (G4154), πνοή (G4157) — all from root πνε- (to blow/breathe)
- ψυχή (G5590) from ψύχω (to breathe, blow cool) — etymologically parallel but semantically distinct
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| pneuma (G4151) |
hagios (G40) |
92 |
"Holy Spirit" — the dominant collocation |
| pneuma (G4151) |
psychē (G5590) |
5 |
Spirit/soul distinction (1 Thess 5:23, Heb 4:12) |
| pneuma (G4151) |
pneumatikos (G4152) |
2 |
"spiritual gifts," "spiritual things" |
| hagios (G40) |
pneumatikos (G4152) |
2 |
Holy Spirit context with "spiritual" qualifier |
Hebrew Source Overlap
| Greek Words |
Shared Hebrew Source |
Notes |
| pneuma + pnoē |
both ← רוּחַ (ruach, H7307) |
LXX uses both to translate ruach; pneuma dominates |
| pneuma + psychē |
pneuma ← ruach; psychē ← nephesh (H5315) |
Hebrew keeps wind/spirit (ruach) distinct from soul/life (nephesh); Greek blurs the boundary in some contexts |
Roles in the Concept
- Core entity: πνεῦμα (pneuma) — the spirit itself, whether divine, human, demonic, or natural (wind)
- Qualifier: ἅγιος (hagios) — specifies the divine Spirit as "holy"
- Contrast: ψυχή (psychē) — the soul/natural life, distinguished from the spirit in anthropological and eschatological contexts
- Derivative quality: πνευματικός (pneumatikos) — "spiritual" as characteristic of Spirit-empowered persons or gifts
- Root action: πνέω (pneō) — the underlying physical act (blowing) from which the metaphor extends
- Physical cognate: πνοή (pnoē) — breath/wind in purely physical sense
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- 1 Thess 5:23 — "your whole spirit (pneuma) and soul (psychē) and body be preserved"
- Heb 4:12 — "dividing asunder of soul (psychē) and spirit (pneuma)"
- 1 Cor 2:13–14 — "the Spirit (pneuma) teacheth... the natural (psychikos, from psychē) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit (pneuma) of God... because they are spiritually (pneumatikōs) discerned"
- John 3:5–8 — "born of... the Spirit (pneuma)... The wind (pneuma) bloweth where it listeth" (wordplay on pneuma as wind and Spirit)
Generated from: search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries, louw_nida.db
Last updated: 2026-03-31