What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "In Genesis 1 and in chapter 2 the word ruach is used as a footnote in many Bibles, meaning breath, spirit. Question: Is the word ruach used in chapter 1 as in chapter 2, i.e., is it the same, the breath of God? In Genesis chapter 1, is the word Elohim also used for the Trinity God?"
Answer
In the creation narrative the term Roo-ach (Ruach) is used to describe the creative Spirit of God who hovered over the waters, while the “breath of life” in chapter 2 made man a living being. Although the word has various meanings such as spirit, wind, or breath, it is the life‑giving power of God that works both in the general creation and specifically in man.
Regarding the name Elohim the scriptures emphasize that this God is presented in his creative power. It is clarified that the Father and the Son worked together in the creation of the earth and humanity (“Let us make man”).
The Meaning of Ruach and the Breath of Life
»The term spirit is translated in the Old Testament from two Hebrew words, n’shah-mah and roo-ach. ... Roo-ach occurs 442 times and is rendered in 16 ways, namely: spirit (282 times), wind (97 times), breath (28 times), mind (6 times) etc. ... The principle of immortality is not contained in the “breath of life” that was breathed into man. It was strict and only what the words imply – the breath of life; its effect was to make man a living person. From this term the word spirit is derived. Its property of vivifying or giving life is acknowledged.«
The Work of the Spirit of God in Creation
»When the earth had just been called into existence, while everything was still desolate and void – “the Spirit of God hovered over the water”. The original word for “hovered” carries the meaning of lingering or brooding and does not merely denote movement. It clearly refers to a process of shaping by the power of the Spirit of God that immediately followed the act of creation.«
Elohim and the Collaborative Work of Father and Son
»After the earth was created and the animals on it, the Father and the Son carried out their plan, which had been designed before Satan’s fall, to make man in their own image. They had worked together in the creation of the earth and every living being. And now God said to His Son: “Let us make man after our image.”«
The Meaning of the Name Elohim
»The common word that in the Old Testament is translated with the German word “God” is Elohim. Although it is plural in form, it is usually singular in meaning and takes a singular verb. ... While Elohim reveals God in His power as Creator and ruler of the physical universe, the name Jehovah denotes His nature in relation to man.«
- Meaning of Elohim in Creation
- Collaboration of Father and Son in Creation
- Difference between Ruach and the Breath of Life
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
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